Price Latimer is the Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Alkemis Paint. With over 25 years of experience, she has worked with a broad range of clients and collaborators on creative direction, fine art, interiors, branding, hospitality and entrepreneurial endeavors. Price has an extensive education in art and design, having studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design, and Brown University, living in France, Mexico, and New Zealand in the process. She is accredited by the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and has served on multiple boards and the leadership teams of various nonprofits, including the Board of Trustees of the Santa Monica Museum of Art (now the Institute of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles) and Board of Directors of the MOCA Contemporaries (Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles). Learn more about Price and Alkemis Paint in today’s Maker Monday.
Andrew Joseph: Can you describe your design philosophy in three words?
Price Latimer: Creative problem solving!
AJ: What design trends do you think will be popular in the coming years?
PL: We are very excited and inspired by the movement of biophilic design and the aesthetic intention of bringing nature indoors. As an antithesis to AI, AR and our incessant inundation with technology, it only makes sense that people are craving to connect with nature in a more meaningful and direct way within our homes.
Alkemis is the world’s first wellness paint – bringing nature and design together to create healthier, more intentional interior spaces.
AJ: Can you describe a project that you’re particularly proud of?
PL: We are incredibly proud of and grateful for the opportunity to be the “preferred paint partner” of Design Miami, the global authority for collectible design. We collaborated with their team to paint the 2023 Miami edition of the fair and its communal spaces, and look forward to an even more comprehensive and exciting partnership this year for 2024, which will celebrate the fair’s 20th edition.
AJ: What was the last book you read and how did it inspire you?
PL: Faith, Hope, and Carnage by Nick Cave and Sean O’Hagan. As a long-time Cave fan, this book was a real treat to read. It was assembled from more than 40 hours of in-depth conversations between Cave and Irish journalist Seán O’Hagan (writer for The Guardian and The Observer), and is a fascinating exploration and rumination on what drives one’s creative processes, motivations and belief systems, and the transformative nature of grief and love.
AJ: What is your favorite place to find inspiration?
PL: Museums, galleries, boundary-pushing food establishments, live music, under the sea, atop a mountain, exploring the desert, and/or surrounded by animals.
Alkemis Paint’s production process is emission-free: manufacturing sites use 100% renewable energy and entirely recycled water to reduce carbon impact; electricity is produced through solar photovoltaic systems.
AJ: How do you keep up with the latest design trends?
PL: We like to set trends instead of following them (that is an artist and designer’s job after all!), but we do love to read inspiring periodicals, visit design galleries and artist studios, and listen to / participate in panel discussions by industry experts.
AJ: How do you incorporate sustainability into your designs?
PL: The fundamental mission and ethos of Alkemis Paint is: together we can raise the vibration of our home planet by starting with our most intimate space… our four walls. Sustainability is imbued into every pore, nook and cranny of our company, which is one of the only Cradle to Cradle Certified® paints in North America. In addition to being C2C Certified®, Alkemis Paint is one of the only paint companies in the US that fulfills all five covenants of the Mindful Materials Common Materials Framework and the American Institute of Architects Materials Pledge. Due to Alkemis’ stringent environmental standards, the products are contributory to LEED Certification Points, WELL Building Standard Points and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and are certified by Parsons Healthy Materials Lab, meeting their rigorous product evaluation requirements. Alkemis Paint adheres to a green business model by sourcing sustainable ingredients from a 350-mile radius and utilizing a 100% emission-free production process with recycled water and photovoltaic energy to reduce our carbon impact (we are also a low-embodied carbon product!) The Alkemis Paint can is made from steel, which has the highest recycling rate of any material and can be recycled infinitely. We truly believe in being the change that you wish to see in the world.
Alkemis Paint’s quartz binder lets natural pigments shine with unmatched luminosity, unlike typical paints that use synthetic binders, which dull the pigments’ beauty. It contains no synthetic pigments or chemical colorants.
AJ: How do you stay organized while working on multiple projects?
PL: In the past, it was old-school to-do lists, with the satisfaction of physically crossing off a task once it was completed. These days we are grateful for modern technology and task management software (we use Asana!) That and a really effective, efficient lineup of badass women on our team.
AJ: Style (or design) icon and why?
PL: Vivienne Westwood. Her uncompromising vision, commitment to sustainability and strategic action in the interest of farmers, artisans, supply chain workers, employees and all life on earth are continually galvanizing. Her quotes: “Buy less, choose well, make it last” and “I’m not trying to do something different, I’m trying to do the same thing in a different way” really resonate with us, as there is a major parallel between the pollutive fashion industry (92 million tons of clothes-related waste each year, producing half a million tons of microplastics) and the pollutive paint industry (1.9 million tons of paint end up in our oceans and waterways each year, outweighing all other sources of microplastics).
Headshot by Magdelena Wosinka.
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