We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer about their original and creative design work. is an award-winning creative designer, that makes our world a better place with their original works.
("") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work . Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
: The inspiration for Trio is a combination of the essential functional elegance of metal industrial objects and the Japanese design principle of Shibui.
: The focus to create a table suitable for outdoor and indoor use and to reduce its design to the most essential form, without any excesses. Every shape, dimension and gesture is justified by a defensible functional reason. For example, a fourth would have been superfluous. In fact, a fourth leg would have been detrimental to the full functionality of the table design. Three legs and three resting points for the inset glass insure the table itself or the glass top are always on a stable footing.
: I have no plans as of now.
: The whole project from beginning to end with a produced full scale, near production-ready prototype in true materials took 14 weeks.
: The table was designed for my first term graduate level furniture design class at Art Center College of Design in California. The general theme of the assignment for the term was outdoor furniture.
: I have no plans to produce more myself. I still own the rights to the design. Of course if the right company were interested licensing and producing the design I'd certainly be thrilled.
: It was just another of so many design ideas I have that wanted to try out. Part of that was wanting to mill aluminum parts, anodize those parts and assemble them in a way that more resembles typologies of woodworking rather than what we commonly expect in metal work.
: Initially there wasn't but as I got deeper into the project by chance I learned that Alex Rasmussen and his company Neal Feay were doing very similar things in Santa Barbara, California. They've worked with lot great designers and brands, including Jonathan Ive, Marc Newson, Peter Marino, Holly Hunt, Brad Ascalon, David Weeks, Eugeni Quitllet and many other major companies and people in design. When it was time to make the Trio table, I sent Alex a rendered detail shot and he was almost immediately interested. We soon had a meeting and he was extremely helpful in facilitating the project.
: I see as being for the highest tier of the residential furniture market with potential crossover to contract/commercial use. In my work I usually strive for maximum versatility in the products I create.
: I think it's the versatility, the astringent form language and the non-typical way it comes together which itself gives the table a unique character.
: Trio - Three legs. Very simple.
: Sketch, 3D CAD and some power tools to sculpt some form studies out of hard foam. There also the use of CNC milling equipment to make a full scale sample of a leg in hard maple. CNC milling and water-jet cutting were uses to make the final prototype.
: Beyond the fact that its a round center table at 35.5 cm high, I think the whole table is unlike any other table out there, from all I've seen. The whole combined package, including form and finish, is quite unique. Perhaps it is too unique for most people.
: The design was solo, Mainly the technical assistance came in the production of the final prototype itself.
: There is no new technology in the piece of furniture itself other than what was used to make the table.
: The only research involved was about surveying what companies are in the modern high-end outdoor furniture market and the products they offer.
: It's was fairly smooth and straightforward. It just had to get done fast.
: I felt it was a good design that more people should see and judge for themselves.
: It began to reveal to me a stronger belief in what I can potentially do from a creative and technical standpoint as a designer.
