Architect and interior designer Jim Dove shares his thoughts on…
…the importance of architecture.
“The first step is to begin a conversation with the architect,” Dove says, stressing that so much of interior design involves architecture at the very beginning stages. He likes to dig deep into his client’s daily routines and practices, from when they take their morning coffee, to where they check their emails, and so on. “We discuss in deep detail how the client will use the space,” he says.
…his biggest inspiration
Emotion is what inspires Dove the most, and he credits fatherhood for this. “I have always been extremely emotional when it comes to my kids,” he says. “I am a very emotional person.”
…experiential design
Dove likes to describe his overall style as “experiential.” And with a specialty in kitchens, baths, and bars, his main desire is for his clients to feel the “wow” factor as they use the spaces for their intended functions, to feel an emotional connection with the spaces.
…his favorite project
Dove once designed a kitchen for a client who was a surgeon and an aspiring rock musician. “He’s an extraordinary cook, and the space had to answer to all of his passions,” says Dove. While it was a challenge to make sure the client’s many interests came together in a cohesive way, the result was a dramatic, functional space.
…an exciting trend
Dove is excited that the trend of the “disappearing” kitchen, hidden behind panels and cabinetry, is giving way to a kitchen that’s more of a showplace. “The return of the visually beautiful kitchen is a trend that currently excites me,” he says.
… longing for the past
Dove admits to wishing for the return of vintage colors like avocado, coppertone, and harvest gold appliances. Why? “Just because I’d love to be a teenager again.”
…iconic architects
The architects who awe Dove the most are Louis Sullivan and Frank Gehry. He is always impressed by Sullivan’s “innovations in respect to form vs. function,” and by Gehry “for sheer, breathtaking boldness.”
…his favorite famous kitchen
Dove often thinks of Julia Child’s kitchen in her Cambridge, MA home. “The combination of natural wood and painted surfaces, butcher block and, of course, her pegboard pot rack designed and built by her husband, Paul, is simply as good as it gets.”
The original version of this interview ran in our partner publication, 150E58.
