This just in from Jonathan. He says he's reading all the comments on the site, and if the questions come in & some are "vicious"...no problem. He's ready.
There it is. Bring on your funky questions.
What would you like to ask Jonathan (aka The Potter King)?
Comment below. On Thursday (when we do the interview) we'll choose the best ones and see what he says.
You said you were interested in more interviews, so we thought to ourselves, "Who would AT readers most want to meet?"
"How about Jonathan Adler?"
"Hey, that's a good idea!" we continued to think.
So we emailed him, and he said, "Sure, would love to!" and we decided we would be sure to focus on his new book, My Presciption for Anti-Depressive Living, so the opportunity to flog good, new product wouldn't be lost.
But we also said we'd ask you, dear reader, what questions you would like to ask Jonathan about his designs and FAB style. So here we go (and keep it clean, children).
Copyright © 2008 Apartment Therapy
I MUST say, the moment I saw Jonathon Adler's pottery some years back in his newly opened (at the time) East Hampton store, I immediately thought that it was an affordable takeoff of Scandinavian pottery of the 50s/60s, of which I have been an avid collector for years. Is this where he gets his inspiration?
I'm curious: why the breast vase? And was it difficult to do?
What inspires his designs? his color choices?
and what about Rex Ray - the artist whose work i often see in his shops... is he an inspiration? Are there other artists that Adler gives wall space to in his shops?
Why did you pick the title for your book? What is your philosophy about how decor should elevate your mood?
What cheers you up?
How did you get started in pottery?
Where did you go to school?
How would you classify your work? modern as in contemporary, or modern as inspired by the "modern" era ? or otherwise? I'm especially interested in the inspiration behind objects such as the horse lamp or the other animals.
2. how do you think - going forward as designers- we can all address using natural or eco conscious materials and keep a product feeling fresh and progressive?
Mr. Adler,
Your design vocation, rigor, business sense and marketing skills have allowed you to extend your vision beyond the ancient tradition of molding clay.
Your work is almost omnipresent to a trained eye. What do you see as the pros and cons (if any) of the level of exposure your work has enjoyed?
How often are you still able to actually sit at the potter's wheel and just be an inventive ceramicist? Or is that a myth? Were you always forced to be a man of many hats and being a potter was just a fraction of your activities? Did you always know deep in your core that your work would propel you to the success you've attained in design beyond pottery? Or have your new design ventures replaced (for the time being) your opportunities to throw pots?
When you wake up in the morning, are you stunned at the empire you've managed to create?
What does your current research entail for your next design project?
Despite the hard time I've given you on Apartment Therapy, I showed up to your sample sale a week early... have met your Shipping Czarina twice (she's absolutely lovely), and I've got a collection of your past four catalogues... Saw the white leather Casting Couch at the sample sale and went mad for it, but no cab would help me haul it up to the Village. Snagged two gorgeous vases instead.
Thanks for the funky stuff!
Paul
Some critics have charged that you are overexposed. How do you respond?
Have your new book and I love it! I've read it cover to cover and want to thank you for helping me to relax a bit with my living room redecorating project. You're right, design can be too serious and we should focus more on putting more of our own personality in our rooms rather than what looks "right." I want to know if you've heard from that pottery teacher who told you in school to become a lawyer! Thanks for the fabulous book, great photos and a laugh out loud read!
Have you ever been to the Bridgeton Zoo?
As you continue to expand and license Jonathan Adler as a brand (through your own diffusion lines and via third-party partners like LeSportsac, Croscill, Crate & Barrel, Hold Everything, etc), open more JA stores, take on projects like the Parker Palm Springs and continue your media juggernaut (the new book, consumer shelter press, etc), it becomes evident that a JA lifestyle is emerging. But the lifestyle seems to suffer from mutliple personality disorder, in terms of targetting a specific consumer. (MoCo purist? Glam fabulist? The Paris/Nicole/Lindsay set?) The unifying element seems not to be the conisistency of single design vision, but a brash spirit and pure audacity.
