Tim Antoniuk is both a designer and a professor at the University of Alberta… the kind of professor that loves high-wind windsurfing, designs late at night over coffee/Guinness and categorizes his own design work as “Minimalist ornamentation”. Not very woolly. Ah, but there is a research grant and some science around the question of what it is to live a good life… after the jump. JGB

Extruded Vase Series.

When did you decide to become a designer?
… it seems like it goes back a long way, right into when I was a kid. Always making things; wanting to build a dune buggy all the way up to creating high-end windsurf race sails (in the 90’s) right up to today with contemporary furniture and other design related activities.

You mentioned windsurfing, do you think the culture and design of these crafts still influences your work?
I think in a broad sense. I absolutely love high-wind windsurfing and wave sailing on the coast in the waves – It is about experimentation, reaction, creativity and intensity. I have always liked alternative sports, art, design, music – This is the influence I suppose.

Where do you do most of your design work?
… away from the office. It seems that I am at my most creative when I am driving somewhere on a long trip … when I can hear myself think and talk. We live in a pretty crazy time where we rarely have time to understand, recognize and reflect on our own thoughts.

Some designers find that time too themselves at strange hours of the day. When are you most inspired? Early morning OR late at nights?
I dont tend to work extremely late or extremely early. That said, I do find that early morning driving trips (sailing, skiing, etc) and late night design sessions over coffee/Guinness are the most productive design times for me.

Morph Pod Tables (the top can be ‘morphed’ over and over into different patterns and/or shapes.

Where, or from what, do you get inspiration for your work?
… look to nature. To always question conventions – Why does something have to be that way? – Why cant we do it a different way – This thinking seems to go all the way back to my teenage years … the influence of (true) punk music, what it is, its roots and its relationship to contemporary society.

Teenaged years, (I remember those). Do you think that you were more creative as a teen, or now as an older designer?
I think that I was more open to everything as a teenager – In large part because I had not seen how the world/people/business works (yes, less jaded). But, a very lucky think has happened to me – I am a prof at the University of Alberta and truly feel fortunate to be surrounded by exciting people (staff and students). This new environment has propelled my creativity and ability to execute my ideas.

What is your favorite part of the design process and why?
… I love process. Always have. Although the end product is always nice, I love the process of creation, the struggles and the rewards. I really think that I am the worst consumer. I rarely have an interest in buying stuff. It feels exhausting to me – I know this is strange for a designer … because we are suppose to love artifacts and to base our lives around the “artificial”. This said, when I come across objects that are truly unique and beautiful I can’t seem to leave well enough alone. I can get pretty consumed by it.

How would you label/categorize your work?
… “Minimalist ornamentation” is where I have been heading towards for about the last 3 years.

Do you have a signature style? If yes, what are the hallmarks of your style?
… I suppose my answer relates to the last question. I think that we are slowly leaving behind the ideas of minimalism; what contemporary is; and what modernism must be. There are stunning examples of very clean modernist furniture that I would love to fill my house with but I am currently much more interested in how these objects can relate to our past, to our memories of it, and to nature.

Who are your favorite designers and/or architects?
Hella Jongerius, Patricia Urquola, Marcel Wanders.

What item (PC, pen, etc) can you not do without when you are designing?
… during the very initial conceptual stages I hate to do anything other than to sit and think – I don’t like to use any kind of “recording” devise. It seems too permanent and restrictive to me. Once I want to develop an idea I prefer pen/pencil then I often move to the computer.

What's next?
… Usually more coffee or a Guinness.

Ha, love to join you for that Guiness! But seriously, what is the next project? We know you are working on a variety of projects at the University of Alberta including the idea of morphing materials. Tell more us more:
I feel pretty fortunate to have been given a huge research creation grant (SSHRC). It is a 6-digit grant over 3 years. Talk about freedom. What is it about? Fundamentally, I am questioning “what it is to live a good life” ... I am investigating why people make decisions that they do (buying decisions for example); how they define quality of life (ownership and acquisition of goods for example); why they do so (societal pressures and personal comparisons – “keep up with the Jones’); who they have been influenced by (the corporate world for example); how to create awareness about this (asking “what is ‘true’ or adequate knowledge”); and how we can move people towards more reasonable levels of sustainable consumption (perhaps we could truly “own” our materials ... and have our products re-morphed into ‘new’ ones over and over)! SO, I am questioning when the life of an artifact is over ... Or when it really has to be. There are many visionary researchers/thinkers involved with me on this project – Doctors, Professors and Doctoral students from Chemical Material Engineering, Sociology, Psychology (UofA), from the Alberta Research Council, and three large Canadian companies (ANT is one of them). It has been an incredible first year! Exhibited in the ICFF and have presented research papers in Helsinki, London, Melbourne, USA and Canada. In 2007 the plan is to exhibit a new line of products and a partial morphing environment in the Milan Furniture Fair.

Beaver Tail Rocker (in stainless steel) - Hothouse.

The Hothouse collection [see claim to fame below] inspires many young designers in Edmonton. Tell us more about the furniture work that Hothouse produced.
First off, I want to say to any emerging designer that anything is possible with a mix of undying commitment and passion for what you are doing (#1), business savvy (a VERY close second), and good design (sounds like it should be the reverse doesn’t it?!).

OK – Hothouse. We were a group of rookie designers, business people that initially saw an opportunity in the sort-of-contemporary home accessory market. Bent metal furniture and home accessories (CD racks, magazines racks, etc.) were JUST coming into vogue. We hit the market at the beginning, as it was rising. People were interested in our designs and very importantly our costs/wholesale prices were sustainable. After the first few years of business, and many mistakes, we diversified into furniture. We slowly got to understand local and national manufacturing (the logistics and complexities) and eventually dabbled with off-shore production (in the mid 90s). After a book full of mistakes, experiences and successes we began to recognize a stable business model until 9/11 came along (I left the company right around this date ... no relationship though). The challenge for Hothouse during the next couple of years was dealing with a market that went very conservative, mostly with consumers and retailers willingness to by like they were in the 90s. This obstacle was followed by a massive changing Canadian dollar – It didn’t seem like Hothouse could react fast enough.

In terms of the design aesthetic and driving force behind our products I would say that we were highly driven by the contemporary market that was going on in Europe at the time (North Americans were much slower to accept “European contemporary” than today). The other factor that influenced us was the old adage of reducing the number of parts and the complexity of manufacturing. Initially this was driven by aesthetic but it was eventually a critical factor in controlling costs and what our products would retail for – This is absolutely critical for every designer to understand and become and expert at. It takes a great knowledge of materials and related manufacturing processes. This shaped me in a profound way as a designer

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VITAL STATS
Full name: Timothy Neil Antoniuk
Location: Edmonton, Canada
Size of team: 1-3
In business since: New companies since 2004
Claim to fame projects: … Hothouse – Partnering with a bunch of school buddies and growing it to have a 30,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, 2 retail stores and 50 employees.
… 2006 ICFF booth
Spare time: windsurfing; endless house renovations; dreaming about holidays.

MEDIA FAVES
Favorite website(s): … I try to avoid them.
What music is on your iPod or radio? … What is this iPod think you speak of? I can’t seem to listen to the same type/genera of music all the time – Fill the 8 track player with all kinds of music and push the “Random” button !
Your favorite magazine(s): Windsurf, car, and some fashion/photography magazines – Not too “design” oriented.
Last or current book you are reading: The World is Flat and Running on Empty
Last movie you saw: Eraser Head