On March 2nd, I had the pleasure of joining designer Jonathan Rachman to discuss a case study on brand ambassadors at the Design Influencer Conference in San Francisco. Hundreds of enthusiastic and engaged attendees enjoyed a varied program presented by both brands and designers, with keynote speeches from design luminaries Nate Berkus, Alexa Hampton and others. The apprehension about Coronavirus was present and growing, with more fist and elbow bumping and hand sanitizer as evidence. Still, everyone crowded into presentations and explored a small but wide ranging trade show.
Today, just 20 days later, it seems a little like a dream. San Francisco’s streets, and those of an increasing number of cities, are quiet. It’s an example of the jarring psychological effect of going from “normal” to “pandemic response” at what feels like warp speed.
Each day the news is more frightening, the toll on humanity more tragic, and the myriad effects on our lives like a hail of slaps to the face. Many have already shifted to working from home, all the while managing children home from school closings or extended spring breaks. Investments have entered a time machine, returning to levels two or three years ago, and businesses across many fields have been forcibly closed or ground to a halt as customers stay home, delay or cancel. Under these conditions it’s no wonder people want to fill every corner of their home with something as soft, comforting, and simple as toilet paper. That behavior might seem bizarre to many, but probably not to members of the kitchen and bath industry. We understand how ensuring ones supply of something so intrinsically connected to the bathroom might be of psychological comfort in the midst of so much chaos.
Like all businesses, the decorative plumbing and hardware community is grappling with this rapid change. This event is truly global and affecting business at every level, from manufacturers managing global supply chains to small town design/build firms dealing with clients wanting to hold off on planned projects due to financial uncertainty. It’s been good to see so many messages from our industry leaders sharing their commitment to the health and safety of their employees, moving quickly to facilitate home officing, and finding creative solutions to work safely, within the guidelines of government direction.
Amid all the alarm and disruption, we all look to find something positive, and though the shut downs and self-quarantining requirements continue to grow, we’re starting to hear some good news about treatments and the early testing on a vaccine. Social media is also sharing moments of human courage and beauty, with plenty of advice for how the make the most of this forced sabbatical.
Think of Venice, where locals are sharing photos of the canals with water turned clear as the turbidity caused by the usual commercial and tourist traffic drops. While, unfortunately, the water isn’t actually any cleaner, for the first time in a long-time aquatic plants, schools of fish, swans and even dolphins are being seen. Perhaps, like the clearing waters of Venice, the enforced ceasing of normal commercial activity, aside from slowing the speed of the pandemic, managing our medical resources and saving lives, may decrease the turbidity of life for a while. While we do what we must to protect and care for ourselves, our families, community and country, we may see and enjoy some beautiful things that for too long have been obscured.
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