Fred Rigby Studio
Designer, Maker
“you’ve got to be playful, almost childlike in a way”
I met Fred many moons ago while we were studying. It’s been a pleasure to watch his business and design style develop from afar and even better to talk shop and catch up in person as semi grown ups.
From his new office, workshop, and showroom in London Fields we get into his beginnings, where he is now, and what gets him going.
Q. You studied product design but I always saw you hanging around with fine art students, so assumed this had influenced your work over the years. It’s such a cliche first question but, who did inspire you?
F, Hanging out with them a lot did make me think of furniture more conceptually than just a functional product but my main inspirations are people like Ron Arad or early Tom Dixon when he was making one off’s.
Now, most of our collections are ready to wear but it’s important for us to keep on producing conceptual or bespoke pieces as well. When Interior designers contact us they want something that is going to fit their project, whether it’s bespoke or from our collections, with a sense of originality to it, people want a conversation piece and that’s what we love to create.
Q, It’s difficult to find the balance between it all, designing for other brands, producing your own work, and also doing bespoke projects.
F, You can go to Menu or Another Country and buy the collections we’ve designed or you can buy our own collections or get a more bespoke service. We really enjoy working with manufacturers, end clients or designers, be it interiors for domestic or retail projects, which is a blank canvas. I love jumping between different projects.
Q, Yeah it’s all about the story. You (Fred Rigby), your team and this place are all part of the story but there’s more to it. There’s a sense of art here.
F, Artists are known by their names so why shouldn't designers be if they’re also producing something conceptual and creative?
To me a perfect chair is a piece of art, it’s a combination of sculpture, geometry, aesthetics, and most importantly an object that works or brings you joy. I guess that’s where our batch or one-off production comes in, each piece has its own character each chair is slightly different, which is what we have tried to push with our pebble chair, each back is unique it’s meant to be sculptural.
Q, In classic you style I can see a shelf full of pebbles behind you, pictures of pebbles taped to the wall. Was this your starting point for the chair?
F, Exactly right, yeah. If we do a set of 8 dining chairs, each one will be slightly different but will have the same visual language, part of the same family but like a pebble, no two are the same.
Q, As you mentioned it I might as well bring it up, you have designed for Menu - can you talk about your relationship with them?
F, We designed the Eclipse table for Menu love it and we are in the process of designing a few other pieces for them Coming out soon? Soon, yeah there’s not a particular launch date yet. The team at Menu are so lovely and great to work with, so we’re pleased to be part of the family.
Q, Another Country is slightly different in its scale, their products seem a little more subtle. What is it like working with them?
F, We jump at the opportunity to collaborate with like minded brands like Another Country. I actually met and bonded with the founder over our love of the countryside and the collection was born from there. We’re in talks about designing more pieces for them.
Q, looking through your portfolio I get a sense of organic shapes and materials, is this on purpose?
F, The tables we make for instance feel more organic to the space and have a tactility to them, you can walk around the table and feel the edges. Traditionally a rectangular table in a room is such a bold object whereas having curves on it softens the whole space.
Q, I have to talk about the Cove series, it looks incredibly inviting and clearly doesn’t take itself too seriously. At the moment there’s a huge amount of interest around 60’s & 70’s pieces like the Mario Bellini Camaleonda sofa because in my mind they’re bold, ostentatious some of them even a bit over the top but beautiful original looking pieces. Not sure where new influences are coming from now but it could potentially end the journey through the minimal scandi vibe.
F, With our studio I want it to be playful yet thoughtful, there’s always a thoughtful concept to our pieces, how we make them, or even how we ship them. For Cove, it feels like it has its own character. Personally, I think we've been brainwashed by (highstreet brands that will not be named) everything is washed, kinda looks the same.
The way we design and make in our space, we just want everything to have an identity.
Q, In the UK and certainly in London, we don’t have enough makers. That’s to do with a few factors mainly the cost of having a studio but you’ve managed to make enough money along the way, just about, scrapped through.
F, I think I’ve always known that I’ve wanted to do furniture and interiors and stuck to those guns. Obviously, I think there are incredibly skilled makers in the UK but it’s very easy to get pulled towards working for a larger firm or set-making for example, you have to be an incredible carpenter to produce those sets. The budgets are amazing and you don’t have to have your own studio, just turn up with your tools and earn a decent day rate. It’s difficult but I’ve always wanted to produce my own furniture.
Q, You’re achieved a lot, are you happy where you are for now?
There’s always more, that’s why I love design because there’s always the next thing. My favorite thing to design is always the next thing.
What helps is being impatient, possibly having a bit of ADHD, you know dotting around. I come in the morning with a new idea about a chair or table and we start prototyping. We’re able to prototype ideas really quickly because we’ve got the workshop here, making models or details from pen to paper to a basic form in a day. My dream is to have my very own tinkering space but I am way off that, James Dyson style just making endless vacuum cleaners that don’t work.
I have a tendency to walk around a factory and pick up an offcut and say what’s this? can we use this? I like the design challenge of turning things on their heads.
Q, I understand the playful process that’s gone into the process but the finished article seem elegant, and well produced which obviously comes from experience, so there’s a nice mix there.
F, In order to be playful you have to have a deep understanding of the materials, to think about how the end piece will be finished.
Q, As soon as walked in here I said to myself, I could be creative in here. Looking at the walls and shelves around us, it does look like the inside of your brain but also a collaborative space. This is very you mate.
F, Having a talented enthusiastic team to bounce ideas off and listen to their input is a real help. So today we’re developing a new homeware collection. We’re doing a series of wood turned table totems, I love the idea of having a stack of objects on your table so that guests can play with them or whenever you want. Then you can stack it all back again into a lovely object in the middle of the table, which again goes back to being childlike. Like building your own tablescape… that’s a terrible word please don’t use that.
Fred Rigby 2022 “Tablescape”
I’m a fidgeter at home, I’m always moving stuff around on my table or furniture around the floor. I like to feel like you’ve entered a new space like you’re styling it every day.
I’m loving what you’re putting out there so please keep on doing what you’re doing
Q, Pub?
F, Yeah.
Follow Fred HERE
Portrait Photography by Sam Ford
Collated by James Garis
