VISION
We design solutions
We Imagine alternatives,
Rethink the givens and search for meaning-IAN DOUGLAS-JONES
Ian Douglas-Jones is an Interior Designer/Architect, his work ranges from Interiors of restaurants, Installations for restaurants, furniture and sometimes lights, his work is very abstract and he tries to take advantage of the space he works in, in some cases if the space is rather small he will create the illusion of it being bigger by creating a design which helps create depth, his work is very structured and sometimes his space is smaller/ larger than he anticipated, because a lot of his projects are based in Beijing he has to work away from the site, this can be hard because if he under estimates the size, he may have to change his design slightly. For an example, when we had our Skype lecture with him he mentioned how his project in Shanghai which was a restaurant bar interior, he hadn’t realised how small the space he was working with was, this meant he needed to alter his design but only by a small bit.
This was one of my favourite picese he had created, I found it interesting because the lights at the end of the restaurant creates the sense of eternity, it looks as if it could go on forever, the concept also drew me in as I was very enthused by his use of LED’s, the whole look of the restaurant is very simple with a dash of brilliance, everything is taken into account with this design and it excites me to begin designing ideas such as this one.
IAN DOUGLAS-JONES, G9 SHANGHAI
Bono Yan (2013) http://design.i-n-d-j.com/G – ACCESSED 5TH OCT 2015
Ian explained that when he first started doing his sketches for this particular design they didn’t show the exact idea he was trying to achieve but it gave the client enough detail for them to be able to trust him in his ideas and begin the work.
Ian couldn’t express any more how when it comes to designing it is all about trial and error, he encouraged us to work in a similar way to himself and always break out of our comfort zones. We must never do what we are comfortable with because without trying and failing we will never learn, he encouraged us to always take risks within our work and take unfamiliar opportunities as this helps us develop further processes and crafts which we wouldn’t usually work with, he also explained that we need to try and create designs which have a element of surprise to them, such as having a simple design for a restaurant bar interior but the for the bathroom have a completely different approach and to create a design which will surprise customers. This is what he did when he designed the bathroom for a recent restaurant in Beijing. For this particular design he used camouflage walls, neon pink lighting with an orchid light as well as sound proof ceiling and mirrors to help create depth and the illusion of the lights carrying on further.
ICE HOTEL SUBMISSION
One of the most interesting designs Ian spoke about was his entry for a themed room in the Ice Hotel which is situated in Sweden, for this project he worked with a friend of his to come up with a concept for this room. They were both very into Sci-Fi films and at the time the new Disney film ‘TRON’ had been released, they decided why not take inspiration from that and create a Sci-Fi themed room. When they began to develop ideas they came across Electro illumination wire, this started to work their imaginations further giving them their final design idea, for their room they wanted to use the wire to put patterns into the ice, this then lead them to an issue, because they were working with frozen water and electrical appliances they had to create a solution to protect the wiring when it was embedded into the ice, they then thought about creating a silicone sleeve which the wire was then fed through to protect it from any damage, this was an alternative way to what they had first planned on doing.
Because the room was a Disney inspired design, they managed to get sponsorship from Disney themselves as well as Oakley, this allowed them to be able to bring their design to life for the Ice Hotel.
Ian explained how when working on this design it was very hands on and hard, himself and his friend had to do all the instillation on their own, working with the ice meant they would sometimes be working in -30 degrees temperatures which caused their breathing to become difficult, however Ian explains that it became easier the longer they were out there. The ice blocks were very heavy and also took up a lot of their working space which meant they only had a restricted room to create this design. Ian explained that once they had finished installing their room, each artist had to stay for one night, he said this was one of the most unique interiors he had ever designed and he was extremely happy with the outcome.
Ian explain that they came across some difficulty when trying to install the wire into the ice and because of the serious low temperature the wire had frozen to its reel, this caused it to be curved and not loose enough to manipulate into the grooves which they had created for it to sit in, this led them to having to keep the wire inside their jacket to help warm it up, causing it to be easier to work with. They also struggled to get the wire to stay within the groove so they had to think of an alternative, they decided to use a small bit of water and loose snow which held the wire in place and allowed them to be able to create the design they had in mind before they came across these issues.
Always have a alternative incase the design hits a bump in the road and you have to think of new ways to produce the outcome you imagined.
FINAL OUTCOME
Ian Douglas-Jones & Ben Rousseau (2010) http://design.i-n-d-j.com/LEGACY – ACCESSED 5TH OCT 2015
Ian Douglas-Jones has given me a huge amount of inspiration as well as encouragement to begin designing outside of my comfort zone and he has also helped me understand that by doing this I will be able to create designs which can lead to future ideas. I am very motivated after listening to Ian’s talk and I can’t wait to begin creating designs which are as special as his.
Peta-Louise Krog 