The ELEVATE Design Collective has defied all expectations, bringing together six brands - Delta Faucet Company, Formica Corporation, Hunter Fan, JELD-WEN, KitchenAid, and Schlage - with a single task: To create a product featuring the new Pantone color Single Malt.
The silky, relaxed hue, which evokes the unimpeachable comfort of sipping a stiff drink by the fire, would act as the equalizer of sorts, tying the products together inside a spacious New York City loft.
To help accomplish their mission, the collective, along with a creative director, enlisted Jennifer Wagner Schmidt, a Washington, D.C.- and New York City-based designer, who started her career in tech PR during the dot-com boom. Though she's done work for clients like Oracle and VeriSign, design has always been in Schmidt's blood and, after doing the whole "I'm jaded" thing and having a kid, she quit her PR job and struck out into the design world.
In 2013, Home & Design magazine listed Schmidt as a one of their "hot talent, "and in 2015, Harper's Bazaar chose her as one of their inspiring women for the influential "Fabulous at Every Age" feature.
Since then, Schmidt has been on a meteoric rise. We spoke with her about her process, how she ended up on this first-of-its-kind project, and what broader implications it may have for the world of design.
Jennifer Wagner Schmidt; fan by Hunter.
Veranda.com: What did the collective see in you that made them choose you over everybody else?
Jennifer Wagner Schmidt: Well, they loved my portfolio. And they liked how I used color in my designs. So I think it was combination of my skillset, what they've seen, and my use of color. And also, I have a large fan base on social media.
Veranda.com: It's interesting that you say color is big part of why they picked you, because your previous designs, yes, they're very vibrant and colorful. But in this apartment, it seems like there're only three tones in the whole thing: black, white, and Single Malt. Were you cognizant of that and trying to not, I guess, be yourself?
Countertop by Formica; sink fittings by Delta.
JWS: No, no, no, I love neutral space. I love black, white. In this case, with the loft, just the way that it was, we wanted to keep it very urban and clean. Since we partnered with Pantone, they really wanted an interior designer's insight into the best one color to select. So that's what we did first.
All the industrial designers went on a "field trip" in New York to look at architecture and nature. At the same time, we met with Pantone. Ultimately we chose the single malt color. I didn't want it to be very colorful; I didn't feel like that would fit with the style of the apartment. Usually people want lofts to be clean and modern.
Veranda.com: How much of a hand did you have in designing the color? Did you take the lead on that, or did the six brands, or was it mostly Pantone?
JWS: It was really a collective decision among the six brands, with Pantone. We did our research and talked about what we wanted-something natural and organic, something that felt warm in the space. Ultimately, Single Malt was selected.
Door handle by Schlage; door by Jeld-Wen.
Veranda.com: My favorite part about the place actually ended up being the accents, like the nuts on the handles of the stove, and how the sides of the doors were painted the same color. It really added a seamless aesthetic throughout the whole thing.
Black stainless refrigerator by KitchenAid.
JWS: Thank you.
Veranda.com: You've mentioned that your inspirations are runway fashion, abstract art, Hollywood glamour, luxury travel. I was wondering which one of those had the most weight with this experience? Did you put one over the other, so to speak?
JWS: For this, it was a little bit different, just from the way it started. In this case, the project is a little less indicative of some of my work. If you look, my work tends to be a little more glamorous. And in this case, because of the space itself and the architecture and just what it is-it's an urban loft-I actually say that it's just understated glamour in this case.
I didn't necessarily draw on what I normally would because this is just such a different type of project. But it was a great project and it was fun working with the six brands and hopefully we do more in the future. I think you'll see more of these types of collaborations with companies.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
