Terence Conran grants designers’ wishes

One of Conran’s many industry roles is co-founder of Benchmark Furniture. It is in this capacity, and with the help of the American Hardwood Export Council, that Conran has endeavoured to grant the design wishes of his friends, the results of which we’ll be able to see at London Design Festival.

For the Wish List project Sebastian Cox has designed a workspace for Terence Conran, Norie Matsumoto is creating ‘the perfect pencil sharpener’ for Norman Foster, and Win Assakul is designing ‘an extendable fruit or cheese bowl’ for Amanda Levete.

Meanwhile Studio Areti has taken on three items for John Pawson – a triangular shelf, slanted door and a hook.

Felix de Pass is designing kitchen stools for Alison Brooks and Gareth Neal will create tablewear for Zaha Hadid.

Paul Smith has asked Nathalie de Leval for a garden shed, Barnby & Day are working on a dining table for Alex de Rijke, Richard Rogers and Ab Rogers have requested a ladder from Xenia Moseley and Lola Lely is designing a chaise longue for Allen Jones.

All the designers have already attended a ‘making week’ where the pieces started to be fabricated following the design stage. The images shown are of plans, models and sketches and the final pieces may differ. 

Each team will record the energy they have used during the course of the project as a footprint which helps to inform AHEC’s Life Cycle Assessment – the environmental impact of each object.

The AHEC and LDF have collaborated on centre piece installations for the festival in successive years, most recently Amanda Levete’s Timber Wave, and dRMM’s Endless Stair. 

Wish List – What I have always wanted is… runs from 13-21 September at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL, as part of London Design Festival.