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Designing Elmer: Q&A with Andy Kirk

Let’s start at the beginning. When did Elmer stop being a vague idea and start feeling like a product worth pursuing?

When I’m working on initial concepts for a brief, I get as many ideas down in a rough form, then refine 2 or 3 to share with the team. With Elmer, there were 2 “safe” options, designs that fitted aesthetically with existing collection pieces, then a 3^rd option that, in my opinion, had a much more interesting form, but I did question whether it was a step too far. But everyone loved it, which meant the idea went from a sketch on paper to a fully fledged design really quickly.

Was there a particular problem you were trying to solve, or did the idea emerge from something else entirely?

A little bit of both. The original brief was for a modular sofa design, something akin to our Rolo collection but based around a square footprint. For about a year I had been playing around with a concept partly inspired by how packs of bread rolls have this lovely domed softness to them; that was the creative side. I also wanted to see if I could integrate the leg in the upholstery. It was something I had never tried before.

Looking at the finished product now, how different is it from the version you first imagined?

The core ideas of the domed seat and integrated leg remained the same. As with any design taken from concept to reality, there are always elements which look great on paper but aren’t necessarily the best route to take. Some of the details I had wanted to incorporate in the early concept phase didn’t end up in the final design; they just weren’t practical when it actually came down to making the product. But that’s the great part of design, trying to find the compromise between the ethereal design part and the practical reality part.

Which part of the process turned out to be much harder than you had expected?

That initial move from paper into a physical product threw up some curveballs. I was most worried about getting the upholstery details right to keep the shapes as clean as possible. In reality, it was the core frame which surprisingly created the most headaches. Luckily, I work with some very skilled people in our design and frame departments, and we made it work.

Were there any ideas, features or details that you loved but had to let go of along the way?

Originally I had envisioned the junction between the back and seat as being a mitre; a simple line on the initial sketch became a shape on a 3D model, but in reality it was too complex to run through the workshop. But that’s one of the best bits of my job, designing something, taking those initial ideas and forming them into a practical piece of furniture.

What is the detail on Elmer that perhaps nobody notices but you wish they would?

Just how complex it actually is. Getting the doming on the seat and back right and consistent from piece to piece, achieving the upholstered leg, keeping the seams to a minimum and in the right places to enhance the overall shape- it looks easy, but it’s really not.

Elmer looks incredibly comfortable. Was there ever a point where you worried it might become too comfortable?

We knew that Elmer needed to look super soft, but not necessarily be super soft. Our furniture is predominantly used in commercial environments; having something overly soft doesn’t work, they’re workplaces after all. So we created a seat and back that has that soft domed look but which offers support and comfort and works in the settings it was designed for.

What surprised you most once people started interacting with it?

The nicest surprise was seeing people use it exactly as we had imagined. Some sat on it for a quick chat, others gathered together in groups to sit longer, just to relax. I also loved seeing people using the tables as part of the layout. It reassured me they were a good addition. All of those observations are proof that the design is doing what you had hoped it would.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice on day one of the project, what would it be?

Enjoy the process more; it can be pretty stressful when you’re in it, trying to find solutions and hitting deadlines. Sometimes it’s easy to forget you’re one of the lucky ones doing what you love.

Before we finish……What object do you use every day that you think is brilliantly designed?

There are so many things which we interact with daily that we often forget were designed by someone at some point or another, and there are definitely some I appreciate more than others! But if I were to pick just one, I would say the mug I use for my morning coffee; maybe it’s because it’s the receptacle for the liquid that gets me functioning early each day. I also like the idea that somebody spent time designing something we all use every single day without giving it a second thought.”