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Where and what did you study and what year did you graduate?
Bachelor of Industrial Design Honours, 2001, Wellington School of Design, Massey University, New Zealand.

Where did you head after graduating?
After graduating I designed two full suites of furniture consisting of 28 pieces for Davies Furniture. These were sold through out New Zealand and Australia. I then worked for 4ormfunction for three years as a graduate designer and then as Managing Director for a company called MagicSeal for 4 years. I moved to Australia from New Zealand in late 2007.

When did you launch your own business?
In February 2008.

What motivated you to start your own business?
Having worked for two successful businesses in New Zealand and gaining the necessary skills to run one, I decided to take the plunge and start one in Sydney.

How would you describe your business to someone who didn’t know you?
Young, innovative, sustainable materials, knowledge and no frilly stuff.

How would you describe the products you design to someone who hadn’t seen them?
Research, research, research… We start with the product or idea, strip it back to its bare essentials, then comes the process of building it again, material by material, part by part, paying meticulous attention to the functionality and adding some clean form to the recipe. The result is 4ormfunction. A fun, fresh innovative product with style.

What are the most challenging parts of being a designer running a small business?
I think the most challenging part comes from the isolation of being the only employee in my office thus far. I’m getting better at talking to myself!

What inspires your design projects?
Everyday I look at or find something that inspires me. My biggest inspiration would be looking at products or objects and wanting to make them better.

What are the next steps for you?
Here in the Sydney office we are going to focus more on our own product line and a little less on consulting for clients fulltime. Five years from now 4ormfunction will be a collective of the best minds and a creative little hot house.

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