A Portrait of Designer Derek McLeod
Written by Sophie Sobol
What is a chair if not for sitting? Toronto designer Derek McLeod asks himself questions like this all the time - and he has answers.
“You can make a beautiful thing but if it’s not comfortable then it doesn’t really function as a thing.”
McLeod is passionate about comfortable furniture. That is not to say his furniture isn’t also beautiful, it is. Indeed McLeod’s designs are lyrical and expressive, inspired equally by the supple textures of nature and by mid-century Scandinavian forms and engineered steel.
McLeod designs for people. During every step of his design practice, he tends to the human experience. Conscious that people respond to texture, McLeod looks to create pieces that people want to touch. Chairs that people want to sit on. Dining tables that people want to dine on. As McLeod has said, “A chair that is both beautiful and comfortable encourages us to sit together longer.” In other words, his designs strive to enhance real human experiences. When McLeod designs a bookshelf, it is born from a need for a shelf that holds books. Simple and straightforward as ideas, McLeod’s designs commit to caring.
“There’s always been objects that are just made beautiful for their own sake without any consideration of comfort. There always has been, there always will be. That’s always going to be a part of how people approach it [furniture design]. In my case, I’m thinking always about the comfort and how it gets used. That matters to me as much as the aesthetic part of it.”
McLeod understands how the wear and tear of furniture can be meaningful. Living alongside objects as we do, the evolution of their forms become part of our story. A favourite table might eventually bear the stain of a hot mug of tea or a splatter of wax from a birthday candle. McLeod does not shy away from this process of use.
“You know, I have a bunch of these things in my home and so I get to experience living with them and seeing what these chairs are like over time. It’s like ok, now I would tilt that seat down a couple degrees, just make the slightest little edits over time. Living with things gives you that knowledge.”
McLeod’s design process is extraordinarily precise and showcases a love of material and a care for quality. While studying cabinetmaking, he learned early on the importance of exact work. “You’ve got all these things that have to go together in one particular way and there are no
mistakes allowed, and so that approach influenced me and taught me the value of doing things precisely. I came to value that level of detail.”
It is easy to see how Derek McLeod cares about the people who use his furniture. His own family is even in consideration, as he collaborated with his seven year old son to create The Bagel Stool, a wonderfully smooth solid white oak stool with a cut out handle in the seat that resembles a bagel. If you care about functional, long lasting and beautiful design that is made with love, you will care for Derek McLeod and his works.
Visit Derek’s website here.
