Nolen Niu is an American Industrial Designer recognized for his holistic approach to design and clean, provocative aesthetics. Beginning January 2015, he will be featured as a judge on Spike TV’s highly anticipated show, “Framework;” alongside furniture designer, Brandon Gore and hip-hop artist, Common. “Framework” is the first ever furniture design competition series. The show features 13 emerging furniture designers who will compete over the course of 10 weeks for a $100,000 cash prize and the opportunity for their work to be sold by a major manufacturer. After receiving his Bachelors of Science in Industrial Design from the world-renowned Art Center College of Design, Pasadena, Niu developed private furniture lines, custom one-of-a-kind pieces, mass production furniture, residential and retail spaces for corporate, private and celebrity clientele. Read below for the full Q&A…
It’s one thing to be a furniture designer/builder and quite another to be mentoring people; the latter requires a totally different skillset. How did you decide that you wanted to be in a position of judging other designers on Framework?
When I was asked to be a judge on Framework, I was extremely honored with the opportunity. The decision itself though was an easy one. I’ve been an instructor at my alma mater, Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, for the past few years, so mentoring people was already something I was comfortable with. Judging, however, was a completely different experience altogether since I had to take my personal beliefs out of the equation and be completely objective based on each competition’s challenge criteria.
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdgEWIzAsUA
Framework has the potential to be to furniture builders what reality TV has done for tattoo artists and chefs in the sense that they took an existing occupation that has been around for years and made them into rock stars. Do you feel it is now time for designers and industrial engineers to have more of a spotlight on them?
I absolutely believe now is the right time for furniture designers and builders to be recognized for their expertise. People take for granted how much of their lives are completely surrounded by design. From the car they drive, to the clothes they wear, and the furniture they wake up and go to sleep with everyday. The design world works around the clock, behind-the-scenes, improving the daily quality of life we all live. Furniture specifically creates the right ambiance at a restaurant, sets the mood at a night club or a relaxing environment at home. We sit on our favorite sofa or armchair watching TV or enjoying a book, forgetting that there was ultimately someone who was the designer and builder of that piece.
As we observe the contestants on the show some have their own specialty, such as exclusively building furniture from steel, etc. Whereas InkMaster tries to push all contestants to be efficient in all areas of tattooing; does Framework expect the same out of their contestants? Would a niche designer be at an advantage or a disadvantage on the show?
Yes, Framework does expect the same level of versatility. As designers and builders we might have our particular strengths in certain areas, but it’s extremely important to be adaptable to any challenge, just as one would have to do with real world clients. No one client is the same as the last and we are often asked to do things that might be out of our skill set or comfort zone, but we still have to come up with the right solution in order to deliver. The only disadvantage a niche designer would have would be the lack of problem solving skills or willingness to work through their shortcomings.
As a designer, how do you blur the line between a statement piece with bold color(s), and a comfortable piece? Is the balance between aesthetic and functionality difficult?
The balance between aesthetic and functionality is only difficult if a designer or builder chooses not to acknowledge and work through it. I’m a firm believer that any sofa or armchair needs to be comfortable. With my personal collection I wanted to create that balance of comfort with striking aesthetics. When I first started out, I had a hard time understanding why sofas and armchairs we so antiquated visually. I would ask myself, “why does it have to be big, brown, and frumpy?” We certainly don’t dress like that, so shouldn’t a home be something representative of our fashion stylistically? At an early age we start to develop our fashion sense, but as far as furniture or interior design is concerned, our biggest influences come from the home we grew up in. Our first experience with furnishing our own place tends to be a hodgepodge of things, since we haven’t really developed our interior style sense like we were able to do with fashion. This is where I feel furniture needs to be fashionable stylistically so that people have more options to express their true character and persona within their home.
A good example would be the ZERO Chaise Lounge you designed almost 10 years ago that STILL looks modern to the touch. What are the initial creative processes that go into a piece that promotes practicality and creativity?
It’s important for designers and builders to ultimately try and create something that is timeless in aesthetic and built to last for years to come. Before I even put pen to paper to start sketching, I spend a good portion of time researching what’s already out in the market, which pieces are the hit makers and the failures, and how I can contribute to a particular category that’s not just piggy backing off of current trends that are hot. Designing something that’s too trendy is risky in my opinion, because the shelf life of that piece is limited to what people want at that moment in time and won’t have the same aesthetic appeal once the trend is over.
We are getting better at understanding what needs to happen to develop great products. The product/service development tool kit has expanded greatly in the 15 years since you graduated. What design research do you apply today that differs most from your old way of thinking back as a recent grad?
The biggest difference has been the use and integration of technology. When I was a student, they were barely introducing 3D modeling programs and machines that could automate the fabrication process. Now there’s software that can produce digital models for 3D printing. 15 years ago our biggest weapon was how well we could sketch or render by hand. Photo realist renderings have pretty much leveled the playing field in terms of presentation, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that there are good designs being presented. As far as the creative process is concerned, my research now of course is done predominately online, whereas in the past it would be expensive stacks and stacks of magazines I would have to look through.
Do you remember the first “product” you designed? What was it and how do you feel about it now upon reflection?
The very first product I designed was a plasma TV stand for a local manufacturer here in Los Angeles. It was very simple in shape and design with a total of 4-pieces all together. A sheet of glass cantilevered over a wooden base with two metal “U” shaped legs between them. It wasn’t earth shattering in design but it did get knocked off by a few different companies which was my first taste of what it felt like to be ripped off. Many companies forget that most furniture designers don’t make any money upfront when they are producing licensed designs. So when they blatantly copy someone’s creative work, it literally cuts in to any potential income from royalties. In my case, it basically killed my product from the market since the copycats were using the same design and undercutting the price, robbing my piece from any potential sales.
Designers are striving to answer larger questions and calling on a broader set of specialties. In today’s industry, what advice do you have to a budding designer that they need to keep in mind to achieve success in our present time?
My advice to budding designers would be to always keep the word “timeless” in their mind. They have to think about the surroundings they live in today and strive to design a piece that will still look great and people will want for years to come. That’s responsible design – when a piece doesn’t end up in a landfill after a year or two because it was too trendy. I’m finding more and more designers these days are simply recycling from the past, literally using vintage and antique aesthetics. I’m all for looking to the past for inspiration, but not simply reclaiming and reusing them and then calling it something new. In my opinion, that is not design – that’s called decorating.
Lastly, what are some of your favorite Asian films?
Growing up I remember watching Chow Yun-Fat films. The ones that stick out the most are “A Better Tomorrow” and “God of Gamblers”.
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http://www.nolenniu.com/
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Catch new episodes of “Framework” on Tuesdays at 10/9c on SpikeTV! Don’t worry if you miss one: you can watch full episodes on the Spike App!
Photo Credits:
The 3-shot of Nolen (with co-judges Common and Brandon Gore) is “Courtesy of Spike TV”
Additional shots used in this interview credit to photographer WILLIAM COLE