Ultimately, who is the Jonathan Adler consumer? Can you define them for us? Have you intentionally pushed the boundaries of "good taste" with your new, wilder (verging on kitsch) designs? And as these designs hit the market, do you worry about disenfranchising your original core buyer, who identified primarily with your earlier couture pottery?
Bonus question. I'm fascinated with you and your partner Simon Doonan. You guys remind me of Auntie Mame (with penises). Will there be any future collaborations between you two? Perhaps (please, please) a reality or lifestyle television show?
Thanks!
Oh, my Lord...
Have you ever spoken to that RISD professor who reprimanded you for almost ruining a kiln and telling you you should not become a potter? How did you become so proficient at clay in such a short amount of time??
Almost every time I see a Jonathan Adler spread or design, I feel like I'm looking at a David Hicks retrospective.
Do you work at all with your sister Amy?
what was your impression of RISD?
You mention your pup, Liberace, a lot. To me, animals are a central part of making a house a real home. How does your pup inspire you? Do you consider "animal wear and tear" when you design your furniture and other pieces? I am really in need of a new couch, but with a kitty who likes to scratch, it is hard imagine kicking down the cash for something she would eye with her evil eye... and some of those nubby fabrics just scream out for cat claws to get stuck in them. Do you think about how to integrate animals into a "home" when you are designing?
Also--and someone else already mentioned this--I am really interested in "sustainable" design and sourcing materials from renewable resources. Do you see the industry really starting to move toward this as an ethic? Or do you think it will always be more of a niche market?
Are there other ceramicists/potters from whom you take inspiration or admire? Do you collect the work of any particular potters?
Have you seen those curvy new vertical blinds that were on Apartment Therapy a few days ago, and do you think they were intentionally created to complement your work?
I'd like to know about the process you went through to launch your own business. Did you sit down with a business plan and get investors and create a marketing plan, or was it more along the lines of opening your own little shop and having it take off from there?
Jonathan, what do you think of the work of Eva Zeisel?
Also, I love both your all-white-with-color-everywhere-else palette, and your olive-with-brown-and-red. How to choose? thanks.
Do you seek out inspiration, or does it seek out you?
What's the biggest/best lesson you learned at RISD?
Your work is infused with a great sense of humor... why doesn't more design have that same sense of humor?
What's your take on the "celebrity interior designer"?
What dream job/product have you yet to design?
What's the best thing about having a creative partner? The worst thing?
What's the best thing about having a Norfolk Terrier? :)
Oh, and how do you know when a design is "done"?
Who do you consider the freshest up and coming designers in the home world? Who is the next Jonathan Adler?
my question is the same as paul. do you still fing time to sit at the potters wheel, and if so, does demi moore in ghost inspire you?
You advocate a happy, cheerful, fun lifestyle and your Soho store certainly reflects that. But how come your employees aka "the salesgirls" are so pissy and aloof? I really like what you are preaching but it seems they haven't recieved their memos.
Yes, indeed... seems like not everyone got the happy, cheerful memo...
What are your thoughts on High-end boxed wine? Even if Daniel Boulud sez iss reel taystee?
That was me having too much high-end boxed wine, not me trying to be French... Just for clarity's sake.
BTW, I've had pleasant experiences with your staff at both the SoHo store as well as the sample sale I mentioned above...
Who or what inspires you now?
Designers, artists, places, etc...
What Interior Design magazines do you read or subscribe to or enjoy reading?
And by the way I LOVE your book...I cannot put it down!
Absolutely love your work.
How do you go about creating a seasonal colour palette? Are there any colours that never work?
How do you feel about the mass market imitators is it flattering or infuriating?
Have you been to Australia?
What would you say to your critics who claim your work is nothing but second-rate knock-offs of Alexander Girard, Vera Neumann, Tommi Parzinger,Albrizzi, Marimekko, Rosenthal, Ebay knick knacks and other ceramists and designers too numerous to mention? I admire your chutzpah and marketing skills, but how do you sleep at night?