Where does your interest in design come from?

I guess you could say my grandfather was the one who introduced me to all of this.
He was a carpenter and built his own house by hand, without any power tools. If anything was broken, he was the one to see to get it fixed. He also used to have a big workshop where he and I would spend time together building and tinkering with different things.
In terms of design, this came from my high school days where I studied painting, sculpture and design. That’s when I realised I didn’t want to work a nine-to-five job pushing paper, but rather getting creative with a pencil, sketching and creating forms.

Many of your designs appear to follow the ‘less is more’ principle; do you find that form and function are best expressed in their simplest arrangement?

I’m a big believer in the design principals of Dieter Rams. Many leading designers today, such as Apple’s Jonathan Ive, follow this ‘less is more’ principle to some extent.
I feel form and function have a fine balance between each other and complement each other to form a good well-rounded product. As a designer my goal is to produce simple products because good design is simple design, and simple design is effective and clean.

Are there certain materials you prefer to work with, or do you enjoy exploring new possibilities?

I love to collect and explore new materials, to create new and exciting forms. A good challenge for a designer is to change the perception of materials and how they can
be used.

You’ve recently released a furniture collection – Mr Fox – in conjunction with interior design firm Yellowfox and Bestwood. How did this come about?

One of my good friends was offered an internship at Honda Motorcycles in Rome and, being the competitive person I am,
I thought what am I doing with myself? I need an internship as well! So, I picked up the phone and began contacting design firms all over Auckland, however to no avail. Then I got in touch with Yellowfox, they invited me in for a chat, and the rest is history!

Who are your favorite New Zealand designers and why?

One of my absolute favorites is Mark Elmore, head of Industrial Design at Fisher & Paykel Appliances. I think what he has done in five years with F&P has been phenomenal. His style and forms for the F&P range, from cook tops to dish drawers, are pushing the boundaries of form, function and great design.

If you had to predict the future, where do you see design and technology heading?

I see design heading into a more personal environment, with more customisation of design and products through the ease of digital fabrication. However, in saying that, I don’t think it’s necessarily a good thing, as craftsmanship will be lost in the process.