Photography: Courtesy of Flack Studio
09 / 02 / 2022
Combining a discerning eye with tremendous curiosity, not to mention a healthy dose of humour and unpredictability, David Flack turns each new challenge into "a blank canvas for emotion and human exploration", dividing his time between the residential, commercial and furniture design worlds.
Just a few months away from the inauguration of the Ace Hotel Sydney, a "dream project" that he is proud to have designed, the mentor of this Australian studio tells us about his determination to make design "an emotional art form", advocating the importance of an inclusive, modernist, but always inspirational approach.
Inês Graça: You said that you “deliver projects that are made for the client’s personality”. How do you strike a balance between the studio’s language and the clients’ needs? David Flack: The strength of the studio is our ability to interpret the client’s brief and to envisage a space that is quintessential for the architecture, place, environment and soul. Humans are complex – spaces should also have a complexity and depth that forms its own character. Our philosophy and studio mantra is ‘never stop designing’ — quite simply be playful and make the most of every moment. Design provides the canvas for all human exploration and emotion; our designs respect the importance of place in the human experience.
IG: You also acknowledge that each part of the process may lead to a holistic and idiosyncratic experience. How can a contemporary space remain timeless? DF: Contemporary spaces remain timeless if they look to the past and the future, however always respecting the craftspeople that came before them. Our studio’s focus is on honest materiality, strong spatial planning and a confidence in allowing nostalgia and humour to honour the marriage between clients, space and architecture. Our value is to design it once – design it well. We want people to come back to our spaces in 50 years to preserve and acknowledge the space that we had crafted. We fundamentally align with modernist principles with our design – honest materiality, strength in detail and an investment that honours conviction and confidence. When people say, “They don’t build them like they used to’, we always respond, “We do”.
IG: Is it possible to do this in a more conscious and locally integrated way? DF: We work with a small group of incredible trades, makers and talents that bring our work to life; it’s one thing to draw the space; another to create and master it. We always say our spaces are ‘made with love’; the dedication and skilfulness involving everyone is a major part of the process. Art is a huge part of our practice, from the initial stages right through to completion. It adds another level of complexity and layers to our spaces and creates conversations.
Inês Graça: You said that you “deliver projects that are made for the client’s personality”. How do you strike a balance between the studio’s language and the clients’ needs? David Flack: The strength of the studio is our ability to interpret the client’s brief and to envisage a space that is quintessential for the architecture, place, environment and soul. Humans are complex – spaces should also have a complexity and depth that forms its own character. Our philosophy and studio mantra is ‘never stop designing’ — quite simply be playful and make the most of every moment. Design provides the canvas for all human exploration and emotion; our designs respect the importance of place in the human experience.
IG: You also acknowledge that each part of the process may lead to a holistic and idiosyncratic experience. How can a contemporary space remain timeless? DF: Contemporary spaces remain timeless if they look to the past and the future, however always respecting the craftspeople that came before them. Our studio’s focus is on honest materiality, strong spatial planning and a confidence in allowing nostalgia and humour to honour the marriage between clients, space and architecture. Our value is to design it once – design it well. We want people to come back to our spaces in 50 years to preserve and acknowledge the space that we had crafted. We fundamentally align with modernist principles with our design – honest materiality, strength in detail and an investment that honours conviction and confidence. When people say, “They don’t build them like they used to’, we always respond, “We do”.
IG: Is it possible to do this in a more conscious and locally integrated way? DF: We work with a small group of incredible trades, makers and talents that bring our work to life; it’s one thing to draw the space; another to create and master it. We always say our spaces are ‘made with love’; the dedication and skilfulness involving everyone is a major part of the process. Art is a huge part of our practice, from the initial stages right through to completion. It adds another level of complexity and layers to our spaces and creates conversations.
IG: For this reason, do you consider yourself an artist because of the way you seek to generate emotional involvement? DF: I never used to initially, when I set up the studio, but now I completely acknowledge that what we create is art. I always say our projects are like a canvas – they keep evolving the whole duration of the project – and even when finished, our relationship with our clients remains strong. It’s taken time to speak openly about the process, however design is an emotional art form. We couldn’t do what we do without a deep love and connection for every client and project.
For more information, visit Flack Studio website.
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