He is one of the nation's most prominent and celebrated architects. He’s designed everything from hotels for Disney to civic buildings, such as the municipal center in Portland, Ore.
In the late 1970s, he entered the world of industrial design after an invitation from Italian company Alessi to design a coffee and tea set. In 1984, his kettle design for Alessi became a hit, and until this day remains the company’s number one bestseller. In the late 1990s he started designing everyday items for Target, which made him even more of a household name.
In sum, his signature style was ubiquitous, and he was heralded for bringing sophisticated design to the masses.
If anything, the mysterious virus he contracted in 2003 that led him to paralysis from the chest down was a catalyst that pushed him to have an even wider design focus.
He recently sat with Barbara Sadick of the Washington Post to talk about working as a full-time architect as he lives in a wheelchair.
“I believe well-designed places and objects can actually improve healing, while poor design can inhibit it,” he told the Post. “This became very real to me after my illness, so since then I’ve asked my design team to spend a week in a wheelchair.”
Graves further shares that good design for the ill and disabled isn’t just about accessibility, but also beauty. “Beauty can reduce stress and make us feel better,” he said, and adding that good design makes work easier for the caregivers, professional, or family.
To date, Graves keeps busy with multiple projects, many of them related to designing healthcare buildings, where Graves can use his expertise and personal experience to good use. Among these are a rehabilitation hospital in Lincoln, Neb., for people with traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, and a new unit at Yale-New Haven Hospital that offers acute care for the elderly.
In industrial design, Graves is working with a health technology firm to design hospital room products that, as the Post describes, “will be not only easier for those with disabilities to use, making falls less likely, but also more attractive than what is found in many hospital and rehab rooms and much easier to clean.”
All of these projects, of course, will have Graves’ signature, whimsical, post-modern look and use of bright colors.
“Who wants to recover,” he tells the Post, “in a place where everything is beige?”
Read the full Washington Post profile.
The Wounded Warriors Home project in Fort Belvoir, Va., designed by Graves in partnership with Clark Realty Capital.
Prime Transport Chair for Srtyker Medical. Image courtesy of michaelgraves.com
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Jul 27, 2017
Game rooms and game simulators popular amenities in multifamily developments
The number of developments providing space for physical therapy was somewhat surprising, according to a new survey.
Building Enclosure Systems | Jul 26, 2017
Balcony and roof railings and the code: Maintain, repair, or replace? [AIA course]
Lacking familiarity with current requirements, some owners or managers complete a roof or balcony rehabilitation, only to learn after the fact that they need to tear noncompliant railings out of their new roof or terrace and install new ones.
Office Buildings | Jul 26, 2017
Meeting space leads to innovation
PDR Principal Larry Lander explains how to design for workplaces where four generations are working together.
Architects | Jul 25, 2017
AIA 2030 Commitment expands beyond 400 architecture firms
The 2016 Progress Report is now available.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 19, 2017
Student housing trends: The transformation of co-living in college
The Student Hotel is representative of a new model for delivering housing solutions for students globally.
Designers | Jul 19, 2017
5 laws every designer can live by
What is design? Who are designers? And are there any common laws or rules than can unite the many types of design that exist?
Sponsored | Architects | Jul 19, 2017
Introducing StrXur by Bluebeam
Our goal is to present unique perspectives you may not be able to find anywhere else.
Sponsored | Accelerate Live! | Jul 13, 2017
Defining the future by mastering the art of change
From my perspective, what separates organizations thriving in the digital revolution from those who are not boils down to one thing: leadership.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 12, 2017
Midyear Rent Report: 26 states saw rental price increases in first half of 2017
The most notable rental increases are in growing markets in the South and Southwest: New Orleans, Glendale, Ariz., Houston, Reno, N.V., and Atlanta.
Giants 400 | Jul 12, 2017
Innovation abounds, but will it lead to growth for AEC Giants?
Engineering firms such as Arup, Glumac, and Thornton Tomasetti are leveraging their in-house expertise to develop products and tools for their design teams, clients, and even the competition.