Q&A: Willett
Los Angeles designer Ben Willett launched his multidisciplinary practice, Willett, in 2022 after working as a creative director for the likes of Nike and Uniqlo. Driven by the relationship between environments and objects, Willett’s first furniture collection is a reflection on 20th-century ideals realised with an au courant bent.
TLP Can you tell us about your practice and what you’re currently making?
BW Willett uses design expressions to bring aesthetic joy into the world and seeks to uncover new ways that furniture and built spaces can coexist. We’re working on a few residential projects highlighting a series of built-in pieces to complement our furniture, in addition to an in-line furniture extension of about four new pieces and a new lighting collection.
TLP How does your previous work with major global brands, including Nike and Uniqlo, influence the way you design?
BW Working for these brands has definitely influenced my approach. I look at each project holistically, whether it is a small custom stool or an 800-square-foot room. I always ask the same questions in order to get the best result possible.
TLP The rapport between built spaces and furniture is a key focus for you. What is it that intrigues you about this dynamic and how do you explore it in your work?
BW By creating this ecosystem, I am able to have an impact at every scale of the project. It is how the best architects of the 20th century approached their projects, and it is how I like to approach all of mine. There is not one without the other.
TLP Talk us through your process. Do you follow a rigorous schedule or prefer a more fluid approach?
BW My process is very fluid: I find inspiration all over the place, [though] generally not when I am searching for it, so I have to stay nimble and be able to react and design in real time. I love working at my desk with music at volume 10 … but it is also very important to get out and experience the real world that I am designing for. It changes every day and so does my process.
TLP You simultaneously designed your first collection of furniture and your own home, which was tragically lost in the Eaton Fire earlier this year. How would you like to continue to build on the ideas explored across these two projects?
BW My designs are ever-evolving, so I’m approaching my current situation as part of the journey instead of a terrible setback. Thankfully, my collection can live on and grow into something more beautiful by truly stripping away the superfluous and focusing on the essential. This goes for the rebuild of our house as well – I am designing with more intention, more passion and more appreciation for what I create, knowing that it can all be taken in an instant.
TLP The collection, Early Works: Group 01, employs several timber species including Douglas fir, cherry, ash and walnut. Tell us about the materials you use and why you chose them.
BW I gravitate towards warm woods. Wood has infinite possibilities and infinite beauty. I see it as an ever-evolving study with my pieces.
TLP What can we expect from Willett this year and beyond?
BW On the furniture side of things, I will be launching a couple of new pieces as an extension of my first collection, and I am working on a lighting collection that I will hopefully launch at the end of the year. As for my interiors practice, I am almost done with my first residential project, which will be a complete embodiment of my design philosophy. I look forward to sharing it all.
