KEY POINTS:
He's worked with some of the biggest names in international design, he's got his own line of lighting coming out soon via fancy British interiors brand Habitat, and about a dozen design projects on the go, including health drinks, "carbon-positive" bicycle lockers, kitchen knives and a spot of set design for Mirror Me, a dance installation running at the MIC Toi Rerehiko venue until early May. And you can bet it's all going to look pretty too.
But what local product and furniture designer Jamie McLellan really, really wants is to work on a superyacht. Not sailing or serving champagne and caviar to the owners, thanks. McLellan would like to design one.
The dedicated windsurfer and sailor, whose design aesthetic might best be described as contemporary, calm, elegant and never faddy, says that "typically, boat design has been pretty traditional and done by the people building the boats. It's been rational and functional up until now but it might be nice if the boats look nice too, like a beautiful piece of Modernist architecture or a piece of furniture."
For now, McLellan has been contenting himself with quietly working on his own kayak design - along with all his other jobs - but he's still waiting for his superyacht commission, whether that be interiors or exteriors. "Windsurfers, kayaks, superyachts - it's a natural progression," he jokes.
1 My Farr 727. Bruce Farr's first production keel yacht, that he designed at the age of 26 and which is arguably the design that changed the definition of keels for the next two decades. Still a beaut to sail and a great way to enjoy the Hauraki Gulf.
2 Windsurfing in big Hawaiian waves. There's nothing like getting smashed about by Mother Nature and her white water to remind you who's boss.
3 Rapid prototyping. Laser cutting, stereolithography and selective laser sintering have all been around for a while. But now they're gaining traction and coming down in cost. Using this technology also keeps the dust out of my office and means fewer sandpaper calluses on my fingers! You can see some good examples of people using these processes at Freedom of Creation (www.freedomofcreation.com) and Ponoko ( www.ponoko.com).
4 Bicycles. The perfect mechanical extension to the human body and great for keeping fit if you're like me and hate going to gyms. I am loving the new craze of fixed-wheel bikes that seems to stem from the New York courier scene. Crazy modified track bikes, one gear, no free wheel, chopped down mountain bike riser bars, fluoro colours, fantastic rims and the less clutter the better.
5 Steinlager Pure. Good beer that just happens to sit well with my design philosophy. It's pure, it's reductivist and it's an iconic New Zealand brand done well, without ferns or korus anywhere.
6 The iPhone. Actually anything Apple. Where do I begin? Flawlessly beautiful products.
7 Little critters and creepy crawlies. Who needs the zoo when you have a garden full of snails, wetas, cicadas, slugs, spiders, moths and monarchs?
8 America's Cup court battles. I love the drama and the showmanship of two billionaires spending excessive amounts of money to one-up each other. I can't wait to see two monster catamarans duelling it out in Valencia soon.
9 The colour white. If in doubt, just paint it white. Please.
10 The random collection of websites I read in the morning. Google News
(www.news.google.com), Dezeen (www.dezeen.com), The Sartorialist (www.thesartorialist.com), Notcot (www.notcot.org), Digg (www.digg.com), Runaway Now (www.runawaynow.com), Treehugger (www.treehugger.com), Mac Rumors (www.macrumors.com), Sailing Anarchy (www.sailinganarchy.com) and Pitchfork Media (www.pitchforkmedia.com).
