Designer of the Day: Joe Armitage

Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.

Age: 32

Occupation: Designer.

Instagram: @joearmitagedesign.

Hometown: London.

Studio location: London.

Describe what you make: Lamps.

The most important thing you’ve designed to date: The latest collection of Lamps which I released during the London Design Festival. The designs are based on an original lamp which my grandfather, an architect called Edward Armitage, created while designing a hospital in India in 1952. He was a modernist and a contemporary of Le Corbusier who was also there at the time. I like to think that the project contributes to the preservation of this rich period of design heritage.

Describe the problem your work solves: It’s a decorative lighting collection using a new material that I developed from recycled water bottles. It’s a small component, but the idea is to start developing solutions to dealing with waste streams while creating practical objects that serve a purpose and people buy because they like the design in its own right. The recycled element is a byproduct.

Describe the project you are working on now: I’m working with two manufacturers in the UK to produce the collection in machined solid timber and solid brass which is a real pleasure because I have been manufacturing in China for five years. The proximity of the factories and the lack of a language barrier is fantastic. The manufacturing costs mean that the price points of the products are at the high end, but the quality more than makes up for the difference.

A new or forthcoming project we should know about: Three lamps with different design studios. I can’t say much at this stage but it’s really exciting to be collaborating with some world-renowned designers and to learn from their processes.

What you absolutely must have in your studio: I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without music. I can completely change my mood and focus depending on what I listen to and it’s such a powerful tool for getting things done, whether a creative task or more mundane one.

What you do when you’re not working: Motorbike around London visiting friends.

Sources of creative envy: Isamu Noguchi, Ingo Maurer, and Luis Barragán.

The distraction you want to eliminate: Winter.

Concrete or marble? Concrete.

High-rise or townhouse? High-rise.

Remember or forget? Remember.

Aliens or ghosts? Aliens.

Dark or light? Light.