In the words of R.E.M., We All Go Back To Where We Belong. I’m still willingly caught in London’s gravitational pull. I love the place. But rediscovering the landscape where I was born, surrounded by a million shades of green, allowed me to slow down and percolate again. The speed and excitement of a metropolis are still very much intertwined in my psyche but as a burst of inspiration rather than a backdrop. I go to London for inspiration and return to the South Downs for creation.
So, every chore I did around the house – from washing the dishes to cutting the grass and especially cleaning my football boots – I approached with a fastidious work ethic. I would focus on the end result, not the time it takes. Today, quality and rigour are central to my design work. When I’m working on a project, I ask myself, “What would Bobby say?” … and more importantly, “Would dad say it’s a job well done?”