Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 30
Occupation: Designer.
Instagram: @marcwoodstudio
Hometown: London.
Studio location: London.
Describe what you make: Handcrafted lighting for extraordinary spaces.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Pleated Crystal, my first product collection. It’s still my best-selling piece and has helped pave the way for everything that has followed.
Describe the problem your work solves: My goal is to create objects of beauty that people put in their homes and love to live with every day. I’m very passionate about lighting because of how creative and artistic a great light can be. My work combines aspects of jewelry design, sculpture, and engineering to create collections that I hope will stand the test of time and perhaps even be passed down to future generations. I’m trying to champion longevity and take a stand against the throwaway culture.
Describe the project you are working on now: I have the privilege of collaborating with some incredible artisans who help me bring my pieces to life. I recently started working with a great stonemason in London and we’re currently experimenting with ways to incorporate the various beautiful characteristics of marble into my new collections.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We’re launching our latest collection, called Rosa Rings. The collection was designed to showcase the opaque beauty of natural marble and incorporates backlit Rosa Estremoz marble discs that emit a soft, warm illumination, pierced by the natural veining of the stone.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: A pack of triple chocolate cookies. I’m a devoted fan of chocolate.
What you do when you’re not working: Usually a combination of meeting friends, biking, and skateboarding. If it’s a good day I’ll do all three at once.
Sources of creative envy: My hero is product design icon Sir Terence Conran. Terence was a catalyst for the modern British design movement and his retail empire helped transform the high street and the way we live and shop. Envy is perhaps the wrong word but I have huge respect for Terence’s vision and creative foresight. His passing is very sad news to so many.
The distraction you want to eliminate: The overconsumption of news. There’s currently so much negative information coming at us from all angles that it can be hard to see the wood from the trees. It’s fine to stay informed but too much media can be the death of creativity.
Concrete or marble? Marble. Much warmer.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse. London is full of beautiful townhouses.
Remember or forget? Try to remember but often forget.
Aliens or ghosts? I’m sure they would both be very pleasant.
Dark or light? Light, of course…