Psst… there is no box

Design danger

One of the big dangers with design is getting stuck in a rut. When your thinking remains in a comfort zone, unchallenged, things become stale.

Your capacity for new ideas or inspiration is not inexhaustible; it needs regular replenishment through new sources or stimuli.

I try to find different ways of doing this, such as engaging with new experiences or activities to clear my head of clutter.

Mundane matters

I usually find road trips or walks a great way of clearing the captive content in my head. Doing something simple or mundane often unlocks things.

A winter road trip through Glencoe and Skye was certainly one such way of getting rid of a few cobwebs and clearing my mind.

Several key aspects of the design for the Small Mission Hall refurbishment needed fresh thinking. Taking time and distance out will hopefully help with this.

Fight fear

You’ve most probably heard the expression ‘thinking outside the box’.

A clichéd phrase that’s banded about in creative circles or when people are looking for a new idea.

to explore ideas that are creative and unusual
and that are not limited or controlled by rules or tradition.

It always struck me as a bit of an odd expression. Implying there is an accepted containing box. A predefined limit to the bounds of our (creative) thinking.

Social separation

Who defines these constraints? Unfortunately, I’m often guilty of self-imposing them on myself. Crazy really. However, here is a little secret…

Psst…
there is no box

Why do it to myself? Probably from a fear of being thought of as ‘different’. We’re all human and yearn to be accepted I suppose.

Something I need to work on. No box, no limitations. Scary? Liberating? Or a bit of both – you decide.

Oh yeah if anyone’s interested in supporting my Small Mission Hall project by buying this as a sticker, just let me know…

Fantastic flotsam

On a recent trip to explore parts of the island, I found this piece of washed-up rope at Hushinish Beach on the Isle of Harris.

Other than tidying the beach up a little by taking it home, I thought I could use it for something. Just wasn’t sure what exactly.

Apart from the funky colour, it had an intrinsic raw beauty that appealed to me. Initially, I just lived with it for a while. Ruminating on potential uses or ways in which it could be repurposed.

Deconstructed design

One problem I needed to solve was hearing when people knocked on my door. Partly my fault for listening to my music without any volume restrictions!

The obvious and easy solution was to just buy a doorbell. Plenty of options from shops or online suppliers, but where’s the fun (or challenge) in that?

Instead, why not combine a scrap wood offcut, beach-found rope and a large chunky metal nut to create your own? This door knocker will get my attention, no matter what the listening volume of my music.

I also used a couple of short lengths to make door pull handles for the two outbuildings. Fun to be making simple little things for the building.

Skylight solutions

Remember my funeral bier storage outbuilding? It was finally time to make it usable by getting a roof built for it.

My idea was to try and incorporate some repurposed thrown-out double-glazed window units into the roof construction.

This would bring both natural light and heat (solar gain) into the space. A local handyman got what I was trying to achieve and set about the construction.

I was remotely working on my day job stuff inside, but have to confess, was easily distracted by seeing the ongoing construction of this roof with skylights outside.

When the roof was finished, I cleared out all the old debris back down to the earth floor. I’ll put some impervious membrane down on the soil floor to prevent organic growth in the short term.

It might not look much to you, but the space was now clear and protected from the elements. That in my book is a win!

Top transformation

Having the new light wells has totally transformed the space. Having usable storage moving forward will be essential.

Any progress made on the project at this stage is good. It’s encouraging to see stuff getting made rather than torn down.