Interior Design

Russell Pinch shares his top 10 design secrets

The design guru breaks down what inspires his elegant style

Russell Pinch
(Image credit: Pinch Design)

We've long admired the elegant aesthetic of furniture designer, Russell Pinch.

A protégé of Sir Terence Conran and the co-founder of Pinch design studio, which offers both thoughtful furniture and beautiful lighting, he has a refinement to his work that simply prompts you to stop and admire.

In order to learn more about his work, we've picked Russell's brains to discover just what inspires his design process. Here are 10 things that do just that...

See more: Get interior design advice and inspiration on our dedicated page

1. My design heroine

Russell Pinch nature

Photography/Howard Walker

(Image credit: Future)

I have one ultimate design heroine – and she's Mother Nature. 

We can’t beat the extraordinary inspiring complexity of colour, form and material observed in the natural world. 

See more: Kit Kemp's interior design tips – the dos and don'ts masterclass

2. My ultimate design rule

Russell Pinch design

(Image credit: Pinch Design)

The design rule I promote more than anything else is to understand the way simplicity involves complexity.

It takes time and refinement to create perfect simplicity, be it in furniture or an interior. 

3. My everyday design must-have

Russell Pinch Bose

(Image credit: Bose)

My small design luxury is Bose headphones

Music while I work is absolutely essential. 

4. My favorite design shop

Russell Pinch shop

(Image credit: Jasper Morrison)

Jasper Morrison’s shop in London is one I love visiting for the selection of well-designed objects – homeware, tableware, furniture 
and design books I don’t see elsewhere. 

5. My favorite piece of furniture design

Russell Pinch chair

A piece of furniture I’m very attached to is 
a red aluminium chair by Charles and Ray Eames. 

My father bought it when I was 12, 
I ‘stole’ it for my bedroom, then my student room and it’s been with me ever since. 

6. My top design website

Rusell Pinch website

(Image credit: Niwaki)

Niwaki is a website I often visit for its Japanese garden tools, beautifully designed and utterly functional.  

7. My favorite building design

Russell Pinch Sarabhai

(Image credit: Edmund Sumner-VIEW / Alamy)

A building I’ll never forget is Sarabhai House in India, designed by Le Corbusier.

I stayed in this house in my early 20s and was overwhelmed by its quiet, elegant and outrageous personality. 

8. My go-to garden for design inspiration

Russell Pinch garden

(Image credit: The Polizzi Collection)

The garden at Endsleigh House in Devon, England, designed by Humphry Repton in 1814 captivates me for the enormity of his vision. 

9. My favorite design book

Russell Pinch book

(Image credit: Typologie)

I bought a copy of Collections Typologie’s 
The Wine Bottle

Each of these iterations delves into the history of an everyday object of beauty, from the cork to the wooden crate. 

10. My top restaurant

Russell Pinch River Cafe

(Image credit: The River Cafe)

My most memorable restaurant meal was in The River Cafe in London 17 years ago. The food was wonderful and it’s where I asked my wife Oona to marry me.

See more: Russell Pinch's designs are available on his website.

Jennifer Ebert
Editor

Jennifer is the Digital Editor at Homes & Gardens. Having worked in the interiors industry for a number of years, spanning many publications, she now hones her digital prowess on the 'best interiors website' in the world. Multi-skilled, Jennifer has worked in PR and marketing, and the occasional dabble in the social media, commercial and e-commerce space. Over the years, she has written about every area of the home, from compiling design houses from some of the best interior designers in the world to sourcing celebrity homes, reviewing appliances and even the odd news story or two.