Talking Shop


Gray Uhl, Director of Design for American Standard, recently answered a few questions for 'Talking Shop', a new feature at KBCULTURE.

As a designer, my greatest responsibility is...
To communicate the future. My design team and the engineering team here are working on many new product solutions. We as a society face environmental and conservation challenges; I believe it is important to let everyone know what is possible and that there is more cause for optimism than may be apparent.

One of my creative touchstones is...
The automotive industry. I find that your car is the only product that you interact with on both physical and emotional levels as closely as you do with your bathroom. These two industries also face similar challenges in conservation and environmental arenas.

A current project I'm exploring is...
What routines people have when they take a bath or shower. We've been traveling around the country conducting research interviews in people's homes. One thing I've learned is that we all want the same comfort and convenience, no matter how diverse the sample group may be.

If I had a week off from the studio, I would...
Hike part of the Appalachian Trail.