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Cover Feature
We talk to top British designer Tristan Butterfield about how he is using his talent for holistic creativity to transform the fortunes of American brand Kohler on UK soil
HAVING
secured an impressive
reputation at a young age, British designer Tristan Butterfield has moved Stateside to help American bathroom manufacturer Kohler make waves in the UK. Following the successful opening of
the first dedicated Kohler showroom in Clerkenwell [see Designer January 2011], Tristan is dedicating 2011 to enlightening UK kitchen and bathroom dealers, and the wider public, on the not insubstantial delights of the Kohler brand. “We’re taking a long-term strategy because of the recession. Now is the time to invest for the next wave of growth and we’ll be building our new UK specific websites and advertising campaigns, not to mention making a big splash at ISH,” says Tristan.
Born in Scotland, Tristan studied 3D Design at Leeds before heading south in 1995 for a two year MA at the Royal College of Art in London. As a student, he spent holidays working for the celebrated architect/ artist/designer Nigel Coates, an experience that still has a major impact on the way he works today. “Nigel is an inspiration. He takes a very holistic attitude to every project, not just looking at individual products but all areas of design on every level. My summers at his practice were incredibly influential and they’ve taught me to bring a high level of design to everything I do,” explains Tristan. After graduating in 1997, Tristan did a brief stint with United Designers, where he cut his teeth designing the Four Seasons hotel, before he caught the attentions of David Chipperfield Architects. “I helped set
up Chipperfield’s industrial design studio and was soon working on lots of celebrity homes, fashion stores and glamorous hotels like the Shore Club in Miami,” recalls Tristan. Alongside the Bryant Park Hotel in New
York, for which Tristan also designed all the furniture, lighting and interior fittings, the Shore Club is recognised for rewriting the rule book on boutique hotel design. “It was an amazing experience at 25 years-old but incredibly demanding. I was working 100 hour weeks and life was pretty manic,” he says.
Having made waves in the interiors world under Chipperfield’s not insignificant influence, Tristan established his own practice in 2001, with the aim of getting involved in projects at a deeper level. “I began to get much more involved with CEOs and creative strategies, which meant I could follow Nigel Coates’ example and be more holistic about design, rather than focus on the individual,” explains Tristan. Unsurprisingly, Tristan’s talents were in hot demand. Highlights include a 32-piece furniture collection for Mary Fox Linton, which was designed to work in both corporate and hotel environments as well as in residential homes, plus the home of Dior’s fashion photographer Nick Knight. His work with fabric house Zoffany
Above: Tristan Butterfield
“NOW IS THE TIME TO INVEST FOR THE NEXT WAVE OF GROWTH”
Left: The award
winning Archi:texture fabric range for Zoffany; Tristan’s modern interpretation of archive damasks
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