Interview: Doshi Levien

Today’s interview is a real treat – Doshi Levien is in the House of Yellowtrace people! Hooray! The internationally acclaimed London-based design studio was founded by partners in life and business – Nipa Doshi & Jonathan Levien. Nipa grew up in India and studied design at the National Institute of Design, founded on the manifesto by Charles and Ray Eames. Jonathan trained in fine cabinet making followed by industrial design. They met at the Royal College of Art and have been working together for over 10 years in their London studio.

Nipa and Jonathan bring together many worlds in their work. Nipa’s approach is rooted in her plural upbringing and astute eye for visual culture. Jonathan’s approach is rooted in industrial precision, combined with the sensuality of a makers hand and deep understanding of materials. Working across disciplines and industries, Doshi Levien’s work celebrates the hybrid and explores the coming together of cultures, technology, industrial design and fine craftsmanship. They have created work for industry leaders such as Moroso, Kvadrat, B&B Italia, Cappellini, Camper, Swarovski, Galerie Kreo, various museums and cultural institutions.

Nipa & Jonathan are coming to Australia in early December for the second annual The Design Circus. The Design Circus is a three day event (1st to 3rd Dec) showcasing and stimulating understanding and the culture of design in Western Australia via an active and live experience. Hosted by Mobilia and curated by Pepe Garcia from Culdesac, The Design Circus will provide education and loads of fun through interactive workshops with some of the world’s most acclaimed and award-winning designers. More info here.

Doshi Levien Portrait. Photo by Kate and Camilla.

+ Hello Nipa & Jonathan, welcome to Yellowtrace and thank you for taking the time to e-chat. Could you please give us a quick introduction on yourselves?

I am Jonathan Levien. I was born in Scotland. I don’t have an accent anymore because my family moved to England when I was 6 to grow their business which was designing and making soft toys. (Not something I spoke about much in school). I studied furniture making followed by design before graduating to the Royal College of Art in London.
Nipa was born in Bombay and grew up in Dehli and In 1989 at the age of 17, she was offered a place at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, where she specialised in Furniture. This school was founded on the recommendation of Charles and Ray Eames. ‘Design’ unless it was ‘fashion’ or ‘interior decoration’ was still unheard of as a serious career path to follow in India. Her parents, however were very supportive and encouraged her to follow her instincts. It was at NID that Nipa began to explore the link between craft, design and cultural identity. She graduated in 1994 and on a visit to London, she met Jasper Morrison who inspired her to apply for the Masters Degree course in Furniture design at the Royal College of Art.

Chandlo designed by Doshi Levien for BD Barcelona Design.

+ When did you first decide you wanted to become designers? And how did you two meet?

I was trained as a fine cabinet maker many years ago. I became quite impatient with the time it took to realise a finished piece and I also quite liked the idea of wearing smart clothes occasionally added to which pushing a plane was quite hard work. My decision to study design was partly inspired by my uncle Robin Levien, who designs bathrooms. He was making these amazing foam models of ceramic basins and I was very inspired by the sculptural quality of his work. I realised that making could be a part of a creative process leading to mass production instead of resulting in a one off.
I first met Nipa at the Royal College of Art. It was love at first sight for me, but not for Nipa unfortunately. I had just returned from a trip to India and I remember sharing all my observations and thoughts about Nipa’s homeland, to which she answered that I was being very romantic and that growing up in India was actually quite tough. I liked Nipa’s straight forwardness and we became great friends. We developed a close friendship based on support and honest, sometimes fierce critism of each other’s work. I was really fortunate to work for Ross Lovegrove for a period of three years after I graduated from the RCA. This built my confidence in many ways as we designed everything from air line interiors to watches. After three years of working for Ross, during which time Nipa was at SCP and David Chipperfield, we set up Doshi Levien in 2000 based on a commission from Tom Dixon, then creative director of ʻHabitatʼ.

Rabari Rug Collection by Doshi Levien for Nanimarquina. Photo © Albert Font.

The Wool Parade by Doshi Levien for Kvadrat.

+ How is your studio structured? i.e. How many of you work in the studio, what types of skills do you have in-house, and how many projects do you handle at any one time

There are five in the studio and at the moment, I’m the only guy. We have a very open space which is an ex-furniture factory and artist studio with great natural light, industrial wooden flooring, a view of the park. It feels like home only there are materials everywhere and cardboard prototypes hanging from the walls. We encourage a process that involves a combination of making and designing on computers. It is very hard to substitute the physical sense of scale and materiality on a computer, so we make a lot of prototypes. Everyone has their own project to work on, usually there is one big project that we all share.

