Architect David Rockwell launches made-in-China furniture collection
With two hotels in China, for W and Langham, due in 2017 and his first furniture collection, for China's Stellar Works, out now, the American founder of Rockwell Group compares public and private design
"The furniture line [a 14-piece collection, ranging from a bar cart to lounge seating, made in Shanghai by Stellar Works] is about transitions, going from the hustle and bustle of the street to your home. What do you do with your stuff when you get in? What about when you go from home to entertaining? We wanted to combine multiple functions and make the pieces portable so you could pick them up and rearrange them."
"Everything is rigorously made out of American walnut, brushed brass, black steel and full-grain cognac saddle leather. We really wanted saddle leather - so much leather now is almost like plastic because it has so many finishing products."
"It's a different toolbox but it's the same thought process. What is the narrative? Is it familiar and surprising - two things we like all our projects to have. How is it useful? Does it fill a need that is not filled right now on the market?"
"Hotels are challenging because every piece of design is under the microscope and there's a lot of problem solving required. There is no other area of design where people expect to be able to reach the phone, turn the lights off and control the heat without moving from their beds. You are always much more demanding in a hotel than in your own home."