Fred Rigby Studio

Fred Rigby set up his studio in 2008, shortly after graduating from university. Since then, the studio has developed a sincere commitment to creating thoughtful interiors and furniture that take into consideration the surrounding environment and its communities. Their client list includes galleries, boutique hotels, Michelin-star restaurants and high-end retail stores, whilst their furniture artfully fuses natural forms with an elegant, contemporary aesthetic. We chat to Fred about his design process and where he finds his inspiration.

All our pieces have a story and concept, almost like a sculpture. I hope they bring a point of interest to someone’s home as well as being a functional piece of furniture.

I love creating something new, something that has never existed before. Although there have been millions of chairs created, there are always new concepts to explore.

It changes on almost a daily basis, today it’s the ‘Aluminiumfåtölj’ by Mats Theselius.

In the simplest of things, whether its a walk on the beach or the streets of London. They’re two polar opposites but I love the sculptures of Tom Sachs and Richard Serra, one whose work is built through found objects to create the sculptures, and the other minimal, but both have a personal story and raw honesty about their work.

This is the toughest part, flipping between wearing the different hats of running a design business. But I try to allot time in the week for different areas of the business, whether its developing new designs or catching up on Xero (the most boring part).

I recently read Axel Vervoordt’s book ‘Stories & Reflections’ which is a beautiful book full of anecdotes from his life and career, which is obviously hugely inspiring. Prior to lockdown, I visited The Modernity showroom at 14 Cavendish Square, London, which is full of the most incredible furniture in a beautiful setting.

Hopefully 50/50, comfortable sculptures!

So that we can get a grasp of the form and proportions of a piece.

It has to be Axel Vervoordt!