Who? Alexi Robinson tends to explore notions of memory and place with her interiors, architecture and exhibition spaces. Based in London with British design titan Tom Dixon, she has set up a four-person studio in Hong Kong, where her latest project, for the Press Room Group (PRG), recently opened.
Where did it all begin? 'I can sum it up in one word: art,' says Robinson. 'Looking back, I gravitated towards it in school but I remember a lot of conflict; do I go down that route or try a medium that's creative but with business possib-ilities as well?' She chose the practical path and studied interior design at Sydney's University of Technology. Her first job was at Tanner Architects.
What happened next? After working for herself for a while, Robinson moved to London. She was hired by Anne Machin Architects and found the work stimulat-ing, if not always pragmatic. 'I worked on some fantastic projects that never passed planning; a hotel in the middle of Liberty's department store for example,' she recalls. 'An amazing hybrid, but it got political.'
The best and the worst of times followed in the setting up of her own studio with a partner. They had no shortage of clients but cracks began to show early. 'We had projects in Montenegro, luxury residential work in Chelsea, it was a great time on many levels, but I was in denial about the state of the partnership,' she admits. 'In the end I had to walk away, but I learned some valuable lessons.'
Fortunately, she sprang back with a prime position, helping Dixon establish his new interiors brand, while working on plush members club Shoreditch House, for London's Soho Group.
Where can we see her work? Robinson is looking to challenge herself and Hong Kong. 'When I notice something becoming trendy I tend to get a bit repelled by it,' she laughs. 'I'm always drawn to clients who want to push boundaries.' She was able to do so with PRG and the restaurant SML (above), in Times Square, which opened in August.
