The designerati podcast: Recent Episodes
designerati
Challenging design perspectives, each week the designerati show will feature a guest from the world of design and architecture, discussing a wide range of topics and profiling the career and inspiration behind a wide variety of the industry’s most engaging individuals, from established household name designers to fresh new creative talent.
Helen Arvanitakis is spearheading a new design ecosystem based in Greenwich London comprising of 16 buildings designed by 8 architectural practices. Designed to support the business needs of creatives post pandemic
A consultant for creative businesses on all areas outside of design I’m interested in Helen’s views on the commercial business practices adopted within the design and creative sector.
Let’s meet Helen
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Kia Stanford is a vibrant award winning interior designer and the creative director of the London based luxury residential interior design studio Kia designs. Let’s find out more about Kia!
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Ewald Damen creative director and partner of Virgile + Partners has two dream dinner dates; Frida Kahlo and Andy Warhol, widely considered as progressive free thinkers and wildly creative. I’m curious to discover what he has in common with both.
A man born in the Netherlands and then spent his formative years living in the US, London, Rotterdam and Amsterdam who now sites his globally influenced background as guiding his professional journey. Let’s learn more about how exposure to different cultures can lend itself to success in business and design
Who are you Ewald?
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Pippa Nissen is a global architect and theatre designer with a client list that reads like a whose who including: the National portrait gallery, the Fitzwilliam museum, wordsworth Grasmere museum amongst many others.
A woman who publicly revealed that it took her until 40 to genuinely believe she was working in the right space, I’m curious how her powerful revelation came about.
Let’s meet Pippa.
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The acoustics market is expected to reach 17.3 billion USD by 2027 and Frankie and his team are trail blazing with their playful and inspiring sustainable acoustical solutions.
With a multicultural pedigree from South Africa and Dubai what are the qualities needed to design in this space and are different design solutions required for different countries and their cultural and climatic differences?
Let’s meet Frankie
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Luke Pearson an industrial designer and one half of the successful design innovation practice: Pearson Lloyd.
A man known for his mission to simplify the world using design as the vehicle to challenge ideas and problems. Who believes a competitive advantage is born from a deep understanding of human behaviour and the way furniture makes people experience a space.
Let’s meet the man committed to his interrogation of the word why? and the co-creation of curious relationships. To find out more, what it takes to be of the 3 design companies hired to work for London underground and the man famous for fitting airbags into his design for Virgin Atlantic’s upper-class suites. And my personal favourite, a shower valve that means you don’t get your arm wet when turning it on.
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Frankie Boyle is a very cool and industry favourite lighting designer. She claims her passion for the industry began early on age 7 when diagnosed with a development language disorder. She then noticed that lighting creates different emotions in people
From a high busy career designing the lighting schemes for 1.5 meter diamonds and costumes at Glastonbury, Frankie openly admits her work life balance is something of a challenge. An advocate of woman’s rights and a lover of the Guilty Feminist podcast crew.
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Chris Duffy has a piece of furniture he designed in the Louvre. Yes, the world famous museum in Paris where the Mona Lisa sits!
His designs started life from his kitchen back in 2002 and these were then sold on market stalls in Spitalfields and Camden.
Fast forward to nowadays and his iconic award-winning designs are cherished by the hip and trendy cool crowd. Taking his design inspiration from a George Bernard shaw quote, ‘we don’t stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing.’ Let’s have a chat with the designer who claims his only philosophy is to design items that get him excited.
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Alex Beaugeard, director of design for Lanserring, is our first naval architect on the Designerati podcast with an track record for designing super yachts. He has a masters in industrial design, a prestigious career including designing furniture for the Linley brand, and is an award-winning kitchen designer.
Alex discusses the valuable relationship between emotion and geometry and why historical perspectives about design could help improve the quality of our lives.
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The oxford dictionary describes ‘imitation as the sincerest form of flattery’, while Oscar Wilde disagrees venamently, describing ‘imitation as the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.’
It would seem our very own Queen agrees with both Oscar and my next guest Dids Macdonald who magnificently received an OBE for her services to interior design. Dids cofounded ACID (Anti copying in design) and her work has made history by changing many reforms and legislation in this field.
Let’s find out more from the woman changing the legal rules to end copying in the design industry.
