Daniel Poole
Daniel Poole is a bespoke furniture designer in Melbourne, Australia. Providing bespoke design consultancy, design strategy, and development combined with a comprehensive in-house master cabinet-making studio. Daniel Poole studied Industrial Design at RMIT University, followed by a qualification in Cabinet-Making. Daniel Poole PL commissions are certified with authenticity.
Interview
I was born in a tiny town called Speed in rural Victoria, with a current population of 78. A farming community. Most people had homes on their farms, so it was a very isolated population. I now reside in Melbourne, Victoria, 400 km south.
Thinking that these people are amazing. Specific designers/artists as people, being amazing, their work being amazing. Mostly, they are amazing people.
I have always desired and been attempting to. It’s a long road to being a full-time professional artist/designer. It is sometimes supplemented by something more easily monetised.
It’s some sort of internal urge to create. To see what I am capable of. An exploration. A determination to make an improvement on whatever else is available.
My creative process is to focus on the outcome first. Decide what the outcome will be and then work out how to get there. I try to ignore the feelings of wanting to be certain about how to get there. The feelings of wanting to be sure I can do it. I start with the outcome and go to work on how to be capable of the outcome. What I need to develop to establish the capabilities.
I plan my days quite methodically. This is how I establish momentum and productivity. I always brainstorm my lists, and then I work through the lists. The work is so varied that it is easy to lose momentum, jumping from one thing to another. So I take the time to list my day’s priorities each morning.
I have an issue with feeling like great work has to be difficult for it to be great. Or it must have a soul to it. Timber is both of those. I do work in metal and paint as well, and I seem to always return to elegant timber furniture designs.
A lot of process. A lot of components, and I am quite strict on matching grain and timber selection being very consistent, which contributes to much more work in the piece, keeping track of which piece goes where.
Have good ideas, practice, listen for feedback, and continually make adjustments.
My pieces are a timeline of my life and the relationships in my life.
Beauty in design is what influences me most. Elegance of the design. Individuality of the design and the designer as a person. And that they’re psycho for their craft. They take it to the nth degree. Local to Melbourne, there are a few people who are doing their own thing like nobody else: Michael Gittings, Fred Ganem, Brud Studia, Fletcher Barnes.
Design to me is very separate from art. I consider design to be much more calculated, much more considerate of the cost to produce, the cost at sale, the market for it; design considers economics much more. So when I appreciate design, it’s for the reasons that I feel this designer has very intelligently executed a product with all of the considerations on point. Repeatable. Ease of manufacture. Effective results for the amount of effort required to produce it. I’m not very good at this. I create art when it should be design.
I can’t stand anything that has off-the-shelf components. If it has any identifiable, cheap product, and the designer is attempting to pass it off as design or art. It has required no effort or craft.
My work is most often a play on the art of cabinet-making. Traditional styles, ideal styles of making furniture, are mixed with beautiful forms and finishes. It has been that up to date anyhow.
“My pieces are a timeline of my life and the relationships in my life.”
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
Sharing laughter.
Having to pay the bills.
I care too much.
Carelessness.
Gosh, can I admire almost everyone for one thing or another that they do well.
Time for myself.
What are the options?
–
Competence is a must. Accountability is appreciated.
Drives a manual.
Ehhmm. Mmm. Hmm.
Not a big believer of talent.
If I was sensible I would care more about money.
I don’t feel like I’ve achieved much yet.
Someone more intelligent than I am now.
3 places, Bellarine Peninsular home, Victorian High Country property and a Melbourne home and design studio.
Relationships.
Unnecessary/avoidable misery.
Artist/designer, but one that makes money.
Internally validated.
Inspiration, Intelligence, positivity, helpful, sharing and caring.
Nassim Nicholas Taleb.
I avoid fiction.
Carl Jung.
Unapologetically Andy Kelly (Brud Studia).
Not a fan of names really.
–
Tolerating poor company.
Having left nothing I want to know unanswered.
Hmm possibly.
“It’s some sort of internal urge to create. To see what I am capable of. An exploration. A determination to make an improvement on whatever else is available.”
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