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- which resulted in a two-year tenure as design consultant and creative head - culminated with the company’s award- winning Archi:texture fabric range. It is arguably this range that best defines Tristan’s skill for combining the traditional and modern – he has described it as a mix of ‘Hoxton styling with the Chelsea Harbour tradition’ - a trend that has been sweeping the interiors industry ever since. “I’m a big fan of eclectic design, taking old influences and making them work with something fresh and new. Reinterpreting nostalgic influences for a modern audience I suppose,” he says. In 2005, Tristan was approached by
Kohler to consult on its global brand strategy. “The position appealed to my love of a challenge. The brand is very misunderstood in Europe. People often think it is German and if you look at the website you only get the American view of bathrooms, which can be very different to British,” says Tristan. The following year saw him relocate
to Wisconsin in North America, where he eventually accepted a permanent position as Kohler’s creative brand strategist. It’s not the first time Tristan has worked for a bathroom manufacturer. It was his work with British company Czech & Speake during his Chipperfield days, that saw the traditional manufacturer produce its first ever minimalist brassware collection to great acclaim, which brought Tristan to Kohler’s attentions. Initially, Tristan also carried on his own
practice and did television work for America’s style network HGTV but family demands – he and his wife have two young daughters – meant he had to focus his commitments. “Working for Kohler is on a completely different scale to anything I’ve ever done before. It’s a billion-dollar company with a global reach, which means I travel for 50 per cent of the year,” he explains. Although he is no longer involved in
individual product design, the work for Kohler fulfils Tristan’s continuing need for holistic control and his energies are focused in steering the overall design direction of the various brands under the Kohler umbrella. Rather than stifling creativity, working for a sole manufacturer is feeding and expanding Tristan’s ambitions. “There is a mischievous element to Mr Kohler’s personality that allows us to push boundaries in a way you don’t expect from such a major company.
“I sometimes have pangs for my own
product design and to see my name on specific items but working as part of such a wide and diverse team allows us to surprise people with the breadth of design and bring something new and exciting to each trade show we attend.” The constant travelling is also a major
source of inspiration and Tristan can usually be found armed with suitcases of design magazines. “In the summer we do forecasting sessions looking at specific colour boards and material trends. There are also monthly design reviews when Kohler’s design teams from all over the world meet in Wisconsin to share ideas, which helps give an international balance to everything we do,” he says. ➔
Above and below: Kohler’s Butterfield-designed Clerkenwell showroom
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