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Richard Black is a quintessential example of a multi hyphenate. With a career spanning law, broadcasting and property I’m curious what are Richard’s personality traits that see him able to adapt to change which is something so many of us find such a challenge. How has Richard’s diverse career unfolded and what are his tips for managing what appears a to be an unbearably busy schedule on the surface?
Also how did he turn a £300k property into one valued at £1.2 million?! Tips and tricks please!
Dee Gibson is a globetrotting, sustainability advocate and London based interior designer.
Who is the Sri Lankan born founder of the prestigious interior consultancy business: Velvet orange and how has her passion for travel influenced her trademark earthy and richly diverse cultural style?
The woman famous for describing ‘fashion as a metaphor for interior design and that interior trends are mirrored on the catwalk.’ Let’s meet the Anna Wintour of interior design.
Tony and Hayley from Day True are a husband-and-wife team of interior designers that have developed a cult like following. Famously outspoken and known for being the opposite of a wall flower Tony is best known for his no-nonsense straight-talking approach to the design industry.
Who are the design dream team responsible for pioneering the better life approach to homes and interiors and who or what’s next on Tony’s hit list for a potentially prickly discussion?
Dick Powell is a product designer responsible for break through design concepts such as the cordless kettle and much more. Heston Blumenthal called upon his company to overhaul experiential airport dining while Richard Branson called him to review their consumer space travel for Virgin Galactic.
Who is the man that also moonlights as the chairman of D&AD inspiring government and business leaders to recognise the value of embedding design and creativity into the DNA of British industry? Oh, and he also creates television formats for C4.
Throwback to when we found out all about the architect influenced by his time travelling around India and the energy he adopted from his yogic practices.
Watch the full episode here - https://youtu.be/ctZyqJnPFMQ
Throwback to when #biophilicdesigner Oliver Heath invited us into his world of interiors and nature. 🌲🌴🍃
Oliver Heath. The man the design industry considers responsible for merging mental health and wellness with plants and nature in order to create one of the hottest industry topics: Biophilia.
View the full episode here - https://youtu.be/xL_7kUzMFLo
Jo love is a designer who believes our interiors ought to enhance our wellness and that our homes can serve us emotionally as well as practically.
How are well-being and clear thinking inspired by decluttering and a discerning curation of home design and fittings? How is nature influencing design and what are the benefits to our inner zen?
Welcome Jo.
This #throwback comes from our first episode where Melissa had the pleasure of speaking to fashion and interior design icon Ben De Lisi. Ben talks about how he transitioned from fashion design into home design and back again.
Watch the full episode here - https://youtu.be/VvP65CHkyLc
Wayne Hemingway MBE is one of the UK’s most respected designers. Raised by his mum and grandparents he regards life as an adventure and together with his wife of over three decades, Geraldine; founded and then sold the brand; Red or Dead.
Is there any correlation between adversity and success? What are the transferable skills needed to turn your hand to designing fashion, to then redesigning a Lancashire town?
Marcus Steffen knows a thing or two about lighting. He studied mechatronics at kings’ college London and Many of his projects have won awards or been featured in magazines.
Lighting plays an integral part in the way humans experience buildings and their environments. Light allows us to see and appreciate the beauty all-around of us. Is it possible for us to appreciate architecture without light?
Fredrico Sandri is an Italian industrial designer and one part of the dream team: Debiasi Sandri.
What does he have that sees Rak Ceramics commission them to design a range of wash basins and for them to be considered the go to’s for bathroom and kitchen accessory design?
Do Italians do everything best?
Many people believe it’s Maja Ganszyniec, a graduate of the London college of art that’s won Poland a front row seat in the design world alongside the standard entries of Italy and Sweden.
A successful product designer for IKEA she sites her starting point for design as one of her successes: ‘There are so many objects in the world already. Why make another one?”
Why indeed. Let’s meet Maja
Raphael Meade is a compassionate carpenter, publicly known for standing up to the bullies on Channel 4’s show Eden.
Known as the fixer in the industry, who is the man who once had ambitions to be a ballet dancer, moonlights with marshall arts and now finds himself rubbing shoulders with celebs while filming another new C4 show: ‘key to a fortune.’
Kevin Jabou is an inventor on a mission to create a brand-new global product category. Not satisfied with inventing a product, he’s created an entire category from his mum’s garden shed with £10,000. Fast forward to current day we can find him in fashionable East London surrounded by his heavyweight team of executives including Sir Richard Needham ex-chairman from Dyson.
