For the second in our catch-ups with this year’s Heal’s Discovers winners, we speak to furniture designer and craftsman Alexander White to discuss the process behind his functional My Ami range of folding furniture.
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How would you describe your style of design?
This is a question I find hard to answer. I guess my designs are materialisations of an idea, explorations in form and function. As my ideas are pragmatically developed with a heartfelt approach, the craft and my understanding of it are essential parts of the design process.
What was the catalyst for your career in design?
What motivated me was the holistic and multidisciplinary aspect of the job. A designer is an artist, an engineer, a researcher, a maker, a draftsman. Ever since I can remember I have been crafting with wood, but it wasn’t until I reached further education that I realised my true passion.
How would you describe a typical working day?
I think I’m not the only designer who’d say that my working day doesn’t have a start or an end. Fortunately I live five minutes away from my studio in Clapton, Hackney where six of us share a wonderful space in an old industrial warehouse.
I tend to start the day in the office with a cup of coffee before I head downstairs to get more hands-on. This might be in the form of model making, refining prototypes or making bespoke items for private clients. The great thing about sharing the space is that we bounce ideas around and, of course, collective lunches are a must as are regular cups of tea.
“My designs are materialisations of an idea,
explorations in form and function.”
What was the inspiration for your first collection for Heal’s?
My second major job in London was furnishing an entire flat in Holland Park. At this point I realised that whatever your background or wealth, space is a major issue. I wanted to create a commercial product and challenged myself to design something that required problem solving yet was elegant, functional and commercially viable.
Describe the design process for this collection
I spent around six months on this project, in between working on my bespoke work. Often it starts with sketching, in this case, with simple geometry on paper. From these sketches, ideas immerge, ideas that are then refined by further sketching. A rough scaled model soon follows to better understand the three-dimensional challenges of the folding mechanism.
In total, I think there were five full prototypes and just as many full scale prototypes of joint detailing and hinging methods. Each one getting simpler than the previous, in aesthetics and manufacturing.
What would you say are the standout features of your collection that set it apart from other designs out there?
The stand out features are its folding mechanism and the staining process. The former is the basis of the whole range I developed, the latter is an exploration into chemical free wood colouring processes on a large scale. Both are simple, clever, elegant and innovative.
How important do think projects such as Heal’s Discovers are to showcasing new talent?
It is a fantastic gateway into the industry of manufactured goods of high quality and esteem. For my first commercial piece to be taken on by such an institution was very exciting, to say the least. I couldn’t quite believe it, didn’t want to believe it in case it didn’t, for whatever reason, happen.