IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012 - 30

ARE yOU ExPERIENCED?

Clockwise from below: hkS’ Emily Robinson and Murphy Jahn’s Victoria Stemmer at the Chicago installment of Mannington Commercial’s Design local. Interior Architects’ Michelle Nelson, “scrambling” through San Francisco for Mannington Commercial. David Rockwell’s Blanket zig zag for Maya Romanoff.

While manufacturers consider prior product-making experience a plus, it’s not a prerequisite for a commission; technical know-how is supplied in house, after all. “We’ve collaborated with all types, from architects and interior designers to industrial and fiber designers,” says Miller. “In many cases, they had some experience, but it’s not a determining factor.” During the process, she and her team will add insight about their medium—what weave structures might or might not be appropriate, for instance—while working toward the goal of capturing the designer’s ideas. But, you still have to do your homework and have the right attitude. A new collaborator should be “willing to understand and explore the variations of manufacturing and finishing techniques,” says Simone Rothman, chief marketing officer of Tai Ping Carpets. That learning process continues through conceptualization and execution, she continues: “A talented designer must understand and be able to document the technical development of a project.” For Grohe, blue-sky thinking is more essential than a background designing bath fixtures. “Any designer we work with needs to understand how a room’s occupant would like to deal with water as a resource; they also need to think within the smaller scale of a product.” And to be able to develop compelling and unique solutions that the company hasn’t seen before, he adds.

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A ll manufacturers are looking for novel concepts that let them stand out from the crowd and that bear the stamp of their brand without hewing too closely to existing designs. Says David Obel Rosenkvist, Fritz Hansen’s highest-ranking North American executive: “We are not interested in designers who try to redo what we have already done.” He adds that the company’s values must also be readily apparent in a proposed design. How to make that happen? “There needs to be a mutual understanding and respect for each others’ tradition and design DNA. Then a collaborator can echo or challenge the company’s aesthetic.” Every company has its own core competencies—and manufacturing capabilities—that executives want to build on. Having significant experience under your belt can, in fact, be as much of a detractor as a boon; at the very least, it can make a manufacturer question your commitment. When Maya Romanoff first started working with Roger Thomas, the designer had a number of product lines to his name: carpets, lighting, hardware, and trimmings. He even had a wallpaper collection, with U.K.-based studio Fromental. “We didn’t want to be just one of the guys, you know?” says Romanoff with a laugh. Miller elaborates on that point. “Sometimes you’re the first manufacturer a designer works with and then they become successful; next thing you know, they’re working for everyone! Designers have to be careful with that,” she cautions. “It could be the kiss of death.”

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IIDA Perspective - Fall/Winter 2012