Designer stories: Terence Woodgate

As a designer whose work can appear so firmly based in function and technological detail it may be surprising for some to discover he takes much of his inspiration from outside the design world.

Solid, pictured above, is Woodgate's first collection for his eponymously titled brand and will be on display here at the showroom as part of Show 9. The minimal form of the shade showcases the materials used to their best. But also the internal workings display a myriad of technological considerations. Firstly the LED light source has been chosen specifically for its anti glare properties, whilst the shade itself has been designed to encourage cool air flow, decreasing the heat around the bulb and increasing the life span of the product. The support has been designed to allow the shade to always sit perfectly straight and true, such attention to detail is what is so characteristic of Woodgate's design work. So we thought who could be better to kick off our LDF 2014 interview series than the man himself?

So Terence, what first sparked your interest in design?

It probably started as a child with Meccano and Lego, then Airfix. But, visiting an exhibition about the Bauhaus in Amsterdam when I was in my early twenties got me really interested. Design is a fusion between art & technology and I am very influenced by both.  

What brought about your desire to start a brand of your own?

The desire to manufacture my own designs, plus it enables me to be more adventurous in terms of design and more exacting in terms of manufacture. It also gives me the opportunity to act swifter and more directly. I have already benefited from the direct contact with retailers and users. Such direct feedback is invaluable. 

How has the experience of starting your own brand differed from projects you have worked on in the past?

The experience is more exciting because you have to go into the finest detail. There are lots of emails about star washers, for example. I am the kind of sad person who would read Nut & Bolt magazine, if it existed. I love visiting factories and rationalising such things as assembly, pushing towards perfection. 

In what direction are you wanting to take your brand in the future?

We are only going to focus on lighting, as it is such an exciting time with lighting going digital and the possibilities this presents for integrating with home control systems.  We already have some exciting lighting designs in development. It is also our intention to invite other designers to work with the brand.    

With the change over from incandescent to LED in lighting, what do you feel are the positive and negative effects of this?

Current LEDs are great, however the early examples where very cold. The positives are the ultra energy saving aspects, the long life, the quality of light, the absence of mercury, the lack of ultra violet light, instant start, the low temperature. The only negative is the current need to have to design around the heat sink of the chip. Although LEDs give off little heat, it still needs to be dispersed or the life and efficiency are greatly reduced.

Terence also kindly shared with us six images that encapsulate his thought process and sources of inspiration which you can see along with his explanations below...

Eduardo Chillida

Terence once made a pilgrimage to the Basque sculptor's as he was so inspired by the way Chillida manipulates metal, using it in such a way it is not always possible to figure out how the pieces are constructed.

Ferrari 641 designed by John Barnard, 1990. 

"This is the most beautiful F1 car of all time" and also the only car to be selected for the permanent collection at MOMA in New York. Terence once did a series of talks at the RCA, the topic of which was juxtaposing disciplines and how they work. He invited John Barnard and fashion designer Betty Jackson to speak. But unexpectedly it turned out the design process for cars was in many ways very similar to that in fashion, carbon fibre is used as a fabric in much the same way we would upholster or pattern cut for clothes and furniture. 

Fascinated by the parallels between the two, he spoke with Tamara Casperz and Mark Holmes (then of Established & Sons, now Minimalux) about how jealous he was of all the materials and processes Barnard used and they suggested he try and collaborate with him. "So I thought why not, he can only say no. But actually he said he had always wanted to work with furniture and products. So that was how the Surface table came about..."

Surface table by Terence Woodgate & John Barnard for Established & Sons, 2008.

The result of Barnard and Woodgate's collaboration went into production for Established & Sons shortly after. The table garnered a great deal of attention due to it's cutting edge autosport technology and materials that enabled the two to create a table with an incredibly slim profile yet the strength to be made at long lengths without bowing. 

Rachel Whiteread 

"I am very inspired by 20th and 21st century art. I like it when Art forces you to think in a different way. Take Rachel Whiteread’s pieces. She has moulded under the chairs, highlighting the negative space, the ‘remainder’, what remains. This was something I’d never considered before, how your work effects the space, what space it takes up".

Ben Nicholson 

"Ben is a great influence for me. When I am teaching I always say don’t look at other furniture as you will end up plagiarising, you will naturally pick up aspects of the furniture you look at. I encourage students to look at other disciplines for inspiration"

Dot by Terence Woodgate for Punt 

The influence of Nicholson's relief work can be seen here in Woodgate's approach to storage for Spanish furniture company Punt. Simplicity of form is key, but as with everything Woodgate does, this approach is underpinned with immaculate attention to technical specifications and making sure the product works flawlessly.