Designer Hotseat: Jim Hamilton
14.11.06
Designer hotseat
Jim Hamilton
The designer with Glasgow-based style arbiters Graven Images talks cranes, trends and lightbulbs
Q: Are you sitting comfortably?
A: Yes, this Deauville chair by Driade is comfortable and visually appealing. It was the result of a long and painful search for furniture for Edinburgh’s boutique hotel Tigerlily.
Q: Graven Images has been nominated for their outstanding contribution to style in the Scottish Style Awards. Describe the Graven Images style.
A: I don’t think we are stylists really. Stuff has to work before we can worry about whether it’s pretty or fashionable. We like drama, and humour and have never been afraid of colour. Graphics are also an important part of what we do.
Q: How has Scotland’s design arena changed in the 21 years since Graven Images started up?
A: Ross (Hunter) and Janice (Kirkpatrick) set out to prove Scotland could sustain work of international quality and that you didn’t have to go to Milan to do it. In 1985, there were a handful of companies, now there are hundreds.
Q: You’re Glasgow-based but have worked on many Edinburgh projects. Can they both compete in the international style stakes?
A: Both Glasgow and Edinburgh are very small cities in world terms but they both punch far above their weight.
Q: Which Graven Images project are you most proud of?
A: I have been involved in many exciting, rewarding projects, including some that were never built. Tigerlily was pleasing given that it was a shift away from my usual design territory. It is decorative but still retains a cutting edge.
Q: Where do you draw inspiration from designs?
A: Inspiration can come from listening to the radio, watching a black and white movie, reading poetry, or lying on the beach. I try not to spend time scouring the latest design magazines. Designers take a hell of a lot in and can regurgitate it without realising.
Q: What classic item for the home do you wish you had designed and why?
A: The lightbulb. The instant Edison/Swan knew they had created a thing that would affect lives forever must have been brilliant. The royalties would be fantastic too!
Q: You’re working on the new Missoni hotel, due to open in Edinburgh in 2008. Any hint at what to expect?
A: We’re collaborating on it with Matteo Thun architects in Milan. The interiors will be influenced by the Missoni fashion brand—perfect timing given the global shift towards more decorative interiors. There will be lots of colour and textures and finishes applied to different materials with hardwood and veneers being candidates for bastardisation.
Q: What’s your favourite Scottish building and why?
A: The Titan Crane in Clydebank, my home town. It’s one of the few remaining symbols of a town that used to echo to the sound of shipyard hammers and factory hooters.
Q: How has your job informed your home?
A: It hasn’t. My wife Alison and my sons Nathan and Ben have.
Q: Describe the interior style of your home.
A: My home is an eclectic fusion of Spiderman, Panini (the stickers, not the sandwich), Twister (game and the natural phenomenon) and Scotsport, with a touch of chaos down the middle. Anyone with kids will know where I’m coming from.
Q: What is Scotland’s greatest attribute?
A: The people—the pioneers, poets, protagonists, politicians, entertainers, dreamers, writers, inventors and gallus guys.
Q: And its Achilles’ heel?
A: Our propensity to underestimate, over criticise and accept defeat. There is plenty of room to add more swagger and flair to modern Scotland as it stands.
