36 RADICAL THINKING
Right With global events being far from optimistic, Sanders thinks 2025’s Pantone colour, Mocha Mousse, encapsulates that downbeat energy
Below The radical Pompidou Centre in Paris
and mood of the day. Global events right now are far from optimistic and I think 2025’s Pantone colour, Mocha Mousse, perfectly encapsulates that downbeat energy. Just like those great individual sports players capable of lifting a team’s spirits when the results aren’t going their way, I think we have to go beyond initial reactions and choose optimism. We’re big believers in our studio in the mission to bring joy, especially through the use of colour. No Mocha Mousse for us this – or next – year!
Could you recommend a book/article/blog that inspired your thinking? Flexible Housing by Jeremy Till and Tatjana Schneider. I read this book on consecutive summer holidays some years back. It helped refine my thinking around understanding different types of space and how we can create better buildings. It’s super complex in places, hence reading it over two years!
Could you name two buildings/pieces of furniture that you consider radical designs of their time, or perhaps still to this day? Rietveld Schroder House built in 1924 by Dutch architect Gerrit Rietveld. Tis was one of the first times I really experienced a building designed from the inside out. Its playful use of space and transformation from one mode to another is quite wonderful. It’s
the result of how someone wanted to live and what they wanted to do. Te other is the Pompidou Centre by
Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano in 1977. Tis building is pure entertainment and a wonder of invention. Huge volumes are prepared for exhibitions and events, made clear of the services and clutter that so often sadly fill other buildings in such inefficient ways. It’s a wonder sometimes how we end up with any space left for people, but this building resolves this perfectly. Totally unique and a Parisian icon, albeit not very French.
I think best with… (e.g. my hands/a pencil/ with a computer) A Pentel Sign Pen in red, and paper.
I think best… (e.g. first thing in the morning/ last thing at night) First thing in the morning. Pre-9:00am. Two teas, three coffees and I’m flying.
I think best when… (e.g. in a gallery/at home/ outside/over drinks/with friends/on the bus) At home at my desk, or walking the dog. Pacing around the house is also good. I think I might get a rise and fall desk, which would help too.
Te thought that keeps me up at night is… Am I good enough? Can I be better? Te need to succeed. Te fear of failure.
Te thought that gets me out of bed each day is… Seize the day. Let’s go!
Do you like to think with, or think against? Against. I think that a certain amount of ‘but what about?’ contrarian, early-stage thinking ensures that elements and aspects that might undermine a project’s success are addressed. Of course, this contrarian instinct has to be carefully balanced with the ability to listen to and take on board the thoughts of others. Otherwise, arrogance, ego and disaster would await!
If you weren’t a designer/architect, where do you think your way of thinking would have led you?
I suspect I would be doing something outdoors: a gardener or a landscape designer. Otherwise, a cleaner. I either want to clean the world, or plant it.
Could you describe radical thinking in three words? Change. Action. Extreme.
What’s the most radical thing you’ve come across today or this week? Someone who began a conversation this morning with a peal of unexpected laughter. We’re back to optimism again – and just how energising the communication of joy can be to others.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK CHARLES LEONARD
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK KIZUUUNEKO
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