INTERVIEW

Max Lamb

Biography

Max Lamb’s rugged and bold designs are laboriously created through his direct manipulation of tools, materials, and processes. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, London, the topography and industrial heritage of his native Cornwall are a major source of inspiration for his work. Lamb is perhaps best known for his Pewter Stool, where he cast pewter into crude sand formations on a Cornish beach. He has also experimented with lost-wax and sophisticated electro-deposition methods for his Copper stools, and extruded biodegradable materials for his Starch stools.

Interview

Do you adopt an ethical approach in your design practice?

I live by strong moral principles and these naturally translate to my design work. I practice what I preach, as it were, and believe all designers should. I only design and make objects that I would be happy to live with myself and I am probably my strictest critic. So finding sincere justification for the projects I make can be a tough job. My work typically takes a long time to realize and often involves arduous physical processes; thus the decision to proceed with an idea is not made lightly.

Have you developed a greener approach to product design?

My approach to design and creation evolves continuously. I began my career with a “green” approach to design, but it has changed a lot. I’d say it began with a bright lime green approach; one that is obviously green and wants to shout about it. This is a very common approach to “green” design and one that we must be wary of. As with personal differences in ethics, the concept of what is green can be very different to actual knowledge of what is and, more importantly, is not green. Consumer demand for “green” products is definitely moving in the right direction, but manufacturers know this and have the ability to exploit consumer desires by labeling their products as green. Going green is now a huge marketing tool so beware of false advertising. It is also important to note that going green is not an excuse to consume more. My furniture is very personal; people only buy it if they respond emotionally, so they’re unlikely to throw it away. Lifespan and the relationship between an item and its user can be more important than so-called ecological or “green” materials. It’s the culture of disposal that I think we need to address. The materials and processes I use are very durable—you can be very rough with them!

Can a designer balance commercial pressures and beliefs?

In theory yes, but in practice more often than not the answer is no. A designer has to be very strong both morally and ethically if they are to resist commercial pressures. But every circumstance is very different and every designer’s ability and willingness to resist also differs. I have been very fortunate in that most of the interest in my work has come directly from the customer, allowing me to satisfy their needs directly without the influence (and commercial pressures) from retailers and manufacturers. Thus the cost of my work to the end user is inherent to its value, rather than being driven by typical retail markups, percentages, and profit margins.

Do you design for all or a select few?

So far I have only really designed for a select few—the few people who have selected me! I could design for all, but not all come to me asking me to design something for them. I really enjoy the personalized approach to designing furniture and other objects—to design a chair for a known person rather than unknown people.

Electroformed Copper Stool, 2007, a typical one-off unique piece.

Ladycross Sandstone Chair, 2007, was carved from a solid block of stone, hand picked from a quarry in Ladycross, England.

Pewter Stool, 2006, cast into the sand on a beach. This one-off design was subsequently modified and put into mass production by Habitat.