Furniture design is tough business, just ask Jarrod Lim, founder of his namesake studio.

The prolific designer has worked with big names such as Patricia Urquiola and SCP and doesn’t discriminate when it comes to design. From graphics to toys, Jarrod has tried his hand on practically everything.

According to Jarrod, the phenomenon is worldwide and many designers like him have expanded their repertoire. Designing Furniture remains Jarrod’s first love but his interior design projects keep the cash tills busy. Fortunately, designing accessories and interior design are also interesting endeavours that help build his client base as well as beef up his portfolio.

The Furniture Design Award organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council has also played a part in helping to launch his illustrious career, who now counts notable brands such as Herman Miller and Royal Selangor among his impressive roster of clients.

Originally from down under, the Melbourne native prefers the factory floor than spending hours with computer software.  It was his experience at the factory floor in Australia that made him fall in love with furniture design. In Australia, it is common for furniture companies to own their own factories and that proved to be an invaluable experience for Jarrod.

A lot of research goes into each project, followed by rounds of sketching and making models to realise sizes and testing. The emotional connection between user and product is also key:

“I think that’s the role of the designer—to balance the purely aesthetic with the technical, to try and find a good medium to input all the different aspects of the company, the material, the processing, the end-users’ desires, the price, the everything,” says Jarrod.

He adds that industrial processes are just as valuable as handmade techniques and the designer should respect each one and design based on the requirements and capabilities of the company or project in front of them.

Most of Jarrod’s work is designed for large industries up to the mass manufacturing level while his line of Hinika-branded products serve a more exclusive clientele who places a premium on handmade pieces.

Inspired by daily life, Jarrod is driven by perfection but yet try to take things less seriously unlike the culture in Singapore.

Source: Talks – Jarrod Lim (Admira ”Dreams” Issue 02)