At home with Marc Newson

I am... an industrial designer.

My personal style is... difficult to define, at least it is difficult to define for me. It’s a little bit like I can’t see the wood for the trees. I am submerged in my own world. It is sometimes difficult for me to step out and analyse a style, difficult to discern a style and a way I do things.

It is better... and much easier for other people to define my style.

I am very excited about... a Swarovski project – I’m working in a division in their company producing optical products binoculars and telescopes. They are the best binos and telescopes in the world.

At the moment, I am working on... a space craft design for Asterin, wristwatches for my own company, designing cookware for a company called Snag in Italy, binos for Swarovski.

I’ve designed... sneakers, cars, watches, mobile telephones, boats, the interior of jets - the list goes on.

I keep thinking of... new things. I am working on a jet pack at the moment - that is what I will continue to do I think for the foreseeable future.

Presently... I live all over the place, primarily in London but I also have an office in Paris.

60% of my time... I am travelling. You know all over the world, the US, Japan, China, Australia, Europe.

I am truly... nomadic which is one of the good things about my job. It’s a very international occupation that obliges you to work in all of these different places.

I designed a Myla sex toy... ten years ago. It’s an interesting thing to be asked to do.

I must confess... I am not quite sure whether it worked but feedback I had from my female office start is that it was better for a paperweight.

My sex toy... makes a great paperweight. I have one sitting on my desk. Designing the subaugal space craft stems... from a childhood dream.

My job is... like a hobby. What I do now is all I have ever dreamt of and all I can really do. I am working on about 20 projects at the moment. There are so many things that attract my attention and focus

I trained as a... jeweller over 20 years ago but I never really practised as a jeweller. The only reason I did it was to learn how to make things.

At the risk of sounding conceited... I have been lucky in my career in that I have designed so many things.

mydeco is... interesting. I don’t know anything that exists like it. It was only a matter of time before someone did a similar project. I sincerely think that it’s a good idea. It works well with a seamless and spontaneous process. mydeco helps to procure things and makes the process of choosing design easier.

The mydeco 3D tool... initially attracted me to the project. I have had a go at using it myself.

I would describe myself as... a perfectionist. As a designer you have to be. Otherwise, you're in the wrong job.

Bigraphy

Marc Newson (1963-) was born in Sydney, Australia. He is a successful industrial designer who works in aircraft design, product design, furniture design, jewellery, and clothing. He incorporates a design style known as biomorphism to his various designs. This style uses smooth flowing lines, translucency, transparency and the absence of sharp edges to create a beautiful and ergonomic design. He describes his 1988 Embryo Chair as "one of the first pieces where I hit upon a discernible style.

Objects he has designed include:

• Furniture for Cappellini
• Ikepod watches
• A collection of fittings and a sink for Ideal Standard in 2003
• A Magnum Presentation Set for Dom Perignon in 2006
• The Dish Doctor for Magis in 1997
• The MN bicycles for Biomega in 1999
• The Scope series of bags for Samsonite
• Cookware for Tefal
• Items for Alessi
• The O21C Concept Car for the Ford Motor Company in 1999
• Clothes for the clothing company G-Star Raw
• The business class seat 'Skybed' for Qantas, where he also heads up the interior design team for the Qantas A380 delivered in 2008
• The Qantas first class lounges in Melbourne and Sydney
• He also designs timepieces for freelance companies.

Restaurant spaces he has designed include:

• Lever House Restaurant & Bar, New York (2002–)
• Canteen, New York (1999–2004)

His work has become amongst the highest selling in auctions. His Lockheed Lounge (designed in 1986 shortly after he graduated from school and one of the items that established him as a designer) sold for $968,000 at Sotheby's in 2006. At that year's Design Miami fair he produced 12 Chop Top tables, all of which sold out in 20 minutes at an estimated $170,000

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