INTRODUCING ... OLIVER DEADMAN
Oliver Deadman is the Product Manager at Clive Christian Furniture Co. Nearing his first decade, he joined the business in 2009 having completed a degree in Product design.
I joined as a Graphic Designer, working with the then Design Director David Dunkley. My initial role involved digitalising the Furniture Product List, which was a fantastic introduction to our product and paved a great path into a wonderful working relationship with the workshop team.
As my role evolved, I began to draw more on my background within Product Design and the in-depth aspects of our cabinetry world. Today I head up the inhouse studio team covering all aspects of design and customisation.
From an early age I have only ever really wanted to draw. I have always been interested in drawing. My grandad, who I spent a great deal of time with, was an engineer who worked predominantly with RAF based precision works, in those days everything was hand drafted. So drawing was natural to me. Luckily for me I progressed into Arts College – from then on I honed my eye for design, with particular focus on the three dimensional, ultimately landing at university on a product design course.
““I would like to tip my hat to Grandad Colin for introducing the notion that drawing was not just a pass time for children, but a serious skill which could be turned into a career.””
I enjoy working in a design team because it is all I have ever really wanted to do! It is not often that a person can hand on their heart say that they have become what they set out to be – working creatively on great briefs surrounded by people who share your interests and encourage you to better yourself and ultimately your next big piece!
We have a great working atmosphere in the design office, all seated around a long walnut desk. Our walls are lined in cork and filled with a mixture of inspirational imagery, past projects and ‘future fun’ thumbnails. We are all able to assist one another with project work, passing information between roles and building a greater understanding of the brief at our fingertips. The workshops are literally a corridor away, so we are able to spend a lot of with the teams that realise the designs in the most gorgeous materials – that’s such a rare treat for a designer.
“The workshops are literally a corridor away, so I’m able to spend a lot of time with the teams that realise the designs in the most gorgeous materials – that’s such a rare treat for a designer.”
A typical day spent with the team would be a series of informed discussions over the screens – which in almost all instances involves work, the other fraction inevitably include food. Office favourites being “What’s for tea??” or “Who’s turn is it to brew up??” – apologies if further explanation is required, please remember that we are in the heart of the North West!
A privilege of bespoke furniture design is that I often get to interact directly with clients, it’s a part of our exacting standards that I really enjoy. One of my favourite projects was with a client who came to us via a mutual business ‘friend’. A switched-on chap who through his love of art, had a real eye for detail. It all began with a trip to Nantwich Veneers, one of our esteemed suppliers, where we met to discuss sourcing feature veneers for his panelled oak sitting room. We um’ed and arr’ed over numerous varieties of oak and but he seemed to have lost his earlier excitement. We began to muse with complimentary species, and just like that - the spark reappeared. We then pushed into varied contrasting clusters until we hit our eureka moment with the discovery that he was particularly fond of tortoiseshell figuring. We were directed to a beautiful golden madrone, which had quite a unique grain formation mimicking his favoured pattern. We took these beautiful leaves back to the workshop, where the team crafted them into a spectacular radial match.
This is a prime example of the nature of service which a bespoke project carries within our company; taking a notion or part idea and transforming it into an interior which may be enjoyed for years to come. We have a saying within the office, which I have to admit is often banded with tongue firmly in cheek – but it’s true “if you can imagine it, we can create it”.
I often get asked what inspires me - every project is different, as such inspiration will come from different avenues. With creative briefs we are looking into style; colour, pattern, materials, etc. Where as with Development we are generally researching technical advancements in hardware and craft process. In most instances these areas will cross neatly (picture a venn diagram) creating a lovely niche we universally refer to as Design.
Inspiration is, as twee as this will sound, everywhere. Complimentary colour and textures are found throughout both natural and industrial life – likewise so are the interactions which surge with physical development. A great example being; when designing the Holiday House 2017 Campion Platt study we came across a beautiful hand-crafted walnut table tennis paddle featuring a pink rubber hit zone – this piece brought about our colour palette for the space.
On average I would say a concept generally will take around two weeks from brief writing to hand over to the technical team – this being said, on an intricate project this can be dramatically increased. For instance, a recent brief from our Spanish Design Consultancy for a bespoke bed assembly took around 5 weeks, the outcome was fantastic with the final piece featuring inlaid mother of pearl lattice doors and a gravity defying canopy featuring the night sky scene.
I personally very much enjoyed our participation in London Craft Week. I have visited the design series as a fan boy previously and it felt a true honour to be showing work in 2018. We teamed up with a fantastic iconic British brand Cordings of Piccadilly, creating a great collaboration collection. We used iconic elements of their field wear garments to influence the cabinetry on show.
London Craft Week is an excellent series and gives companies such as ourselves a real opportunity to show off – perhaps the best part for me is the open nature of the events. This relaxed attitude brings a much more varied audience through the doors, making for great discussion!
Customer feedback makes all the head scratching, screwed up balls of paper and sawdust thick trousers worthwhile! Ultimately, we are here to offer a service which enriches people’s lifestyles – it’s great to hear we are doing a good job!
We have a hive of activity at the moment within the workshops. Aside from client projects, we have recently shipped Vietnam, our largest showroom to date – and 2019 sees the launch of Palm Beach and New Jersey, all required full furniture fits with an increased focus on personalised elements. Personalisation is undoubtably the most notable trend within the luxury industry we are seeing at present. I do not see this ‘trend’ slowing down, particularly with heirloom style purchases which remain within families for generations.
The personal touch is key, building a connection with the client is crucial. The exciting part is discovering new materials and methods of encapsulating their memorable moments across their living environments. ‘Trends’ fall in and out of fashion - well crafted, specialist expertise will live on through generations of stories.