Marc Sadler is an accomplished designer with more than four decades of experience working for leading companies in a variety of sectors. Today, Sadler designs furniture and furnishings, including electrical and domestic appliances, lighting and technical products. He is widely recognised for his innovative use of plastic within design and first gained exposure in the design world for creating the first ever completely recyclable thermoplastic rubber ski book. Here, Marc talks exclusively to Home UK Magazine about his design inspirations and his plans for the future.
Q. What is your interiors background (i.e. where did you study / train)
I trained at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, in 1968, where I did a course in industrial design.
Q. Who are your current design inspirations?
I get my design inspirations from the world that is happening around me, whether it’s nature or technology there is always something that can trigger an idea. With technology changing everyday it provides new opportunities and really inspires new designs. However, it is also important not to forget the past and I often look to history for inspiration too. The MS4 chair which I recently designed for Calligaris was inspired by my passion for the neo-futuristic architect, Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic domes. For me, MS4 is where a new frontier or minimalism in design meets significant functionality.
Q. What inspires your creations generally?
Personally, I am often most inspired by nature, but when working with a company I am often inspired by the brand’s own history and principles, as well as its target audience. Working with a company such as Calligaris, for whom I recently designed the MS4 chair, I had to take into account its objectives for design-led innovation. For MS4 it wasn’t just art and my surroundings that inspired me, but also the need for clever design that had to reach a set goal.
Q. What is the design focus of your collaboration with Calligaris?
My vision when designing the MS4 chair for Calligaris was to create something that would really stand out and be remembered, without being too loud as this design was intended to transcend into many different markets and cultures. I wanted the MS4 to represent a red dot on the horizon of a grey landscape, something that’s visible from afar. In order to fit with this analogy, the MS4 has a sophisticated, complex design involving hidden technology.
Q. What is behind your choice of bold and vibrant colours?
When it comes to choosing colours I am often motivated by what’s going on around me. I think it’s important to make sure that there are black and white versions available in a collection, as well as many bright and vibrant pieces to offer a variety of options to match a particular mood, moment or theme.
Q. What has inspired your choice of design materials?
Flexibility and strength are important and are the underlying words behind the MS4 creation, not just in terms of materials but also in terms of design. The materials I work with are inspired by technology, engineering and the magic of working with an open minded customer. When working with Calligaris I had the opportunity to customise an existing material to create a new result, which was an exciting opportunity for me. Calligaris offers my designs visibility and therefore the chance to try new things. It’s a fantastic opportunity for me to experiment and create something truly different and make a statement.
Q. Are you inspired by the seasons?
Although I am often inspired by nature which changes throughout the seasons, I think it is naive to think that we are designing an item for just one season. I wanted to create a product that has longevity and will last throughout the year. With the MS4 chair, we customised its design to make sure it complemented their wider range and that the colours used fitted with Calligaris’ key colours in their 2014 collection.
Q. Any other exciting announcements that you'd like to share with us?
Together with Calligaris, we are looking into a new area of design which focuses more on polymer plastics. We want to create products that are both stylish, meeting the objective to appeal to the consumer, and comfortable, which is important as you don’t expect plastic to be comfy. The high quality design environment at Calligaris offers me the opportunity to make many more products and open doors by using intelligent but accessible design.