American interior stylist Colin King has joined Dezeen Awards 2023 as a judge. Here, he selects five projects that best reflect his studio's work.
New York-based King, founder of eponymous design practice Colin King Studio, says he "emphasises passion in and out of the studio" when approaching design.
Aim is to create "harmony between objects, space and nature"
"I want my integrity to speak clearly through my work and my curiosity to push me to continue exploring the ever-growing and all-encapsulating world of design," he told Dezeen.
"Creating harmony between objects, space, and nature has always been integral to my work," he added. "As a trained dancer, I have always interacted with space through movement."
King is an interior stylist for publications including Architectural Digest, T Magazine, Elle Decor, and Ark Journal. He also has multiple product lines with companies such as Danish brand Menu and Morocco-based Beni Rugs, where he is the artistic director-at-large.
King is currently working on his debut book, Arranging Things, which shares his personal design process through a series of anecdotes and visual essays written with Architectural Digest features editor Sam Cochran and a foreword by Robin Standefer, co-founder of New York-based architecture studio Roman and Williams.
King among Dezeen Awards 2023 judges
Dezeen Awards 2023 launched last month in partnership with Bentley Motors. On Tuesday we announced five more Dezeen Awards judges, including architects Patrik Schumacher and Piero Lissoni, creative director of design consultancy Nichetto Studio Ilenia Martini and Parley for the Oceans founder Cyrill Gutsch.
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Read on to find King's views on the five projects that best represent the work of his studio.
White Street, New York, USA
"My apartment on White Street has been my greatest teacher. I always find designing and styling my own spaces the most difficult.
"There was a lot of trial and error when it came to outfitting the space and I got to design a lot of the furniture and work with different fabricators."
Arranging Things
"This book encompasses all of my studio's work and summarises my journey as a stylist during my career. It shows my evolution and the lessons I have learned from the projects I have worked on.
"It perfectly summarises Colin King Studio. This book is composed of photographs and visual essays written with Sam Cochran to investigate and further expand upon themes drawn from my work. It was immensely challenging to articulate the nuances I encounter in my work.
"Conceptual narratives serve as a guide for each chapter and altogether capture the pillars of styling that I cherish. It's my hope that the readers of Arranging Things will feel encouraged to explore their everyday environments with a fresh perspective."
Spoken Lines for Beni Rugs, Salone del Mobile 2022, Milan, Italy
"It was my first time attending [furniture fair] Salone del Mobile and I launched the first of three collections I created as the recently appointed artistic director at large of Beni Rugs, which produces hand-loomed carpets with Moroccan artisans.
"My high-pile pieces feature borders inspired by architectural details pulled from Milanese entryways, and two of them were displayed in conjunction with a large raw-wool sculpture by the Moroccan artist Amine el Gotaibi.
"This collection represents how Morocco's handwoven heritage can permeate a multitude of architectural styles, and this intentionality made the shoot at Puglia's Palazzo Daniele a salient intervention of rationalist architecture and Moroccan textiles.
"Spoken Lines expanded beyond its medium with the opportunity to exhibit the work at Salone del Mobile and produce a short film featuring dancers."
Colin King Collection for Menu
"This collection with Menu explores object functionality in both form and scale, with each piece being reimagined in its design to be the striking finishing touch in a space. This was an opportunity to develop a line of objects that consider elements of sculpture and materiality.
"Every piece in the collection expresses a feeling of time passing. This was manifested by exploring the object's balance and weight, as well as utilizing materials that will develop a natural patina."
A Harmony of Things, Demisch Danant, New York, USA, 2022
"This was my first exhibition design in collaboration with Suzanne Demisch of Demisch Danant and Stephen Szczepanek of Sri Threads.
"This exhibition celebrates both the French design of this era and the Japanese crafts that embody the ethos and sublime effects that influenced them."
All images courtesy of Colin King Studio.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world's best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.