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If home is where the heart is, mine is scattered in a million little pieces around the globe. Washington state, where I was born; my childhood home of New Jersey; my adult home (and the birthplace of CMD) in San Francisco—each of these destinations has carved a spot in my heart and will always provide a deep sigh and, “Ah, I’m back.” Another place that evokes such emotion? Virginia Tech University, my alma mater. In fact, VT holds a special place many for my family members—two of my three siblings are also alumni, and my brother even graduated the industrial design program a year ahead of me.
I began my freshman year in “foundation” courses alongside structural and landscape architects, industrial designers and urban planners. Though I originally studied architecture, I found myself drawn closer and closer to industrial design. Thinking in terms of scale, I was drawn to the idea of creating things I could hold in my hand (though a well-crafted building still has my heart).
After officially switching my major to industrial design, I dove head first into the program and graduated with honors in four years (shaving one year off the traditional timeline). The rest is all part of the beautiful CMD history. This past week, I was so fortunate to travel back to Virginia Tech and spend time with my 13 (yes, 13!) closest college friends in honor of our 15-year graduation anniversary. Being back at VT after all these years was refreshing, exciting, nostalgic, and made me incredibly thankful for such wonderful lifelong friendships. To sum it up, it was absolutely one of the best weekends of my entire life.
What places do you always consider home, even if it’s been a long time since you’ve lived there? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
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CMD’s production studio is on the move… but we’re not going very far! Later this month, we’re moving into a brighter and slightly larger space just next door to our current studio in Trumansburg, New York (or as the locals lovingly call it, “T-Burg”). While our Upstate NY studio isn’t open to the public, it’s where all the real magic happens. Every single piece is [...]
As Mother’s Day approaches, I find myself thinking less about picture-perfect bouquets or greeting card clichés — and more about the deeper, quieter forces that shape and support us. Because the truth is, “mothering” can take many different forms. It might look like a biological mom, yes. But it also looks like the friend who always picks up the phone [...]
Come join me at The Phoenix for a special CMD Ring Bar Pop-Up — our third year in a row! Colleen Mauer Designs (CMD) turns 20 this September (!!), and it just so happens that our longtime stockist and friend, The Phoenix, is marking [...]
