Timothy Oulton, Founder and Creative Director of his eponymous brand, is a master at blending traditional craftsmanship and pioneering design.
他的故事要从儿童时代说起，那时他还在曼切斯特，并经常在爸爸的古董店里转悠。在18岁后，他并没有清晰的计划，因此他与爸爸在一家家具工厂开始自己的职业生涯。他从没意识到自己的事业会从这座城市开始生根发芽。
Tim’s story dates back to his childhood days in Manchester, where he grew up surrounded by antiques from his father’s business, Halo Antiques. After leaving school at 18 with no clear plan, Tim embarked on a career in the furniture industry at Halo antiques with his father. He had no intention of remaining in the business and assumed he would eventually go on to work in the city.
而今，Timothy Oulton在世界各地已经有30多家店，遍布纽约、洛杉矶、墨西哥、中东、澳大利亚、加拿大、阿姆斯特丹、香港，甚至在伦敦的Harrods。品牌正有计划的扩张中，并发展得更大更强。
Today, Timothy Oulton has over 30 stores in some of the world's best cities including New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Saudi Arabia, Canada, Australia, Amsterdam, Hong Kong and in the grandeur of Harrods in London. The brand continues its careful expansion and plans for further openings in the future.
《深圳家具·设计》：请描述下你的设计风格。
Timothy：我的设计灵感来自过去与现代，产品保持新鲜并令人兴奋，并富有独立的个性，这就是我所谓的“谦卑的奢侈”风格。我们用真正的材料独创出灵魂个性，为生活寻找出宽松的精致环境。
How would you describe your style?
We blend ideas from the past with a modern twist, to create something fresh and exciting, infused with our own point of view. It’s what I call humble luxury, we use authentic materials with character and soul, our pieces are meant to look lived in – a relaxed sophistication.
《深圳家具·设计》：你曾经和哪些设计师或房地产商合作?
Timothy:我们一直与非常有才华的设计师Michael Yeung紧密合作，他是我们设计团队的成员之一并也设计自己的家具系列。我们也和法国设计师Frank LeFebvre合作。这还有许多有创造性的合作者和我们一起做想做的事情。去年，我们还改造了位于洛杉矶Athletic Club历史性建筑Blue Room，现在我们正为新加波的合作者完成男士俱乐部项目。
Have you ever cooperated with any designer or real estate before?
We’ve been collaborating with a very talented designer called Michael Yeung for many years, Michael works as part of our design team as well as producing his own coveted collection. We also work with Frank LeFebvre of French design house Bleu Nature. There are many other creative collaborations we get involved in, people that have an affinity for what we’re doing. We redesigned the historic Blue Room at the Los Angeles Athletic Club last year, and we’re currently working on a gentlemen’s club in Singapore for a partner – we’re doing the whole thing, everything down to the locker rooms.
《深圳家具·设计》：你怎么运营不同地域的商店?
Timothy：我们的一些商店都是独立的，如香港，有的特许店像伦敦的Harrods，我们也有合作零售商如澳大利亚，我们已经合作多年。Timothy Oulton应该是无国界的，我没有制定非常苛刻的商店标准。我们总是想给你最好的体验，这就是为什么我们提供香槟。我们希望每个人都享受于此，无论他们在哪里，无论他们访问哪家商店。
How do you operate your stores in different areas, direct sales, deals or other?
Some of our stores are standalone, such as Hong Kong, others are concession stores like Harrods in London, and we also partner with retailers such as Coco Republic in Australia, who we’ve been working with for years. The experience of walking into a Timothy Oulton store should be consistent worldwide, I don’t differentiate in the standards I want for each store. We always want to give you the best experience we can give you, that’s why we offer champagne. We want people to have a great experience wherever they are, whichever store they visit.
《深圳家具·设计》：作为一个特别的品牌，有没有尝试做Timothy Oulton室内设计服务？
Timothy：我已经开始创建完整的空间项目，这也是我继续要做的事情。我们已有一个设计团队，并完成世界各地多个项目。其中包括英国Devon精品酒店Glazebrook House，我们已经完了全部地面装修以及安装。它看起来像是一个古老的英国庄园，但在室内是颠覆性的形象。整体感觉像是在19世纪爱丽丝仙境，一个充满幻想的奇遇空间。
As a stunning and unique brand, do you have plans to offer a full interior design service - 'Whole Timothy Oulton House’?
We have started to create full spaces and it’s something I want to do more of. We have a great in-house architect and team of designers, and we’ve already completed several projects across the world. There’s a boutique hotel in Devon in England called Glazebrook House, we completed the full ground up renovation and installation. It looks like an old English manor house from the outside but inside it’s totally transformed. The atmosphere is 19th century collector’s house meets Alice in Wonderland; a fantasy where people can escape and have a unique experience.
《深圳家具·设计》：现在的家具有什么潮流趋势？
Timothy：我们的设计并不是快餐式的家具，Timothy Oulton的每件家具都不受时代局限，这才是我想给予顾客的产品。一般而言，我希望家具与空间形成一体化，因为空间能将朋友和家庭联系起来。家具不仅仅是家具，而是真实而富有故事性的关系培养器。好的沙发可以促进大家的话题。
What is the latest trends of Furniture?
Our designs aren’t about following the latest trends, we’re more interested in creating timeless pieces that we love, that we hope our customers will love too. In general though, I think interiors are becoming much more integral to the way people host at home, making the space a centre of connection with friends and family. It’s not just about furniture, it’s about having authentic, storied pieces that make your home an inspiring place to hang out. It could be a great sofa that everyone can spread out on or a really unique dining table; pieces that spark a conversation.
