Designers Keith Stephenson and Mark Hampshire are an exceedingly busy pair, running design agency Absolute Zeroº, along with their ever-growing interiors brand Mini Moderns. But these are not just busy fools, their retro-soaked aesthetic has won their range of wallpaper, fabrics and ceramics many a fan; and, as we see in this exclusive insight into their Camberwell studio/home, cut their arms and they bleed classic British creativity.
As they prepare to launch their Buddha of Suburbia collection at this year’s Tent London, we spoke Create GB with the design duo, and got a glimpse into the living/working space that personifies their brand…
Photo © Andrew Boyd
Photo © Andrew Boyd
Where’s your hometown, and where are you based now?
We are both originally from the North of England. Mark is from Leeds and Keith is from Guisborough near the North Yorkshire Moors. We now share a live/ work space in Camberwell, South East London. We have recently bought a beach house at Dungeness in Kent, which is a converted railway carriage – and are in the process of redesigning the layout and updating it.
Do you think location affects creativity?
Environment can have a direct affect on creativity – especially in art – consider the St Ives artists and their response particularly to the light in that location. More often, we think location affects opportunities rather than creativity. With our branding and packaging design work for Absolute Zeroº we would possibly be able to work in any city or even a rural location, but as it’s a commercial concern, the problem would be getting work in the first place. In terms of running Mini Moderns as a brand it is beneficial for us to be London based as we can respond to press call-ins really quickly – often delivering directly to shoots. We would love to be able to say that during a working week we manage to get out to all manor of exhibitions, launches and other events that being in London allows – and we get along to a fair amount of those – because it’s good to keep in touch with your peers as well as keeping open to all kinds of creative inspiration. But with a lot of media readily available via websites, blogs and pinterest – we inevitably spend a lot of time researching online.
Is Britain’s creative industry too London-centric?
Perhaps it is a bit – but it probably only looks that way if you are not aware of what’s going on outside London. Having lived and worked in London for 25 years, we definitely feel part of the London creative scene. However, perhaps because we’re not originally from London we are lucky in that we feel we can forge links with in other cities. For instance, we know many artists and designers Birmingham, where there is a really buoyant creative scene with a different feel to the London equivalent. Since the beginning of the new austerity smaller design companies are becoming increasingly successful from all parts of the country. Technology means that businesses don’t have to be London based. In commercial branding and design there are some amazing design groups that have made a reputation for themselves in cities outside London – like B&W Studio in Leeds.
Photo © Charlotte Noakes
Photo © Charlotte Noakes
How would you describe British creativity?
Stoical. Britain manages to be brilliant at it despite the fact that it receives little by way of funding or support from any government, regardless of which party is in power, totally ignoring the revenue and reputation it brings to the country. The rest of the world seems to appreciate British creative talent far more than our own establishment. In the branding and design sector we operate in we act like a barometer for the economy. Because marketing departments commission branding and design work, it’s always the first budget to be cut when things get tight. Any major event – like 9/11, or the 2008 banking crisis – and we know that tomorrow clients will be on the phone saying the budget’s been cut and the project’s on hold. This is one of the reasons we created Mini Moderns. Because we have total control of our output we are our own clients for the business – and we can make our own commercial as well as creative decisions.
Has being British had an effect on your discipline?
Absolutely – we are very British designers. We draw from a wealth of British culture for our Mini Moderns designs. We both grew up watching the same TV shows and exposed to the same culture and we are lucky that we understand each other’s references. If Keith says “I want this wallpaper to have the feel of the opening titles of Robin’s Nest” we both know the 70s vibe instantly.
What do you thinking the rest of the world’s view of British creativity is?
In a nutshell, left-field. The world’s design commentators often like to prefix British designers with the work ‘quirky’. The Swinging ’60s, punk, Hacienda-era Manchester… they’ve all contributed to Britain’s non-conformist reputation – and it’s not such a bad thing. Certainly at Mini Moderns we embrace it.
Is there one period of intense British creativity that you’d like to have been a part of, and why?
The 1951 Festival of Britain. Keith has always been obsessed with it and we both get the feeling that there was a real momentum behind the design industry at that time. We also like the way that it inspired more cross-practice collaboration, with designers in architecture, furniture design, product design and applied pattern and textiles all working together on joint projects.
Photo © Charlotte Noakes
Photo © Andrew Boyd
Are there any quintessential British traditions that inform your work?
We’re big fans of Morris dancing.
Where in Britain do you feel most inspired?
That changes on a daily basis. Standing on Dungeness beach, we’ll have an idea for a whole new collection, which we’ll abandon when we get a new idea after DJ-ing in Birmingham. The strongest ideas end up bubbling up to the surface and they’re the ones that go through.
The top 3 British creatives who have inspired you?
Terence Conran, Lucienne Day, Lee Broom.
If you could collaborate with one GB creative, from any field, who would it be, and why?
Jeremy Deller. God knows what we’d do – but we love his approach to his work. The recent exhibition at the Hayward demonstrated that his conceptual rigour is matched by beautiful execution.
Will you be watching the Olympics?
No
Photo © Andrew Boyd
Photo © Andrew Boyd
If creativity was an Olympic sport, who’s the one person you’d want to represent Britain on the global stage?
Doshi Levien (two people, not one)
Which sport would you like to compete in at London 2012?
Egg and spoon
You couldn’t live without…
Each other
What makes you smile?
We never stop laughing – maybe it’s the best thing about running our own business. You spend one third of your life at work so it has to make you happy. We have a reputation for being gigglers.
The best piece of advice you’ve ever been given…
Keep your overheads low – invaluable advice from Michael Peters of Identica, where Mark was working prior to joining Keith at Absolute Zeroº.
We’re going to the pub and we’re buying, what are you drinking?
The entire bar dry!
What’s next for you?
At Absolute Zeroº we continue to work with dynamic independent brands, especially in the culture, media and beauty sectors. At Mini Moderns we will be launching the entire Buddha of Suburbia collection at Tent London in September, along with some very exciting new lines – including limited edition ceramics, more hand screen-printed fabric by the metre, and the launch of our new colour collection.
Photo © Will Cooper-Mitchel
