Ed Cruikshank talks about his design inspiration
Multi-panel circular table.
Furniture designer Ed Cruikshank.
Nine drawer wooden cabinet.
Leather high-back club chair.
Metal and timber side table.
Detail of the multi-panel circular table.
What sort of furniture do you design?
I design pieces that blend clean structural lines with traditional techniques and classic proportions. My whole ethos is to create objects that will last and age beautifully, so I use the best materials to ensure they do. Most of my pieces are unique designs and I also have a small collection of favourites. They are all hand-built by expert craftspeople in New Zealand.
Did you want to be a designer growing up?
No, or at least I don’t remember wanting to be. My family are all relatively scientific and practical – doctors and engineers – so I was always persuaded in that direction. Perhaps that is why I rebelled and went into the artistic realm.
Did you get into design through work experience or study?
People often think I just fell into it and learned on the job but in fact I studied for five years, first in the art of fine cabinet-making before going on to a Bachelor of Arts degree in industrial design at London’s top design college. Following that, I was headhunted by David Linley to help develop his company’s technical design capabilities. I worked with Linley for 10 years.
Who are your favourite designers?
I have a number of favourites, from the furniture world – Ruhlmann, Arbus and latterly Massaud. Architects very much continue to influence my work. Again my favourites span centuries – Hadid, Palladio, Le Corbusier, Gehry. What are your preferred materials to work with? I love natural materials, particularly timber and leather. I have also been working much more with metal lately, which is opening up all kinds of new possibilities. I like to integrate them in the same way that musical instruments are built. The materials, when mixed, bring out each other’s beauty and character all the more.
If you could design a piece that had no budget, what would it be?
Many of my customers are not concerned too much with the budget: it is the concept, design and quality that they are attracted to, so the price is usually a result of the creative evolution. My latest pieces are beginning to bridge the perceived divide between furniture and art and this is very exciting. The starting point for these pieces is conceptual and I have no budget in mind when I begin them. I am lucky to be able to say I am already designing pieces with no budget.
