INTERVIEW
Meet the designers at…
Robert Welch
For nearly 20 years, design team Paul and Kit deBretton Gordon have shaped the stainlesssteel products we use in our homes, from award-winning kitchen knives to iconic teapots. Their design ethos is built upon creating functional, timeless products that will last a lifetime. “We avoid following trends and fashion; we design products that will have longevity and will be enjoyed for many years,” they tell Tableware International, as we learn more about this quintessential British brand Talk us through the design of new ranges, how involved and handson are you in the entire process? We are a small design team and are both very much involved in the process from start to finish. We both enjoy the early concept stage where ideas are generated and developed with sketches. We believe sketching is a very important skill for designers, it transcends language barriers which can be extremely useful when visiting overseas factories or to communicate an idea quickly. We always develop ideas on CAD (Computer-aided Design) and create various iterations of a design. We have several 3D printers to enable us to review our ideas further. It can take several weeks or months to finalise a design. In terms of the product development stage, our factory partners are family run, so we are in direct contact with key people who share the same care and attention to detail that we place so much importance on. We also thoroughly test our products and regularly take samples home. We never compromise on the function of a product for the sake of aesthetics. Collaboration is very important to us, and we have regular design meetings to allow us to share our ideas to the wider team. Often the best ideas come from these group discussions especially when we are problem solving. Do you feel pressure to continually innovate? Paul: It’s great if we can build innovation into our designs. We strive to surprise with small yet significant features that make things nicer and better to use. Our Book Knife Block is a good example of this, we designed the curved top of the block to allow the knives to slide into position effortlessly. 78 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL
Robert Welch is obviously well known as a cutlery provider but there is so much more to the brand (drinkware, decorative, bathroom etc), where does your passion lie, what are you most excited about designing? Paul: While I oversee the whole of the studio’s output, the area I have most hands-on involvement is in kitchen. Signature knives and utensils were the first major projects I worked on almost 20 years ago. We have recently launched our new range of kitchen knives – RW Professional. Having a keen interest in cooking has given me valuable first-hand insight into food preparation. I really enjoy
to the entire Drift range. I wanted to design something people would want to pick up and use as well as a statement on the table. As well as creating a beautiful piece in stainless steel, the function was very important. We were able to make a non-drip spout and a stay cool handle - features not often seen on metal teapots! The Robert Welch name is synonymous with stainless steel and metals, are you ever tempted in your design journey to introduce and experiment different materials? Stainless steel is such an amazing material to design for. As designers, we can create stunning forms
using advanced manufacturing techniques, often challenging our factories to explore new methods to bring our visions to life. Though we have mixed wood and ceramics into some of our ranges, stainless steel is always going to be at the heart of the Robert Welch brand. It’s exciting to think what we might do with it next! What serves as inspiration when imagining a new range? Inspiration can come from many different sources, sometimes when you least expect it. We enjoy visiting museums, looking at architecture especially in different countries. We both love the Scandinavian design style as did Robert Welch himself.
Finally, what next for Robert Welch Designs? As well as continuing Robert’s design legacy, we would love to see the Robert Welch brand growing into new markets and further develop our collections across all areas. This will safeguard the legacy and ensure the brand goes from strength to strength.
Paul deBretton Gordon, design director
Kit: Our cutlery designs now total 41 different patterns. Our most popular is Radford with more than 70 pieces and we were excited to launch four more patterns this year. Cutlery is the main category that I look after but with our diverse product range it means that we can be creative in other areas. One of my all-time favourite projects is the Drift teapot. Sketching the initial shape came very easily. The fluid lines of the grown-on handle and the shapely form of the body all add to the overall organic shape which was key
What are your non-negotiables as a designer? We design products to last a lifetime - that means we do not compromise on quality and function. We offer a lifetime guarantee on most of our items, so we go the extra mile to ensure that we can stand by that. The tabletop market is such a busy place, how do you ensure Robert Welch Designs stands out from the crowd? We design with a meticulous eye for detail, and look for gaps in the market; what is missing? We also like to re-invent heritage designs and add our own Robert Welch twist. We recently launched our version of the classic English Fiddle cutlery, we looked carefully at the overall balance and proportions to make this a Robert Welch interpretation of the old Parish pattern. We are constantly exploring what we can do with stainless steel and pushing the factories to realise our designs.
“We strive to surprise with small yet significant features that make things nicer and better to use” problem solving and the challenge of designing technical “engineered” yet beautifully simple products that work every bit as good as they look.
Sometimes the smallest detail can elevate a design, one of our newest cutlery designs, Kemble Texture, features a textured accent running along the length of the handles, the inspiration for this came from jewellery and watch bezels. The extra sparkle on the table really adds to a formal table setting.