by Jordan Carlyle
Lighting Designer Christopher Boots
Things are looking bright from down under these days. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Australian Lighting Designer Christopher Boots and getting to know just what makes this creative genius tick. This visionary is beyond his years with his raw and luxurious lighting designs. The word has started to spread like wildfire about his work around the world, and I have to say, I am one of his biggest fans. His selection of materials, such as copper, brass and quartz crystal, and his use of them is what push him in the forefront of the design world. He is a true craftsman with an artistic soul that inspires those around him.
How does one become a designer of beautiful lighting as you have done?
From age 15, I was making my own furniture and lighting to suit my aesthetic. So, I guess I knew what I wanted to do. I didn’t know what an Industrial Designer was until someone pointed out my process of making things was in line with the way that Industrial Design worked. I started university with an Arts Degree in Cinema and Linguistics. I moved through into Product Design Engineering and Industrial Design, then worked with a Lighting Designer after graduating. I ended up buying that business after two years and sold it four years later. That is when I started a completely new lighting business and that is the fruits of what you see today.
Can you tell us about your design studio?
My studio was officially launched on 11/11/11. The key philosophy is to always explore new ideas and materials as often as possible. Using a fresh eye and ensuring that there is always a new approach with materials and exploration is imperative in the design process.
Tell us about your design aesthetic.
REFINED, RAW, CHUNKY, ELEGANT, PRIMAL, COMPLEX, SIMPLE AND TIMELESS! Nature has always been and will always be my source of inspiration. I am most intrigued with crystal structures, nanotechnology, quantum and optical physics, just to name a few.
How would you describe your design process?
I would say creation and construction takes energy and focus. Our team of seven has many ideas and we like to work together to find answers to questions that come up during the process of creating a design to suit a client’s requirements. I guess we are bespoke makers and specialist makers. For example, glassblowers have an amazing technical understanding of their crafts, so they have a massive input into the parameters of a project. A collaborative effort ensures that each person’s best knowledge is included in a project with a result of perfection. We discuss it, imagine it and sketch up ideas. We explore possible variants and move directly into full size prototyping. It’s an expensive but thorough way to construct a dream.