Who is the Crowd cube aficionado (the UK’s largest equity crowdfunding platform, Kaelo attracted 400 investors!) that secured £850k on his first round?
Who is the product designer with the heart of a marketeer that claims Kaelo was designed to bring a little magic into people’s lives with the first social kitchen appliance?
Cormac O' Conaire is Irish and a partner and chief design officer at Design partners, a product and innovation agency. Their unique philosophy is to connect powerful brand messages with meaningful design.
Cormac can be found as a creative mentor on the Big Idea and moonlights in a band.
Who is the man with a mission to elevate human potential?
Daniel Gava is to design and architecture as Anna Wintour is to fashion.
Considered as the bastion of the industry and the go to brand strategy adviser. I’m in the presence of Italian design royalty.
Daniel is also a nice guy, loves his family and moonlights as an ambassador of the London school of architecture where he can be found empowering children and young people to have an opinion on their built environment.
Who is the Italian born design strategist that seems to be as hot as biophilia and sustainability?
Jan Maurits Loecke from Callison RTKL is on a sustainability mission to educate the construction/architecture and design industry how to achieve net zero.
Buildings are responsible for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions so we can all expect a lot of what we’re familiar doing, to soon change in line with legal industry mandates.
Jan is here to hand hold us through the imminent process and to share his insight into how each of us can make changes in our businesses right now. Net Zero we are coming for you.
Morten Villiers Warren is an industrial designer and co-founder of the world famous Native with a CV and client list that reads like a whose who. Bang and Olufsen and Nespresso to name but a couple.
As the principal designer of Bowers and Wilkins, Morten then worked for Philippe Starke and his unparalleled high standards of design output have won him a reputation for award winning and world class product.
Let’s meet the man behind some of the worlds most cherished innovations.
Jordan Cluroe and Russell Whitehead believe that our homes ought to reflect ourselves and are on a mission to making living lovely, as is the name of their bestselling interiors book.
Both former actors turned interior designers their trademark style is to inject theatrical flourish into their clients’ homes through their signature use of colour.
I’m curious what it takes to be partners at home and to co-own 2LG studio in southeast London.
Who is this colourful duo that appear to have developed the confidence to be themselves and to love who they are and share these sentiments with their equally brave and bold clients?
Tash South is a South African born graphic designer who four years ago created an Instagram account to document her house renovation.
Fast forward to current day and along with a slurry of DMs about her design process these enquiries then converted into design jobs from which she founded her newest thriving business, South Place Studio.
How did Tash transition from graphic designer to a successful property renovation consultant and then onto curate her own collection of African inspired prints via the prestigious Rockett St George?
Welcome Tash
Simon Hamilton is a seasoned creative whose taken his interior design talent and translated into a multifaceted career including interiors recruitment, teaching and youth mentoring at the world renowned Central St Martins to name a few.
Simon’s passion is to provide; positive examples, new opportunities, good role models and memorable experiences to create a clearer pathway into the industry for the black Asian and minority ethnic population.
Let’s hear more about Simons endeavours.
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Daphne Vassiliades is the co-founder of Rehaus, a managed market place for pre-owned, vintage designer furniture.
Who is the mysterious greek entrepreneur who is now staking a claim in the £16Billion luxury resale furniture market with her recently launched company Rehaus?
Yaara Gooner is an architect who in 2020 was listed in Israel’s Forbes 30 under 30. Every year, Forbes identifies 30 of the brightest and most promising game-changers under the age of 30, across 20 different industries. Yaara is considered something of a superstar.
Her mission is to help people thrive through optimising space for people to sleep, work and to play. Central to her design mission is their wellness and she’s currently applying her skills at Lab and Stay; flexible co working space and serviced apartments with the luxuries of a boutique hotel.
Alan Crawford is a well revered architecture known for his innovative and progressive work particularly in the area of future living.
Currently half of humanity live in a city which equates to almost 3.5billion of us, a figure predicted to rapidly rise to £5b by 2030. Alan is experienced in the field of this rapid urban expansion and highly regarded for his ability to maximise space for residential developments by building down.
Welcome Alan.
Laura Jane Clark is a Glasgow based architect known as the one with the Midas touch on BBC 2’s: Your home made perfect. Famous for turning problem pads into heavenly homes.
