FK chats to Paul of unique and innovative furniture & design label Power to Make, debuting at the upcoming Melbourne Markets!
Tell us about Power to Make and it’s connection with LLDS architecture and design?
Power to Make (PTM) is set up as a micro-manufacturing facility. It is the manufacturing side of our own design brand LLDS. In addition we offer our workshop facilities to other designers and makers for their products and prototype research, giving others the power to make as well.
We have developed a unique setup where we can design and produce all our own products from furniture through to architectural components. The design and make process allows us to develop a craft based understanding towards all our products. Our ethos is simple: To capitalised on digital processes so we can produce customisable designs and services that are comparable to mass produce items.
Who are the team behind Power to Make and what are their roles?
David Leggett and myself (Paul Loh) are the principals behind Power to Make and LLDS. Between the two of us, we cover all aspect of the business from design to making to marketing. Our architectural background and experiences has provided us with a wide and varied knowledge on the different aspects of the business. We deliberately try to keep our role vertical; this allows us to feedback lessons learnt from the making and sales into the design process.
What do you love about working with furniture & design? and what keeps you creatively motivated?
Working with furniture and products is a lot more immediate and tactile compared to architecture. We love developing interesting material effects and making procedures. Our setup allows us to experiment with our designs and create a feedback loop between the design and making process.
Creatively, we are inspired by a wide variety of stuff from contemporary art to atmospheric effects and natural patterns. We are interested in how effects are generated from material and vice versa. Ultimately, we are interested in the interface between material and technology.
What is your creative workspace like, and what inspires you about your surroundings?
We occupy an old shoe warehouse in Northcote which we spent a month gutting out. The main intervention was to re-surface the ceiling to distribute the daylight in the space. We painted the floor and walls white so it’s bright and airy. I guess light is a very important aspect of our work. There is still more work to do to the studio space and it’s going to be a slow process now we part occupy it.
Our workshop in Reservoir is modest and is planned around our manufacturing process.
What accomplishments of Power to Make are you most proud?
Our biggest accomplishment to date is to launch our inaugural collection at the Design Made Trade in July this year. Since our launch, we have received a lot of interest which we are very pleased with.
In addition, we are recently selected to participate in the Fringe Furniture 2012 which opens from 26th September to 14th October at The Abbotsford Convent. Our array basket was finalist for the Melbourne Design Award and we are extremely delighted with that result.
What can we expect to see from Power to Make at the upcoming Melbourne Markets?
For the upcoming Melbourne markets, we will showcase our current collection of home ware and furniture. The interlocking wine racks, the array baskets series and stools will be featured at our stall. Especially for the Melbourne markets, we will also showcase our new range of desk tidy products.