Young designers we like: Rachel Griffin

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

I was born and raised outside Boston. After getting a degree in graphic design and working for several years in New York, I came to the Netherlands to study furniture design at the Design Academy Eindhoven. I am currently living and working in Rotterdam.

Why did you become a designer?

My interests vary quite a lot, but design is the thing that I can’t help but do and that I am most fascinated by. Of course, when I started making—lofting spaces in my dollhouses and typesetting book reports—I didn’t know what design was. But in this way, I’ve always been interested in form and space, and the power they have to shape an experience.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by everyday objects that are formed out of necessity, as well as existing archetypes. For me, such archetypes carry much more meaning, which I find fascinating.

Name some things that you like.

I’m very impressed by works—in any field—which make us reconsider our realities and existing perceptions.

Name some things you dislike.

I dislike work—again in any field—which isn’t true to the medium in which it is made. I prefer things that have an honest, open quality.

Who are your favorite designers?

I think the boundaries between fields are fluid, and as such consider fashion and fine art inextricably related to design. I admire the work of Rachel Whiteread for it’s quiet way of revealing the invisible, and Anish Kapoor for it’s monumentality and emotional qualities. Perhaps it sounds easy to name the Eames’, but they addressed ergonomics and aesthetics in a way that I think remains unparalleled. I also find that the work of my peers and friends never fails to amaze me.

What does your apartment look like?

I recently moved, and will be moving again in a few months, so my setup is as minimal as possible. The most interesting element is probably the solution for my clothes. I don’t have a closet, but the apartment has high ceilings and a ton of wall space. So I ended up creating a kind of functional decoration, by arranging all of my clothes in a pattern on the wall.

A selection of her work:

Visit Rachel’s Website!