‘Shanty’ designed by Doshi Levien for BD Barcelona.

‘Shanty’ sketch by Doshi Levien for BD Barcelona.

‘Shanty’ designed by Doshi Levien for BD Barcelona.

+ Although you are now quite established, world renowned designers, the world of design is really competitive and it can be difficult to get a break. In retrospect, what do you consider to have been a turning point in your career?

Our first project that was launched by Moroso (Charpoy 2007) in Milan gave us tremendous exposure. I think the design industry works like osmosis. Many new clients approach us having seen our work or having been recommended so we always knew the importance of communicating our work. I also find that our best projects are linked to certain individuals who commission the work and they have amazing vision and creative energy. Patrizia Moroso and Giulio Capellini are two of these people.

‘Charpoy’ designed by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

‘Charpoy’ sketch by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

‘Charpoy’ pillow sketch by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

+ Has there been one project, one client, or an important set of skills you’ve developed that has changed the course of your career?

A few years ago IMM cologne invited us to do a project called DAS HAUS and we were given 200 SQ metres and carte blanche in the centre of the fair to create our perfect home. Nipa and I had designed so many objects and pieces and this was a our first opportunity to scale up our thinking and create space. The social aspect becomes important when designing spaces and this is something that we are focusing more on now.

Das Haus ‘Perfect house for IMM Cologne’ designed by Doshi Levien.

Das Haus sketch by Doshi Levien.

+ How important is the ability to balance the design and business in today’s market?

Every design opportunity comes with a need to understand the business aspect. This is crucial for understanding how designs fit into a commercial framework, whether for a gallery or a branded manufacturer for example. You could design an amazing product and it would fail in the wrong environment.

+ How much time do you spend on each side of your practice?

I don’t see business and design as being separate entities.

Camper Store in Rome by Doshi Levien.

Camper Store in London by Doshi Levien.

Camper Store Sketch by Doshi Levien.

Related Post: Camper Store in Glasgow by Tomas Alonso.

+ What is your main priority when starting design projects? Is there something that is fundamental to your practice – your philosophy and your process?

The priority is finding the BIG idea in any given project. This idea has to be potent enough to translate into all aspects and durable enough to survive the process. For us It is more important to start with a strong direction rather than try to solve problems initially. In our view, there is always a way to realise a good idea. When a direction is established, we test the idea and nurture it towards something that is practical. This means we have to be quite open along the way for the ideas to evolve and change, but the vision and essence of our intent is always there in the end. We often ask ourselves, does the idea have clarity and do we love it. Is this piece something that could be cherished for a long time? If we have a burning desire to see things made it’s usually a good sign. I think we’re gradually piecing together a kind of universe in which we love the things that surround us. We want to create a world which celebrates diversity, brings together different cultures, one that is plural and inclusive.

Almora Chair designed by Doshi Levien for B&B Italia.

‘Apprentice’ designed by Doshi Levien & John Lobb.

‘Apprentice’ designed by Doshi Levien.

+How do you go about initiating projects – do you do this together or separately? You must find that your amazing partnership enriches your output, but is there ever a time when you drive each other crazy, or when designing or working together can be challenging?

We have ideas and get in touch with people who can make them happen. This also happens in reverse, when a client approaches us with a project. Nipa and I are opposites in so many ways so there is always lively debate about ideas. I feel this is what maintains our partnership and relationship; everything we do and make is a kind of reconciliation of our differences.

‘Impossible Wood’ designed by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

‘Impossible Wood’ sketch by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

+ What advice would you give to emerging architects/ designers who want to follow your path? What was one of your biggest lessons learned since starting your practice? What do you feel is the most challenging part of being a designer today

I would not recommend anyone to follow our path, but to create their own way and develop an approach, not a style, based on their unique sensibilities and skills. The biggest challenge for us when we started out was to keep our vision and survive financially. We relied on installations and self initiated projects to establish our voice. It didn’t help being based in the UK which has very few manufacturers.

‘Paper Planes’ designed by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

‘Paper Planes’ sketch by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

‘Paper Planes’ prototype by Doshi Levien for Moroso.

+ What’s next – can you share with us your vision, some of your goals and some of your current projects?

We’re creative directing a product launch for Bolon, an amazing Swedish floor company. We have been invited to design a prefabricated house for an American developer. We’re working on a new collection of pieces for B&B Italia. We’re designing a series of lights for Gallerie Kreo. We have designed new fabrics for Kvadrat due to be launched this year…

Chance Encounter Console designed by Doshi Levien for Galerie Kreo.