Clean-cut minimalism, Nordic functionality and an uncomplicated aesthetic may not be the first things that spring to mind when navigating Dublin’s Dorset Street. 

But if you look hard enough (somehow ignoring the discarded chip bags, the inexplicable pavement goo and the constant roar of traffic) it’s all there. One quick detour down Dorset Lane brings you to the studios of Leo Scarff Design. Set up by Leo Scarff in 1997, this self-run product design company with Scandinavian leanings has shows in New York, had a recent slot in Ireland’s design week and boasts a client list as long as the Scoresby Sund. Here, Richard Conway chats to Leo about designing in Ireland.

Nice studio. Is this where you design most products?

Yes it is. This is where I go through hundreds of variations of what I’m thinking of on the day. I do pages and pages. You eventually reach some point where you have a single one. It is a typical methodology. I am very much into structure, something that is simple in form but definite. I am
getting into the sculptural sides of things recently.

My ideas are either material based or form based. I would manipulate whatever I am working with. I would have a reasonably good idea of what I can do – what I can get made. That moulds me in some way.

So are you influenced by Scandinavian design?

If such a broad term can be used. Yes. Being there would influence someone coming out of college far more than anywhere else. In places like Italy or Spain there is such a multitude of stuff going on and it’s older in terms of the scene. Scandinavia has one particular aesthetic. Plywood is a material of choice for me, which is a Scandinavian thing.

Some would say that Ireland is on the fringes when it comes to furniture design – do you find this impacts on your work?

Being based in Ireland is tough – you have to go to the shows on a regular basis to get work. That is really the only way to meet clients. There are people all over Europe doing it. It is a very competitive thing. Hundreds of people show and only a few get selected. I have shown in London quite a few times and in Milan three or four times.

But I am pleased that I can make a living based here. There is really only a small amount of people doing what I do in Ireland. There are hundreds of people who come out of college with it, but the vast majority don’t get the breaks or they don’t get the luck.

So how does your work fit in with a newly designed building for example? Do you find yourself incorporating aesthetic references to the architecture?

Well, I am always doubtful when people ask me something like: “Can you do something with this space to warm it up?” Architecture is definitely one of my loves. Very often you could ruin a space. Very often people can miss the point – you don’t want to throw something in. I would even tell a prospective client: ”You will ruin the space doing that.” If I feel strongly enough about it, I would even say no. I try not to play up to architects or to interior people by saying anything will work. I don’t think it is in my interest to spoil beautiful spaces.

Do you have many clients abroad?

Yes, I have clients in the US. I have a show with Clodagh – one of the top interior designing firms in the world. They do a lot of health spas around the world. I showed at the world fair in 1999. It’s run by Clodagh, who is an Irish woman who has lived in New York for years. She had been at me
to go over to New York where she has this beautiful show space on Broadway. I kept saying no because I didn’t have the time. Eventually I did it. It’s still there now and that’s where a lot of my clients see my work. In truth, I could actually base myself there.

This interview is an extract from the February edition of Plan Magazine - Click HERE to Subscribe Today!