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June 15, 2014

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Creative projects stem from world experience

WHO is he?

Christopher Jenner founded his eponymous studio in London in late 2010. Born in South Africa, he graduated from the University of Cape Town, from where he set off on a period of extended travel, living in Paris, Tel Aviv and Hong Kong.

Tell us some of your works and name the one you are most proud of.

I was very fortunate to be able to start my career by working in collaboration with the iconic brand Diptyque Paris on their Paris retail space. I was able to discover a style which I could then mould and develop for their space in London’s Leadenhall Market. The store measures just 16 square meters but we managed to create a wonderful space inspired by both traditional French culture and the Victorian Gothic era. Our first studio presentation in Milan during Salone del Mobile 2012, “The Looking Glass House,” was incredibly successful. We presented a conceptual collection of furniture in a mirror box filled with a matrix of ever-changing colored lights. I wanted to trigger an emotional effect on the viewer.

Are you currently involved with any project?

Last year I was appointed the creative director of Eurostar, the high-speed train service between London and Paris. I am currently working on a series of projects with the intention of introducing an emotional experience to travel, bringing back excitement to the journey. For 2014, the studio’s focus is on collaborating with luxury design brands. One current collaboration is with the English bathroom brand Drummonds, with whom I am launching a bathroom furniture collection in the spring. Our first luggage collaboration with Globe-Trotter will follow shortly after. In April, we present our first collection of lighting called “Urbem” at Salone del Mobile. Our incredible glass lamps, made by skilled Chinese craftsmen, will be shown within an exciting installation called “The Cloud” which will imitate an ever-changing electrical storm.

Describe your design style.

Storytelling forms a central role in my work. In my projects I try to unify the past and present, introducing heritage and tradition into the contemporary age. I have a passion for artisanal skill, process-led learning and exploration, which I try to manifest in the details of our projects. I hope when people are interacting with my designs they find them inspiring and exciting, having a magical and emotive experience.

Where are you most creative?

I am constantly traveling. I find time spent on a train or a plane the perfect way and place to escape the demands of my studio and the endless distractions there.

What does your home mean to you?

My home is a reflection of my life and travels. It is almost a scrapbook of the things I love and the places I have been. There is nowhere quite like home, is there? It is that place where you can hide from the world; when you close the door you leave your public self behind.

What will be the next big design trend?

I feel the next big design trend lies in the marriage of craftsmanship, natural materials and technology. We are living in an incredibly progressive time. Craftsmanship needs to harness the power of emerging technologies to deliver a fresh emotive expression and ensure its relevance and continued existence.


 




 

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