In Conversation
Rob Dailey
Forty Five Ten Home Creative Director discusses his approach to design
Having opened its doors in April of 2000, Forty Five Ten has become Dallas' premier boutique retailer, with an international reputation of offering high quality goods. The brand has evolved into both an international and national influence, working with some of the best fashion designers in the industry. Feeding off the success of their clothing operations, Forty Five Ten incorporated a "Home" section as part of their company.
Boasting excellent taste and a progressive vision, Knoll sat down with Rob Dailey, home creative director for Forty Five Ten. Rob has led his namesake design firm since 1997. Working both close to home and internationally, his experience encompasses everything from a Chelsea pied-a-tier to retail in Ryhad. Rob has designed places to live and work in all shapes and sizes for over twenty years. His results speak for themselves with projects featured in the pages of Better Homes and Gardens, PaperCity, the book Domestic Art - Curated Interiors published by Assouline, Elle Decor, and Travel and Leisure. His latest restaurant design project received the additional honor of being chosen as one of the top 18 hospitality designs in the world by Black Book.
Rob's approach to life and design is decidedly Cartesian as he continues to be a, "seeker of truth and a doubter of all things." His love of life, friendship, food and travel is matched only by his quest for knowledge. Moreover, it is his ability to harness these ideals within his interior spaces that sets him apart. His environments change your perspective on living as he plays in the balance of art, antique, flow, and function.
When you begin designing a space or are looking to improve one, what is the first piece of furniture you go to?
I usually don’t go for individual pieces to start. I think about the concept of the space, the people who are going to use it and ask what is the purpose of the space for these people? Sometimes the space itself will tell you exactly what it needs and sometimes you have to coax it out a bit. Furnishings for me are about balance, scale, function and form and are somewhat subjective to the philosophy of the space.
When searching for new for Forty Five Ten, where do you look for inspiration?
I find inspiration in all kinds of places. A good meal, a walk in the park, a night at the theater. Since interior design for me is about helping people navigate through their spaces in an informed yet visually pleasing way, I’m often considering social situations for inspiration…thinking about how people interact with their spaces and how those spaces make them feel.
Modern versus contemporary and why?
I like them both and often mix them. I like the historical context of Modern and the spontaneity of contemporary.
What advice would you give to individuals who are looking to design a new space?
I think it’s important to think about the space as a whole. What is the purpose of the it? How do I want to feel when I’m in it? Is this an intimate or public space? I think the questions to begin with are more about lifestyle rather than individual pieces.
What do you see as one of the more pivotal moments in the history of furniture design?
Modernism as a whole encouraged a re-examination of every aspect of life and design, particularly the Bauhaus movement with its push toward unification of art and architecture.
"I find inspiration in all kinds of places. A good meal, a walk in the park, a night at the theater."
What or when was your first encounter with Knoll?
My first encounter would have to be as a child going to New York with my parents for the first time in 1968 when I was 7 years old. I remember seeing the Barcelona chair and being very impressed. I think we were at the MoMA. I guess I realized that Knoll produced the chair later on when I was in high school in the 70s. But that trip in 1968 opened my eyes to modern design in a very special way from the Pan Am Building to dining at The Four Seasons restaurant at the Seagram Building. Once again, my relationship with design was an experiential one that changed my entire view of the world.
How would you describe David Rockwell's work for Knoll? How do you think it addresses the current workplace?
I think the name of the collection says it all: Unscripted. I love the idea that workspaces and living spaces can grow and change as one would hope that we do individually. How one person works or lives does not necessarily require that we all work or live the same way. It’s all about thriving in our own atmosphere, but coming together for a common purpose.
