Maurice Lacy

Maurice lacy Designs is a startup company and less than a month old. Because much of my time has been spent in different countries, I have wanted to bring a number of ideas and cultural influences together. My interests started as a young child and I was fortunate enough to have had the tools at my disposal. From childhood I started building all kinds of projects in my fathers workshop. At school I loved art and craft, music and all things creative. Many of my skills were self taught outside of the classroom and was always curious about how things worked. All my siblings are also very creative and so we inspired each other. I just enjoy the process of practical problem solving and beautiful soft flowing shapes.

The company is new as I have said and the few pieces i have prototyped now are the first of a collection I’m planning to bring out soon. I’m not young but this is an old dream I wish to pursue. We never stop learning and of course I wish to leave a mark. My plan is to bring in other designer friends and create a kind of international team.

Design is invention. True design is the artistry of making the world a better and more comfortable place. It’s about stirring good emotions and challenging us to solve problems not create them. The people I admire are for example, Antoni Gaudi because he defied the conventional perimeters of symmetrical thinking with such elegance and grace, or Frank Lloyd Wright who could beautifully colour minimalist design with splashes of organic intricacy. In furniture, I like my ex-wifes Danish uncle Verner Panton because of his ability to create flowing shapes without overlooking the physical comfort with simple elegance. He was a great example of a designer who would lead trends and not follow them with flowing shapes and sense of colour.

I’m by no means a prolific designer and with me I don’t want to be confined by any field in particular. My inspiration comes from seeing a need or problem to be solved and then working within the confines of practical possibilities when creating the visual appearance. In furniture I love things that flow and curve and that satisfy all possible the senses.

This is a difficult question to answer because there are so many great designers, past and present, and the best designers don’t follow trends but direct them because they have the ability see outside the box.

The Seychelles sofa is my first project for this company as it is a new company, but I have many other pieces I wish to bring to fruition as it grows, but not all of my designs are just furniture. I picked that particular piece because I was able to get patent protection on it, and so it is a good place to start.

Normally I love working with timber as much of my formal training was in cabinetry.

I’m most creative late at night when the world is quietly sleeping.

Excitement and an almost meditative peace at the same time. I go to my own private space and time drifts away.

Of course I feel a sense of achievement and also an apprehension of how it will be received because like writing a song it reveals something of myself.

Does it satisfy the purpose for which it was created and is it beautiful.

Whatever we design we have to challenge ourselves and question our personal integrity, regardless of what popular business culture may be. Consumerism can to often encourage unethical practices which impact the environment and an honest respect for the fulfilment of customer expectations.

Design is part of evolution no matter how we look at it, and will march on for as long as man walks the planet. We just need to learn more about moral restraint so man and animal don't stop walking the planet before their time.

My new company has yet to have it’s first official exhibition however I did have it on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam furniture Expo in march 2018.

The design and sources of inspiration came from seeing a need to be filled.

I'm from Australia, but have lived between there Vietnam and Denmark. Having lived in all 3 countries I feel inspired by the different influences and certainly not constrained in anyway.

As I have stated this is a new company and I am open to any good opportunity to get my designs out there.

Keep your minds open with the foresight to see what the difference between long term and short term gain. If a company has a creative foresight all the better and they will see a good designer the moment they view the work.

Believe in yourself and don't give up. Take on board criticism but don't let the dream thieves steel your confidence.

It's a hard road designing and there is so much amazing talent that can at times overwhelm you. Try to develop an individual approach and be prepared for the downs. The difference between failure and success can be in the giving up.

Hands on in construction of designs. Being able to visualise and a good understanding of geometry.

I’m old school and i like to sketch and use the old fashion technical drawing board. For creative inspiration I look at books and the amazing shapes we find in nature

Managing time is difficult but you need to take short breaks. Sitting and staring at a screen or drawing board for long periods is exhausting. I can often struggle for hours over a detail, but then a when I get up and take a walk the solution can come in just a few minutes.

It depends on what it is. It can be a day or years depending on the complexity and light bulb moments.

Designing a music bar in Melbourne Australia. Everthing had to work perfectly including the acoustics. Having once worked as a musician and recording studio owner I understood the importance of good sound which is the one thing interior designers often are unaware of.

As stated previously this is a new company less than 1 month old.

I like being hands on with making things an the creative process in general. Music, furniture and interior design.

I now plan to prototype more furniture plus a building product I have thought about for many years.

I like to initially design by myself but would love to have a team and a creative soul mate.

I have quite a number of things in progress but I first want to break into the maket by what ever means before i give away too many secrets.

As a student at Melbourne Box Hill institute of technology I enjoy and focused on art, technical drawing, metal fabrication, woodwork and solid geometry. I would have to say though most of my skill were practically learnt through hands on experience.

Becoming a designer wasn’t so much planed, it was more just the result of developing ideas creatively without thinking about putting myself in a box.

I think of myself more as an inventor, because I love to find solutions to problems. Design is a necessity of the overall process, particularly with furniture. So it was just something that naturally evolved.

I think of myself more as an inventor, because I love to find solutions to problems. Design is a necessity of the overall process, particularly with furniture. So it was just something that naturally evolved.

What makes a really good design in furniture is when it ticks all the boxes in texture, colour, comfort and the space it’s designed to fit within.

I would love to have the opportunity to design a resort with a team of like minded designers, using natural resources.

The desire of most artists is to create something that lives on to bring pleasure and comfort for generations. Like a musician dreams of writing the perfect song that reaches the hearts of the listeners.

The secret to a successful creation is recognising that persistence hard work is always by far the main ingredient. Don’t be overly obsessed by critics.

It’s a hard question for me to answer, I get inspired by so many thing. It is like if your ask me who is my favourite musician and the answer is always the same, and that is that there are just so many to choose from but to name a few. Verner Panton, Charles and Ray Eames have had remarkable vision that few can surpass.

Charles and Ray Eames because they ticked every box with such detail.

Well, I don’t wish to seem tunnelled visioned but again I will mention Charles and Ray Eames for the incredible and masterfully designed lounge chair and ottoman. It absolutely tick all the boxes and is a times set.

Just be who you are and focus on your dream. If you are good at what you do you don’t need to pretend you anything but who you are.

I can’t imagine not trying to be creative in one form or another. We are all born to be creative we just get lost along the way. I often wish I had focused more on being a musician when I was younger but life takes strange turns sometimes and I’m a closet performer. It’s also a reason why I like to design, because no one is watching when you make a mistake.

Stephen Marriot helped me quite a lot along the way as an investor, business partner and friend. My brother Robert has been an amazing support to the point where I probably would have given up some time ago, but he is a man who sees beyond himself and goes to great lengths to encourage others. My patent attorney Tom Nielsen is also a man of incredible character and good will, who has helped me tremendously along the way. There are many others for whom I owe a great deal of gratitude for having faith in me and for which I feel humbled by.