DESIGN MIAMI
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Each chamber featured custom Kohler WasteLAB tiles embodying a hammam’s aesthetic.
SUSTAINABILITY AND CULTURAL TRADITIONS COLLIDE IN MIAMI
D esign Miami/ bills itself as a global fo- rum for collectible design. So it was an ideal place for Kohler to partner with a designer who grew up in Japan, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, lives and works in Beirut, and has dedicated her career to traveling the world, seeking connection be- tween cultures: Nada Debs. Debs’ work spans media inclusing design, craft, art, fashion, interiors—and in the case of last year’s Design Miami/ event, the cre- ation of a custom hammam. The project was called Transcendence, and its intention was to pay homage to values like cultural inclusivity and environmental sustainability. Debs worked with sustainable tiles from Kohler WasteLAB, which were handcrafted exclusive- ly for the installation. WasteLAB’s objective is to T E X T STEWART KELLER
reconceive how we approach waste by engaging in sustainable manufacturing processes and finding value in landfill-bound materials. “At Kohler, we have a great passion for exploring the nexus between design and environmental sustainability,” says Laura Kohler, chief sustainability and DEI officer for Kohler Co. “Partnering with Nada helps to bring critical conversations about sustainability, cultural inclusion and well-being to the forefront of the Design Miami/ audience and community at large, while also show- casing what we can achieve with sustainable design.” Traditionally, a hammam is a kind of bathhouse with origins in the Muslim world. And while visitors to this particular hammam may have not had the opportunity to take a steam bath, they did leave rejuvenated by both its beauty and what it can teach about the possibilities of sustainable design. Even
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