Who is the woman that first spotted potential in £20,000 of old underground toilet space in Crystal palace that she creatively transformed into affluent living space?
What skills and personality traits are needed to blend together hundreds of hours of professional initial design meetings and from this to create a unique learning design method available for any homeowner to download at home.
It’s time to challenge design perspectives with TV’s most loved architecture from: Your home made perfect.
Holly Ormrod Stebbings is a concerned architect. Concerned that 3/100 of the biggest architects’ firms are headed by women.
She’s concerned that approx.2 of these 100 architectural practices have management teams that are more than 50% female and that men occupy 90% of the highest-ranking jobs at these companies.
Holly is passionate about promoting diversity in the industry and knows that the lack of women in top positions in the industry is not indicative of current female interest. Holly knows that in 2016 UCAS revealed a female/male split of 49/51 which was up from 2008.
Let’s hear how Holly plans to become a role model for women entering the field to make Lady Elizabeth Wilbraham proud - the UK’s first female architect who mentored Sir Christopher Wren and infamously wasn’t allowed on building sites so had to send men with her plans.
Welcome Holly.
Robert Jamison the self-proclaimed Belfast born architect, energy blazing with his ambition to demonstrate the healing benefits of architecture when combining spiritual practices.
Who is the architect influenced by his time travelling around India, his appearance on Game of Thrones and the energy he adopted from his yogic practices?
What does it take to build and market a practice amongst the ‘traditionalists’ of design and to carve out a credibility within the industry around the concept that beautiful spaces may be created with the essence of an experience and the science of a feeling?
It’s time to challenge design perspectives with Robert Jamison.
Gabrielle Omar is part of a new breed of influencers blending a successful architecture and interiors career with an equally successful media career.
Who is this self-proclaimed curly haired, fierce female entrepreneur who challenged the establishment aka RIBA to give the sector a ‘brand overhaul’. What does it take to combine; Spot this space; Gabrielle’s thriving architectural/interior design practice with a busy television/public speaking career? What are the personality traits Gabrielle needs to pull on in order to juggle and merge her diverse career with the needs of her children and husband?
It’s time to challenge design perspectives with the architect Lord Alan Sugar described as ‘a nice girl who talks a bit too fast with creative flair but a lack of business savvy.’
Bonus Episode 2!
Live from kbb Birmingham 2022: design special
Join us live from the NEC Birmingham for part 2 of the kbb 2022 special episode! We speak to a range of interior designers during the show.
This episode includes Tony and Hayley from Day True, Kia Stanford, Lauren Sutton from Virtual Worlds and Pippa Patton.
Maja Dimova-Handley. A self-taught, highly skilled interiors artisan in demand around the world.
Who is the woman behind the Spicy Lemon London brand? What does it take to be foreign and passionate about interiors with no formal training and to break into the prestigious London cut throat interiors industry?
Let’s start to explore and understand Maya Dimova Handley!
Join Melissa live from the NEC Birmingham for part 1 of a kbb 2022 special episode!
She speaks to a range of leading kitchen designers during the show to find out what they have been up to and what plans they have on the horizon.
Oliver Heath. The man the design industry considers responsible for merging mental health and wellness with plants and nature in order to create one of the hottest industry topics: Biophilia.
Who is the man that’s championing this partnership between nature and people and eco-packaging it for use in our homes and workspaces? What qualities and skills does it take to translate the science of nature and to blend it with the psychology of humans in order to create living spaces that improve our mental wellbeing.
Let’s start to explore Oliver Heath and to learn about how he’s disrupting the design industry using his passion for nature to access all areas.
Ben de Lisi. Hollywood fashion royalty, A list TV star, The man responsible for bringing glamour to our high street via Debenhams.
Who is the man behind the design career spanning four decades? What does it take to become the person Kate Winslet calls when she needs a dress for the Oscars? What qualities does it take to translate a fashion design career into a global home design brand?
It's time to challenge design perspectives with one of the worlds most cherished and loved high profile designers.
Welcome to the designerati podcast! Hosted by television and radio presenter Melissa Porter and available to view online in audio and video format every Monday morning!
Challenging design perspectives, each week the show will feature a guest from the world of design and architecture, discussing a wide range of topics and profiling the career and inspiration behind a wide variety of the industry’s most engaging individuals, from established household name designers to fresh new creative talent.
First Episode coming Monday 28th February 2022