Monday 2 November 2009

Reinventing the wheel



As an Interior Designer there are times when the object you are looking for is just not on the market. This is when our expertise in construction come in useful as we often have to design the piece of furniture ourselves.

This is part of my job I love the most. I get to work with artisans, craftsmen and work on one off custom objects. By working with these artisans you get a real understanding of the processes that go into producing pieces of furniture, the "tricks of the trade".

On a current project I am working on we were trying to source some swivelling bar stools. I found a beautiful stool but as it did not rotate, I have been working with the furniture company to adapt the design to include a swivel mechanism. As much as this might seem a simple task, it has meant this item has become a custom piece rather than a specified item. I have spent many hours and visits to the showroom to create this. What each designer has to think about is every hour you spend on something is money. You might have a budget per item but you have to factor in the cost of your time too.

You also have to think that this time is not wasted. The groundwork you do on these items will make life simpler- and less costly- when you come to specifying a similar item again as this groundwork will already be covered.

Photos from howelondon.com

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