By Josh Sims “I saw absolutely no synergy between working for a manufacturer of washing machines and the kind of thing I normally do. But it turns out you can do quite a lot of design work on a rectangle,” laughs J Mays. J isn’t some affectation, but his given first name, and Mays has recently finished a three year posting with the white goods manufacturer Whirlpool, during which, among other brands, he revamped the swanky stand mixer concern KitchenAid. He says he came to appreciate, especially during the pandemic, just how much the kitchen is the heartbeat of a family home, but for 40-plus y…