Tableware International May June 2022

Page 30

Interview Studio William Balsa

PICS Undeniably a man driven by a true creative luminosity, award-winning designer William Welch is also passionate about purity in products – both his own and others. He speaks with Tableware International’s Mairead Wilmot about how he and his team marry good design with running a successful company…

“Creativity drives everything” “The DNA code of a product becomes the soul of a company”

Did you know?

Studio William has a new 6,500sqft showroom in Bicester, England where chefs can “absorb creative concepts and nurture their thought process toward inspired tableware selection”. 30 TABLEWARE INTERNATIONAL

William your business has many different facets – Studio William, Charingworth Cutlery, and Studio Wonder Works which is your UK foodservice distribution business – where does your passion truly lie, is it William the designer or William the businessman? We supply airlines, retail, hospitality and consumers, my passion is creating and suppling beautiful products that either, we have designed, or designs from other companies. Which facet of the business takes up most of your time? The hospitality side, the design side or retail? We love creativity and we try to apply this ethos across the business. Design is an important daily activity, as you would naturally assume. However, what people often don’t realise is you can apply creativity across the entire business. Creativity can reshape and repurpose operations within a company. In short, creativity drives everything. Do you think you need several strings to your bow to be successful in this industry? All businesses need many strings to their bows to be a successful global company. Design and uniqueness

– the DNA code of a product becomes the soul of a company. What are your high-end hospitality clients looking for – design or functionality? High-end hospitality is trying to carve a unique journey and unique memorable experience. The materials, the interior and architectural aura of the restaurant sets the tempo for their customers’ senses – eyes, ears, palate and olfactory experience. For chef’s food concept to be complete, the tableware must support the menu, interior and architecture – the overall restaurant concept. In our new 6,500sqft showroom in Bicester, England, we have created a wondrous design workshop of beautiful global tableware brands, allowing chefs to absorb creative concepts and nurture their thought process toward inspired tableware selection. And the same question applies to retail – is design or functionality more of a draw for retail buyers? Retail buyers are essentially looking to support their retail brand position by sourcing product with appeal, aesthetic and price point to suit their target audience. The design and function from a buyer’s


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