Meet the Makers: Nazanin Kamali

What inspired you to become a designer? 

I’ve always had an interest in making. My mother was a seamstress and pattern-cutter, and I started sewing from a very early age, as young as four or five. I used to make clothes, shoes and cardboard furniture for my dolls in Tehran, Iran.

I came to the UK in 1978, and because of the Iranian Islamic Revolution, I ended up staying in the UK and continued schooling here. I was encouraged to study maths and science, which I did, but I always maintained my love for fashion and dressmaking.

At 18, I decided to pursue the arts, and at art school, I became involved in 3D design using any material that was available to me, from paper to ceramics and wood. I continued my studies and specialised in blacksmithing at degree level. This was in the late 1980s and early 1990s, where one-off furniture was in-vogue and highly inspirational.

I went on to study MA Furniture at the Royal College of Art, London – at the time a highly-competitive course – where I pursued my passion for making one-off pieces. When I graduated, I completed an adult education basket-weaving course and continued making, while teaching. Together with two fine artists, I put together an art collective group, Non-Specific Creativity. We secured several art and design projects, such as the Time Out Billboard Competition, and we worked on the interior design and concept for a small independent Japanese restaurant in Brighton, Oki-Nami. It’s here where we collaborated with graphic design studio, Graphic Thought Facility, and ceramicist, Julie Goodwin.

In 1995, I started working at Aero, a homeware company owned by Paul Newman, where I was responsible for various aspects ranging from product development, store and exhibition design, and sourcing and buying. Five years later, Paul and I started Interior Newman and Kamali, continuing product development and manufacturing for retailers such as Heal’s and The Conran Shop. Then, Paul started Case with Sheridan Coakley, and I continued running Interior Newman and Kamali, and designing for Case.

In 2015, I launched a textiles range based on embroidery projects I had pursued, alongside my furniture work. In 2020, I reduced my involvement in the design work and started a psychotherapy course, which I’m pursuing presently.

Have you always been interested in, and passionate about, furniture design? 

I’m passionate about creativity and I don’t necessarily see conventional design boundaries. I admire designers such as Arne Jacobsen, who have a vision for the entity of a project, such as the SAS Royal Hotel. I guess I’ve attempted that approach – in a small way – with Oki-Nami or Aero, and these are the projects I’m passionate about. 

You were born in Iran; does your heritage inspire your creativity? 

I hope so! Iran is an integral part of me. I’m not sure how much of that inspiration is translated in my furniture, but I think that Iranian inspiration is very visible in my early work, and my current embroidery. I feel it’s a bit more complicated to incorporate it in the work I do for Case, since it’s rather specific.  

There’s distinct Japanese influence in your designs; where does this come from? 

In the early 1990s, I went to Japan and stayed with my sister (who is married to a Japanese man), and I was blown away by the intricacies of Japanese design. I once again came across that ‘detailed’ aspect of design that I so much admire in Jacobsen’s work. And of course, the pieces that Case has manufactured date back to Oki-Nami’s second restaurant, designed by me in 2008.  

You’re a founding designer Case; can you talk us through the pieces you’ve created so far? 

Some pieces for Case had a previous life! For example, the Celine Desk was designed for John Lewis. This was a desk that I wanted to have in my small seaside house. A simple desk I could put my laptop on and wouldn’t look too intrusive in the corner of my dining room, but would be elegant enough in my bedroom to use as a dressing table. The buyers at John Lewis were really into Mad Men, the TV series, so it’s inspired by mid-century design. It was an easy project for me, because I love that era, too!  

The Oki-Nami range, including a chair and stool, was designed for the second Oki-Nami restaurant in Brighton. I wanted to incorporate the Japanese oak construction reminiscent of Japanese temples and for the range to have a look of longevity that’s integral to traditional Japanese architecture. The seats had to be generous, too, for fussy restaurant customers!  

The Ziba Chair, designed for Case, was a very specific brief: a two-part ply chair. I was keen for it to have an organic elegance.

The Odyssey 2-Seater Sofa is inspired by my most-desired piece of furniture, Togo by Ligne Roset, but adds an additional sharp, modern edge.