Designer and 2x4 co-founder Georgianna Stout lived in Paris before the bumpy transition to the US for elementary school.  Unhappy at school, she graduated early and tried on Pratt for fashion design, but it wasn’t the right fit. At RISD, she found her people. The next few years were filled with deep connections, growth, and joy; eventually leading to a fruitful collaboration with her co-founders and the formalization of 2x4. Now 30 years in, 2x4 has grown to a team of 50 and has earned a stellar reputation supporting prestigious brands from Prada to MoMa. Georgie’s unique ability to build the right team for each project is one key to her magic. 

Designer Bryan Costello grew up in an idyllic small town in North Carolina, obsessed with soccer. A self-described “hopeless romantic” he found school a bore and felt that life really began once he left college and moved to Raleigh. He dabbled in graphic design, worked in restaurants, and enjoyed his freedom. Then, he got the job that changed everything - in an antique shop. Since then, he’s opened a retail concept with epic parties, created a deeply moving and insightful fictional magazine, transformed Heights House Hotel, and… discovered his creative animal.

Bradley L. Bowers spent his youth hanging in the basement with Grandma Dorothy while she upholstered furniture. Always outspoken, in high school he found that only the art teachers embraced his questioning of the status quo. A fruitful spell at SCAD earned him Industrial & Furniture Design degrees + loads of skills, but it’s by tuning his antenna to the ‘little Yodas everywhere’ that he gathers his wisdom.

On this Clever Extra, we peek under the surface of the most defining patterns of the last century. Formica is a decorative laminate so ubiquitous its patterns have come to serve as a record of history and visual representation of our collective consciousness through the years. Meghan Howell, Creative Director with Formica, and Art Director and Editor of the book Beyond Boomerang: A Celebration of 110 Years of Formica Patterns by Shawn Patrick Tubb, takes us on the Formica team’s investigative mission into the backstories, revelations, controversies, and questions contained within our most recognizable surfaces.

Only child Cheryl Durst grew up with a tribe of imaginary friends at her side. Her scientist mom and professor dad encouraged this, since it helped with her stutter and soothed her loneliness. A deep love of learning and art pulled her to the Smithsonian museums to work as an educator, before joining IIDA over 25 years ago! At the helm of IIDA, she’s moved interior design forward, as a profession and as a value to society.

Multidisciplinary designer, Raphael Navot, grew up in homes built by his dad, inventing creative escapist activities with his siblings. After the success of Silencio, a Paris nightclub collaboration with David Lynch, he did the opposite of what many expected - turned down the flood of offers and took time off to reconnect with himself and his purpose. Many notable projects later, he remains deeply rooted in a practice informed by curiosity, care and intention.

Creative powerhouse, Maria Giudice, grew up on Staten Island painting portraits of dogs. Teens ushered in the wonderfully weird world of Rocky Horror Picture Show and the flourishing of her wildly independent, creative spirit. In the Bay Area she founded Hot Studio, a pioneering human-centered experience design practice. Now she’s harnessing all her wisdom and experience to cultivate changemakers.

Multidisciplinary designer, Rodolfo Agrella, grew up in Venezuela with a happy place at a kid-sized table. A self-described weirdo and excellent dancer, he put it all to work as a social butterfly. Now at the helm of an award-winning studio designing products, interiors and experiences, he’s on a steady and colorful streak translating the vibrancy of the tropics into a universal design language.

Germane Barnes knew he’d be an architect at age 6, before he even knew what that meant. Growing up playing basketball, he honed skills he now deftly deploys in his creative practice. After a tumultuous period spurred by devastating loss, he has taken the architecture world by storm. He’s swept the most prestigious prizes and is poised to become one of the most notable architects of our lifetime.

Interior designer, Clodagh, grew up in the Irish countryside running barefoot through the woods, riding horses, and rebelling. A near death experience lit a fire in her to pursue fashion and she opened her first shop at age 17. After a career pivot and 50+ years of designing spaces that make people feel good, she’s considered a true pioneer in biophilic and sustainable design, and a living legend.