Timothy Oulton, Founder and Creative Director of his eponymous brand, is a master at blending traditional craftsmanship and pioneering design.
他的故事要從兒童時(shí)代說(shuō)起，那時(shí)他還在曼切斯特，并經(jīng)常在爸爸的古董店里轉(zhuǎn)悠。在18歲后，他并沒(méi)有清晰的計(jì)劃，因此他與爸爸在一家家具工廠開(kāi)始自己的職業(yè)生涯。他從沒(méi)意識(shí)到自己的事業(yè)會(huì)從這座城市開(kāi)始生根發(fā)芽。
Tim’s story dates back to his childhood days in Manchester, where he grew up surrounded by antiques from his father’s business, Halo Antiques. After leaving school at 18 with no clear plan, Tim embarked on a career in the furniture industry at Halo antiques with his father. He had no intention of remaining in the business and assumed he would eventually go on to work in the city.
而今，Timothy Oulton在世界各地已經(jīng)有30多家店，遍布紐約、洛杉磯、墨西哥、中東、澳大利亞、加拿大、阿姆斯特丹、香港，甚至在倫敦的Harrods。品牌正有計(jì)劃的擴(kuò)張中，并發(fā)展得更大更強(qiáng)。
Today, Timothy Oulton has over 30 stores in some of the world's best cities including New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and in the grandeur of Harrods in London. The brand continues its careful expansion and plans for further openings in the future.
《深圳家具·設(shè)計(jì)》：請(qǐng)描述下你的設(shè)計(jì)風(fēng)格。
Timothy：我的設(shè)計(jì)靈感來(lái)自過(guò)去與現(xiàn)代，產(chǎn)品保持新鮮并令人興奮，并富有獨(dú)立的個(gè)性，這就是我所謂的“謙卑的奢侈”風(fēng)格。我們用真正的材料獨(dú)創(chuàng)出靈魂個(gè)性，為生活尋找出寬松的精致環(huán)境。
How would you describe your style?
We blend ideas from the past with a modern twist, to create something fresh and exciting, infused with our own point of view. It’s what I call humble luxury, we use authentic materials with character and soul, our pieces are meant to look lived in – a relaxed sophistication.
《深圳家具·設(shè)計(jì)》：你曾經(jīng)和哪些設(shè)計(jì)師或房地產(chǎn)商合作?
Timothy:我們一直與非常有才華的設(shè)計(jì)師Michael Yeung緊密合作，他是我們?cè)O(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)的成員之一并也設(shè)計(jì)自己的家具系列。我們也和法國(guó)設(shè)計(jì)師Frank LeFebvre合作。這還有許多有創(chuàng)造性的合作者和我們一起做想做的事情。去年，我們還改造了位于洛杉磯Athletic Club歷史性建筑Blue Room，現(xiàn)在我們正為新加波的合作者完成男士俱樂(lè)部項(xiàng)目。
Have you ever cooperated with any designer or real estate before?
We’ve been collaborating with a very talented designer called Michael Yeung for many years, Michael works as part of our design team as well as producing his own coveted collection. We also work with Frank LeFebvre of French design house Bleu Nature. There are many other creative collaborations we get involved in, people that have an affinity for what we’re doing. We redesigned the historic Blue Room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club last year, and we’re currently working on a gentlemen’s club in Singapore for a partner – we’re doing the whole thing, everything down to the locker rooms.
《深圳家具·設(shè)計(jì)》：你怎么運(yùn)營(yíng)不同地域的商店?
Timothy：我們的一些商店都是獨(dú)立的，如香港，有的特許店像倫敦的Harrods，我們也有合作零售商如澳大利亞，我們已經(jīng)合作多年。Timothy Oulton應(yīng)該是無(wú)國(guó)界的，我沒(méi)有制定非?？量痰纳痰陿?biāo)準(zhǔn)。我們總是想給你最好的體驗(yàn)，這就是為什么我們提供香檳。我們希望每個(gè)人都享受于此，無(wú)論他們?cè)谀睦?，無(wú)論他們?cè)L問(wèn)哪家商店。
How do you operate your stores in different areas, direct sales, deals or other?
Some of our stores are standalone, such as Hong Kong, others are concession stores like Harrods in London, and we also partner with retailers such as Coco Republic in Australia, who we’ve been working with for years. The experience of walking into a Timothy Oulton store should be consistent worldwide, I don’t differentiate in the standards I want for each store. We always want to give you the best experience we can give you, that’s why we offer champagne. We want people to have a great experience wherever they are, whichever store they visit.
《深圳家具·設(shè)計(jì)》：作為一個(gè)特別的品牌，有沒(méi)有嘗試做Timothy Oulton室內(nèi)設(shè)計(jì)服務(wù)？
Timothy：我已經(jīng)開(kāi)始創(chuàng)建完整的空間項(xiàng)目，這也是我繼續(xù)要做的事情。我們已有一個(gè)設(shè)計(jì)團(tuán)隊(duì)，并完成世界各地多個(gè)項(xiàng)目。其中包括英國(guó)Devon精品酒店Glazebrook House，我們已經(jīng)完了全部地面裝修以及安裝。它看起來(lái)像是一個(gè)古老的英國(guó)莊園，但在室內(nèi)是顛覆性的形象。整體感覺(jué)像是在19世紀(jì)愛(ài)麗絲仙境，一個(gè)充滿幻想的奇遇空間。
As a stunning and unique brand, do you have plans to offer a full interior design service - 'Whole Timothy Oulton House’?
We have started to create full spaces and it’s something I want to do more of. We have a great in-house architect and team of designers, and we’ve already completed several projects across the world. There’s a boutique hotel in Devon in England called Glazebrook House, we completed the full ground up renovation and installation. It looks like an old English manor house from the outside but inside it’s totally transformed. The atmosphere is 19th century collector’s house meets Alice in Wonderland; a fantasy where people can escape and have a unique experience.
《深圳家具·設(shè)計(jì)》：現(xiàn)在的家具有什么潮流趨勢(shì)？
Timothy：我們的設(shè)計(jì)并不是快餐式的家具，Timothy Oulton的每件家具都不受時(shí)代局限，這才是我想給予顧客的產(chǎn)品。一般而言，我希望家具與空間形成一體化，因?yàn)榭臻g能將朋友和家庭聯(lián)系起來(lái)。家具不僅僅是家具，而是真實(shí)而富有故事性的關(guān)系培養(yǎng)器。好的沙發(fā)可以促進(jìn)大家的話題。
What is the latest trends of Furniture?
Our designs aren’t about following the latest trends, we’re more interested in creating timeless pieces that we love, that we hope our customers will love too. In general though, I think interiors are becoming much more integral to the way people host at home, making the space a centre of connection with friends and family. It’s not just about furniture, it’s about having authentic, storied pieces that make your home an inspiring place to hang out. It could be a great sofa that everyone can spread out on or a really unique dining table; pieces that spark a conversation.
