Exquisite March 2018

designpeople
You stayed for 2 years in Milan. How has the
city itself influenced you creatively?
Milan is a very hardworking city. It’s really a meeting point for
designers and manufacturers more so than an ‘inspirational’
location. A place where design-business occurs. So I think the
influence I gained from Milan was more about how designers
and studios operate. But it did open my eyes to the possibilities
of what a designer can achieve and gave me a broader
perspective on the design industry.
What food did you enjoy most in Milan?
Pizza for sure. We had some really nice pizzerias near our
studio. Plus the pizza was quite cheap so for a young designer
on a very tight budget it was excellent value.
An eyeopener was being exposed to the
business aspects of a designer’s work, and
owning your own studio. What did you learn
about the business part of things?
I learned about the relationships that the designers have with
top-level manufacturers and companies. I realised that the
relationship between designer and manufacturer, and the
sharing of ideas and viewpoints, are extremely important in
every project.
Patricia was part of the design team for
OASIA Downtown hotel in Singapore. Which
elements of the project’s design immediately
takes you back to Patricia’s studio and your
time with her?
The use of screens and patterns, especially on the carpets and
walls, is so typical of Patricia. The patterns were all custom
designed and made especially for the hotel. Those immediately
took me back to Milan; working on patterns for products and
exhibitions.
What furniture collection of yours shows
both flair in Asian and International Design
aesthetics?
The Koi chairs best show that. The collection was designed
when I first came to Singapore so I was inspired by the
Singapore surroundings especially the gates and window
grills which were something new to me. But I had only just left
Patricia’s studio so I was definitely still working in that European
direction.
What piece of advice from Patricia Urquiola
stays with you till today?
Not to overcrowd a design with too many focal points. Each
design has one main story that it is trying to explain. Whether
it’s a new material or a new manufacturing method. If you have
too many stories or focal points the design is confusing and the
main idea is lost.
Story by Carol Kraal. Respective photographs courtesy of
Jarrod Lim Design; Patricia Urquiola photograph copyright
Marco Craig
“I had spoken to Spanish designer,
Patricia Urquiola at a trade event in
Melbourne where she was guest of
honour and told her how much I would
love to work for her but of course she
gets that type of offer every day. Once I
won the scholarship however I emailed
her until she agreed to look at my work
when I got to Milan. I went along and
surprisingly she looked at my portfolio
then said; ‘Okay come down to the studio
next week and we’ll see what you can
do’. It was as simple as that! I ended up
working for her for fifteen months or so.
Her studio was only very small at the
time with just ten of us and it was all very
hands on. It was sort of like being back
at university, sanding things, making
models and that sort of stuff. She was
great to work for and took me to all the
big manufacturers she worked with like
B&B Italia and Moroso.”
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EXQUISITE | 101