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At the forefront of interior design since 1978, Andrew Martin speaks to FX about his journey into more radical creative thinking.

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Can you pinpoint the thought, whether yours or someone else’s that led you to a career in design?

From the age of 10 or so I was interested in art and making things, but it was the careers advice meeting at school that made me determined to do something I enjoyed. I knew I wanted to be creative, and do something with my hands, but all the advice I was given was that I was best doing something using my maths skills (something I was good at) and to forget being creative. Later I realised that maths, architecture and design all go hand-inhand, of course.

In terms of the design and architecture industry, what do you consider the most radical era or pivotal moment?

The modernist movement. The ideas and creative thoughts that were completely novel; a new way of looking at proportion and simplicity. This was all happening 100 years ago and really started a new chapter in design thinking. People like Le Corbusier, Eileen Gray and Walter Gropius leading the charge and inspiring the industry we know and love today.

Which radical thinkers have been inspirations to you in your career?

The two people who have inspired my career the most are Sir Terence Conran and his sister, Priscilla. They have both done a huge amount to influence, inform and give choice to a new generation. Early on in my career, when I was in my 20s, I was tasked with creatively overseeing the opening of The Conran Shop, Paris. I remember fondly Sir Terence Conran cleaning the door handles of the shop just before opening, proclaiming ‘Retail is detail’ – words I have since applied to every project I’ve worked on.

I also worked with John Pawson on Jigsaw’s Bond Street store many years ago, which gave me a new perspective and a new way to look at simplicity within design.

The Bauhaus art school iconic building designed by architect Walter Gropius in 1925 is a listed masterpiece of modern architecture. Image Credit: Claudio Divizia / shutterstock.com

Who are the radical thinkers who inspire you now? (Not necessarily forever or for a lifetime – just now!)

Mumbai Studios
I love the studio’s response to its locality and the integration of craft and architecture. It doesn’t follow the crowd but innovates through its own thought process. A very modern approach using highly skilled craftsmen.

Sebastian Cox
A pioneer in the use of sustainably sourced timber, applying superb design to create truly honest and beautiful furniture for everyday use. His company is committed to not only managing the woodland they own but to double the amount of woodland in England by 2040.

Charlotte Kingsnorth
Creating one-off functional art pieces from existing furniture. An inspiration on how to reuse, mend and make beautiful – a philosophy we apply to all our work at AMD.

Who outside the industry can architects and designers learn from?

I think it’s important that we learn from the day-to-day and everyone around us. In addition, some of those I most admire include the musician Gilles Peterson for his curation, the artist Louisa Bourgeois for her genius and resilience, the athlete Sebastien Loeb for his talent, and the musician-turned-farmer Any Cato for his forward-thinking approach to the survival of our future.

Malcolm Russell’s Mudlark’d tells the compelling stories of forgotten people through objects recovered from the River Thames

What will lead the way for more radical thinking in our field?

The will of the people and a change in mindset. Our understanding of what is important to us needs to be re-thought, for the environment we live in and to the way we live our lives.

With this opportunity, all sectors will be looking for solutions – projects and finance will open up. The radical thinkers will see these opportunities and create new ways, approaches and objects that are all life-enhancing. At the end of the day, all change starts with creativity.

There are a lot of radical thinkers that are perhaps not successful or even not heard, but collectively they make change. There are a few, of course, that stand out and pioneer, Priscilla Carluccio (Conran) being one of them.

Could you recommend a book/article/blog that inspired your thinking?

My inspiration comes from what is around me; people, places, objects and what I might be reading. Life is an inspiration, from throughout history to our current thinking.

My latest book purchase is Mudlark’d by Malcomb Russell, which is a good reference tool for a new project we are working on with The New Craftsmen. Books often help shape the concept for the work we do. I’ve amassed quite the library over the years!

Could you name two buildings/pieces of furniture that you consider radical designs of their time, or perhaps still to this day?

The Pantheon in Rome is an awe-inspiring building with a clever structural design using concrete which makes the most of natural light through the genius roof opening. I also love The Oculus in New York, the recently built transport hub and shopping centre that makes a brave and exciting statement. I love the contrast between early 20th and early 21st century architecture. It’s a work of art.

On a much smaller scale, I love the chaise longue by Charlotte Perriand who translated modernist arcitecture into furniture and who designed iconic pieces that are still considered contemporary almost 100 years on.

Sebastien Loeb getting ready to race on the Moscow Raceway, Russia in 2015. Image Credit: EV. Safronov / shutterstock.com

I think best with… (e.g. my hands/a pencil/ with a computer)

I think best with my hands. They might be holding a pencil, a welder, or a piece of cardboard, but that’s where I feel most at home. Computers are for working things out and enable communication, but for me the thinking happens in a more physical way.

I was recently tasked with creating a futuristic sculpture for a high-end jewellery brand as part of an installation in Selfridges. I had a day or so to think about it whilst working on other projects and I went into my workshop at home one Saturday morning with a few hours to create something. I had bought some brass rods and had a piece of broken marble from a skip. I went into a complete world of my own and, after a few hours of cutting, drilling, trial and error and lots of soldering came out with a respectable piece. I love being able to create in this way.

I think best… (e.g. first thing in the morning/ last thing at night)

Most of my thinking happens during the day – mornings are best. But the design problems get solved at night. I can wake up and think a problem through, come up with solutions, and somehow go back to sleep and remember the solution in the morning.

I think best when… (e.g. in a gallery/at home/ outside/over drinks/with friends/on the bus)

I think best at home or on a run. Running helps with my thinking a lot.

The thought that keeps me up at night is…

The thought that keeps me up at night is the pressure of delivering. Being creative to a deadline is always difficult. There may be an answer that comes quickly, or perhaps not! Delivering the best possible solution in increasingly tight time frames, set by modern day pace, is difficult.

The thought that gets me out of bed each day is…

Creating! I love being able to restore, repair and build something new from scratch, from materials in hand or from a blank piece of paper.

An exterior view of New York City’s iconic Oculus Center, designed by Santiago Calatrava. Image Credit: Kit Leong / Shutterstock.Com

Do you like to think with, or think against?

‘With’ is easier, ‘against’ is harder, but sometimes a bit of both and a balance is required.

If you weren’t a designer/architect, where do you think your way of thinking would have led you?

I think I would have ended up with a career in engineering. My brother is one, and my father was one. My father is very creative with his hands and I still take great inspiration from him.

Could you describe radical thinking in three words?

Beyond the normal

What’s the most radical thing you’ve come across today or this week?

I have been lucky enough to be in Andalucía this week on holiday. We stopped off at the mountain village of Setenil de las Bodegas, where houses are built into caves. Radical but totally practical thinking a few hundred years ago!

Andrew Martin is founder of interior architecture studio AMD and sustainable popup shop concept, Residency. Andrew has 32 years’ experience creating engaging commercial spaces designed to ‘enhance human experiences’. His expertise includes bespoke retail environments, restaurant and café design, 3Dinstallations and transient retail spaces