interview :: richard brendon

This article was published 12 years

Richard Brendon is one of those designers who has been on my radar for so long, that I am amazed I haven’t already interviewed him for the blog. He is a young London-based designer and British bone china specialist, who I first became aware of when he launched his reflective cups designed to be paired with vintage saucers missing their partners. Such a simple, yet ingenious idea. When I saw at designjunction at the London Design Festival this year, I decided it was high time to do that interview, so here it is…

What’s the most important thing to know about you?

I am passionate about British craftsmanship and I am committed to producing products that are the best they can be.

When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A cowboy

And now?!

I am pretty content being a designer!

How do you overcome creative block?

I go for a walk down Portobello road and visit the antique arcades – I can always find something to inspire me there.

What’s your favourite part of the creative process?

Designing new shapes and receiving the first samples of the finished ceramic pieces. Designing new products to add to the collections and receiving the first samples of the finished ceramic pieces. The most recent editions are a serving bowl and cereal bowl.

What’s your favourite tool?

My nail gun at the moment. It certainly made setting up at designjunction much easier this year!

Tell me about a a really good day and a really bad day in the life of Richard Brendon.

A good day would involve walking to work along Portobello road in the sun and grabbing a coffee at Coffee Plant, and checking out some of the antiques available en route. An even better day would be if I had a meeting with a client about an exciting collaboration. I don’t tend to have many bad days!

What are you most proud of?

So far, I am most proud of our collaborative collection with Patternity which we have produced in Eau de Nil exclusively for Fortnum and Mason.