David Trubridge

David Trubridge is a New Zealand designer, and also the name of the lamp and furniture company he founded in Whakatu, in the Hawke's Bay region. His lamps, made of thin elements of wood or plant-based materials that slot together, take their shapes from plants, animals and natural structures, and are designed with particular attention to sustainability.

From England to New Zealand

Born in England in 1951, Trubridge graduated in naval architecture from Newcastle University in 1972. He then worked for ten years as a forester in rural Northumberland, where he learned to make furniture; his work was shown at venues including the Victoria and Albert Museum. He then moved to New Zealand, where he developed his business as a designer and maker.

Body Raft and Coral

International recognition came with the Body Raft, a raft-like chaise longue in bent wood, shown at the 2001 Milan Furniture Fair and later bought by Cappellini. His best-known design, though, is the Coral lamp, born from his underwater experiences: a geometric polyhedron made of identical elements that recalls the structure of coral and casts a dense pattern of shadows on the walls. In 2010 the Centre Pompidou in Paris acquired the Icarus light installation for its collection.

Design and the environment

Trubridge has often used design to talk about climate and nature: in 2007 his installation On Thin Ice, on climate change, was shown at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo and then in Brussels, Monaco and Chicago. He has taken part in the Milan Furniture Fair since 2006, has made installations for shops, hotels and offices around the world, and in 2019 was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to design.

Sources

• Wikipedia – David Trubridge