DESIGNEROPINIONS: MATTHEW WILLIAMSON
An exclusive series of interviews with established Designers, Architects and design professionals where we discuss defining design characteristics, economic influences, global trends and creative opportunities. Today we speak to Illustrious Interior Designer Matthew Williamson.
We catch up with you as your latest collaboration with Pooky is unveiled. Tell us a bit about it. All of my rooms at home are filled with interesting lights. I use them to create little pockets of warmth to give a sense of intrigue to every corner. It’s the beauty of excellent lighting itself that inspired me to create this collection with Pooky. The combination of pattern, colour and lighting can bring sheer joy to any space. My first collaboration with Pooky introduced a collection of lampshades to add a jolt of pattern to a darkened corner. The second collaboration, available online now, is English Garden, a range of lamp bases inspired by antique brassware and tumbling urns of florals in blossoming English gardens. What are some of the defining design characteristics at the moment, in terms of consumer preferences, creative styles, and key social and economic influences? The world we live in is a testing one: between being unable to travel and enduring limitations on our social lives, the way we live has been seriously compromised over the last year and beyond. Unsurprisingly, this has affected the way we live in, and decorate, our homes. The defining characteristics of new home design span sociability, functionality, and sustainability. In other words, our homes have to be flexible enough for us to entertain friends and family safely, they have to function as office spaces and havens for relaxation and down time, and they must have environmental considerations.
Any new property or refurbishment that ignores these three central principles will likely be faced with backlash. From a more decorative perspective, I’m seeing an ever-increasing affinity amongst interior designers and my clients alike for the pairing of old and new furniture, contrasting antiques with contemporary design pieces in confident and compelling ways.
What is the current state of the design sector, and how ‘design-savvy’ are consumers in general?
The presence of interior design inspiration on social media and TV shows like ‘Interior Design Masters’, on which I was a guest judge, has allowed consumers to develop their own tastes. More than ever, people are exposed to the trends in design, and are able to implement them in their own homes with digital functions like Instagram’s e-commerce tool.
In what ways is design evolving and what new directions and creative opportunities might we expect to see in the near future?
We have just come through a long period of design and innovation that placed little stock in eco-awareness. Design is evolving into a more morally driven space, placing more of an emphasis on alternative materials or ‘investment buys,’ meaning consumers are buying well, and buying once. Second-hand and antique furniture also fall into this category. I particularly love giving a new lease of life to an otherwise forgotten sideboard or cabinet.
Where do you get your design inspiration from?
Much of my inspiration comes from travel and a long-lasting admiration for how other cultures use pattern and colour to adorn their homes. The colours of India have always been inspiring to me, as well as the sunset hues of my hometown, Deia, in Spain. I’m also inspired by the refinement and decadence of French and English stately homes with walls of climbing roses and peacocks wandering the gardens.
Matthew Williamson Design / matthewwilliamson.com
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