Designers' instant hit

CRAIG SIMCOX/Dominion Post

ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGN: Nathan Goldsworthy (left) and James Whitta with their signature Tio chairs. Their Wellington design company, Conscious Design, has struck success in its first year.

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Smashing concrete spawned a smashing idea for two fresh Wellington designers, one that could net them $1 million in turnover this year.

Conscious Design turned over $250,000 in its first year operating, an envious performance in an industry that is renowned for being hard to crack.

Spending a summer breaking up concrete driveways after graduating from Victoria University in industrial design, James Whitta and Nathan Goldsworthy decided against joining their fellow graduates "knocking on doors for crappy jobs" and started their own business.

Nearly two years later, Conscious Design is courting favour in the United States, Europe and Australia with its signature Tio chair.

The chair won the sustainable design award at last year's Designers Institute of New Zealand awards, beating techno-design powerhouse Navman and high-end bed makers Design Mobel.

Based on a fashion concept with interchangable designer covers, the Tio sells throughout New Zealand and has just hooked up a United States distributor.

Riding on the success of their primary design, the pair are expecting $1 million turnover for the 2007 year.

Mr Whitta said they were now at a critical point. They needed to choose between custom designing - "where we have our fun" - and coming up with the next big product. "It will take a bit of letting go," he said.

The focus on sustainability and functionality had underpinned everything from a simple stool to a full office fit-out, and would stay, Mr Whitta said.

"If you can design something to be sustainable then why wouldn't you?"

Making things to improve their surroundings was fundamental too. "It's about functionality no design for design's sake," he said.

The two twenty-somethings are still not far from their beginnings, working out of a shoebox-style workspace in Webb St that they share with two others.

But it was a step up from the kitchen table in their old flat, Mr Whitta said.

He acknowledged Conscious Design ended up running before it could walk, producing its cash cow product first up.

"We definitely went about things back to front," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News