Meet Andrea Keller

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Andrea Keller. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Andrea below.

Andrea, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

As a child I had a vague idea that I wanted to be an architect, so I could make buildings and cities and beautiful stairs that moved through space. But I also had other interests, such as making crafts with my hands, a love of complex patterns, a need to deeply connect with people on a soul level, and a desire to immerse myself in other cultures – I thought these things were not part of my purpose and so I pursued the path of a “normal” architect.

I tried for years to prove to people that I was great at being a regular commercial architect, but it was hard – I didn’t like the aesthetic of what was being shown in all the magazines, and I ended up going through a divorce, serious illness, arguments with my employers, and eventually the brutal path of starting and running my own design firm. It never got easier, until I started listening to the voices in my head which had always been reminding me of the things that made my heart swell.

I was afraid to bring these things into my daily work – what would people think and would I seem weird? I started trying out some of the topics during the pandemic, when I felt safer over Zoom than in person, and I discovered that not only did people open up and respond when I shared my passions, but that it radically lit them up and the depth of our collaborations became transformative. It took me a few years to integrate all of my favorite topics – but I have become a unique designer, and I have an entirely different career ahead of me now. Leaning into my eccentric and deeply personal desires has led me to create my own design style, one that I fully believe in and thrills me – and finally I’m being recognized in my field for having the courage to have a unique voice – for leading the way.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I have always loved architectural ornament, and the stories that patterns tell, whether they are in tile, on textiles, or carved into stone. Patterns to me tell a story about peoples’ life experience and their emotions, allowing me to have a soul connection to the people who may have created a building centuries ago. I started incorporating patterns and decoration into my buildings, rejecting the rules of modernism which forbid referring to the past in any way – but music and fashion are both art forms that actively reference the past, and it makes them rich, popular, and widely understood.

One of my obsessions (decorative tile) became something that I tried to make myself, so that I could create the deeply dimensional ceramics that I wanted to have in the world. This led to the development of Star Tile company, which now has a beautiful studio in Joshua Tree CA filled with artisans who create bespoke ceramic art. We use the geometry of nature, fractals and neurobiology to create shapes that calm the mind and inspire feelings of connection and peace – it has been a dream to see the tile business come to life and to bring deep meaning to architectural interiors.

In my architectural work, I have also leaned into the geometry of the universe, using techniques I learned in Italy and the Middle East. I am now able to explore the geometry of music, which I model using an algorithm I created, and this is giving form for gathering spaces and healing centers. For this radically different type of architecture I created a new company called 4D design, focused on capturing 4-dimensional phenomena such as sound waves and the geometric development of flowers, seeds and bodily organs. I am very excited about this vast new frontier, and my voice is completely authentic, being comprised of every one of my childhood fascinations.

I have started a podcast, 4D Design, and have just finished the draft of my first book.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The three qualities that have been the most important in my journey are:

1. a desire for design to be more than just a trend or something on the surface – I wanted architecture to radically change people’s lives, cause profound emotions, and to deliver a sense of healing, peace and oneness with the universe.

1. a passionate love of travel, studying other cultures, and immersing myself in their art. I ended up working on 4 continents and learning 6 languages, all out of my desire for an always-deeper level of connection.

2. discovering that joy is a key ingredient in everything I do. If meetings don’t make me laugh, then the spirit isn’t quite right. Delight is my north star – co-creation should be joyful and exhilarating, and if it’s not I know that I need to find the way back to enjoyment.

My advice: listen to your inner voice, your soul, your stomach. Don’t ever ignore those little thoughts, they are the road map to your unique path and your happiness. If the pieces don’t look like they line up, that just means that the world needs a special new combination, and you were created to bring this into existence. Don’t be afraid to be different and to speak your truth.

Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?

I have been trying a new way of working with clients, which is to fully design projects TOGETHER, rather than preparing multiple options and presenting them in a cold and formal meeting. I design live, in photorealistic 3d, bringing people along for the journey of creation, which is a beautiful process that leads to new and different results, I want to play with people, I want to know their dreams, their favorite foods, their favorite music. I want to search for the elements that will light them up.

I want to work with people who are excited about new frontiers, who are willing to think outside of the box, and who are eager to be an active participant in the design journey. I am also very eager to work with people who seek to have a lasting impact upon the world, to create change and improve others’ lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fourddesign.com/ https://www.star-tile.com/
• Instagram: @four_d_design
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-keller-663b581b7/
• Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/4d-design/id1720687052

  https://open.spotify.com/show/1ZMwZRfezFje9vZpwg3TDP

Image Credits

Andrea Keller
Becca M Creative