DESIGNER SPOTLIGHT: ROSS LOVEGROVE

ArchiExpo interviews the British designer at Milan Design Week

With thirty years of design experience under his belt, Ross Lovegrove is one of the more prominent designers of his generation. He works at the crossroads of technology, material research and organic inspiration. His products frequently take their form from nature, yet are executed using innovative technology and interesting applications of materials.

We had the privilege of interviewing Lovegrove at this year’s Milan Design Week. Having worked with some of the most well-known manufacturers in the business, including Moroso, Artemide and Vondom, we were surprised at his (somewhat humorous) reflections upon the incertainty of being a designer: “One never knows what’s ’round the corner, and people like me don’t call anybody. I don’t call companies and say, “Can I work with you?” I might die of starvation soon.”

He also puts great importance on having a distinct signature, a design”DNA” that allows observers to immediately know who made an object. For Lovegrove, it is a strong design identity that gives the designer value. For 2014, he is concentrating on creating an intrinsic harmony across all of his designs. With that in mind, he created the stackable, aluminum Diatom chair and the undulating, plastic Monolith chair for Moroso, both of which debuted at Milan Design Week.