Around three years ago, I stumbled upon a website called Workroom and was immediately taken by the tripod and angle-poise lamps they'd created and the fact that the makers, Douglas and Rebecca Snelling, were a father and daughter design team. At the time, they were operating a small showroom in rural Clevedon.
Fast forward to today (heaps of Fancy posts about Workroom later) and Workroom now has its retail home in Auckland city at Douglas + Bec, a boutique design store established by Rebecca and her husband Paul to showcase not only Workroom's work, but a perfectly curated collection of New Zealand and international design. Talk about having an eye, holy moley.
I am stoked to see Workroom recently getting the international recognition it so deserves, as Douglas and Rebecca produce more and more world-class work; products I know will join the annuls of New Zealand design history.
Can you tell I'm a fan? Little bit, aye.
Um....OK - to the interview!
Hey Rebecca! Can you please describe your process for realising an idea into a product for us…
For a start I will have an idea and very loose conversation with Douglas. Then I tend to have a lot of re-visits to the idea (I normally know its a good one if I re-visit it regularly). A series or two of drawings happen as well as several more conversations with Douglas. I am rather wary of fly-by-night ideas - because I spend a lot of time curating Douglas + Bec I do tend to be looking at design constantly and it can effect my ideas - sometimes in good ways, sometimes in bad ways - I am quite concerned with being honest to our practice and consistent - it is a balancing act. From the conversations and drawings Douglas makes a prototype, to realise proportion/scale and to test movement/weight/balance/function.
Once at this stage, we discuss any components that might need out-sourcing and we talk materials to make sure we have made the right decisions as well as looking at ways to make improvements. Our roles coexist as one of us cannot work without the other, I have input into to the making (and I have to say I used to turn the turned table lamps myself) and Douglas is always contributing to design. There is quite an understanding - a lot of the conversations are by phone and describing a very visual language - some of the conversations can be very funny. We know when a particular piece is right and ready - sometimes this whole process can be quick - sometimes it can take a long time - the lean floor lamp went back and forth back and forth, I swear dad was going to throw the towel in!! But we are perfectionists and we really want to get it right.
Angle Table Lamp 2.0You can choose the wood you'd like, plus the colour of the flex and the hand-spun metal.
All Lean Table.
I could almost hump those legs. (I'm not even joking.)
What's a golden piece of advice you could give an aspiring product designer?
Experience is invaluable - doing is the best way to learn.
And I heard somewhere once - the harder you work, the luckier you get.
My heart honestly skips a little beat when I look at your Angle table and floor lamps. What was the last thing you saw or experienced that got you really creatively excited?
Why thank you! I tend to take snippets from all sorts of things - the dawn service at the Auckland museum just recently (The museum has been a source of inspiration throughout my whole creative life) was very moving. Also a documentary I caught on Warren Mahoney on tele and a Eames: the architect and the painter - both excellent. I also love P.A.M (perks and mini)Australian fashion label, their latest collection and their general coolness.
What have been your biggest challenges during the lifetime of Workroom and what lessons have you taken from them?
There are constant challenges, it seams to be the nature of designing and making, the most recent has been shipping to Australia - super expensive - even for small lamps that we have considered the shipping in the design. Each hurdle tends to make us better. And along the way we have had knock backs - we just keep on making and keep on going.
Name a designer you admire, and more importantly – why?
I am a long time fan of design duo Dapha Laurens from the Netherlands. Their practice is incredibly exciting. I love their use of diverse materials, typology and pieces that have mixed use/function. Locally, well sort of locally, London based New Zealander Phil Cuttance. The Faceture vases and the machine makes them. Seriously - next level. I love that each one is individual (we have them in store and just as beautiful in the flesh). And I definitely cannot answer this question without mentioning locals Jamie Maclellan for his refined, sophisticated and smart designs and my friends at Well-groomed-fox for their intelligent yet beautifully simple approach, and in my opinion, both raising the bar of New Zealand design.
OK…what has been Workroom's hands-down best experience so far?
I cannot pin point anything that is standout - its all a totally great experience, the evolution of our products - where we started and what is going on now. I love how much we have learnt and how much we are still learning.... Oh but being approached by a large architectural firm from New York to use our pieces in their projects happened just recently I have to say it is pretty cool!
Here's the first Workroom product that caught my attention almost 3 years ago, their Tripod Lamp
Smoke Grey is the new any-other-colour
You are incredibly busy and productive. How do you stay motivated? And how do you manage your time?
Ah yes, it is pretty full on. I am motivated by wanting the Workroom practice to grow and present new work - I have plan for the company (and Douglas + Bec) so these vision are a driving force in itself. I have an incredible small team (both family members and 'adopted' family members) that are dedicated and go above and beyond. We live/breathe/love work and holidays are pretty scarce, we are planning a trip to Melbourne and Sydney next month, I am kidding myself that its not about work... Paul and I do however always take Sundays off as a family day with our baby Eva.
Copper Triangle Pendant
Angle Floor Lamp 2.0
What's your favourite part of your professional life?
Working with my father - his work ethic is absolutely inspiring. I also love presenting a beautifully crafted artisan product - its very rewarding. What's next? Jardan in Australia have picked up our lamps - this is very flattering. We have a few collaborations - firstly a chair with new maker Sam Orme-Gee (the prototype was in our installation at Urbis Design day) due out in the next week or so, secondly a piece with Well-groomed-fox and another which is yet to be announced!! And LOTS of plans for our Douglas + Bec store - but that can wait for another day!
Workroom also have a new website - go have a lookee.
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