designer henry wilson

Straight out of design school at the Australian National University's School of Art, Henry Wilson entered one of his pieces from his honour's year into competition. He made the finals of the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award. And he has now done so for four years in a row, most recently winning for his A-Joint table. At the end of last year he also launched a design gallery in The Rocks with fellow designer Trent Jansen. Together they run an online store, Trent & Henry. While currently based in Sydney, Henry lived in The Netherlands while studying for his Masters in Man and Humanity from the Design Academy Eindhoven. As well as creating new designs, he often re-purposes existing designs, such as the pieces shown above. Either way, he creates with a view to longevity and honesty.

Which five words best describe you? Curious, restless, frustrated.

How did you get your career start and what path have you taken since? A certain amount of luck and perseverance. I keep a keen eye for detail, moments that I can glean a bit of potential from and use in my own work.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learnt along the way? Things never look quite right when you start them. Once the process takes hold, suddenly too many options! The challenge is knowing which ones to leave.

What’s your proudest career achievement? Working alongside my first mentor Dr Rodney Hayward on a the recent Timber Anglepoise project.

What’s been your best decision? Moving to Europe, then - moving back to Australia.

Who inspires you? The geeks of their fields.

What are you passionate about? Materials, industry of all types - both new and old, peoples' quirks.

Which person, living or dead, would you most like to meet? Michael Pollen, Stephen Fry, Achille Castiglioni

What dream do you still want to fulfil? Everest base camp.

What are you reading? Hidden forms by Franco Clivo, The brain that changes itself by Norman Doidge

images courtesy of henry wilson