Episode 3
Harry Nuriev in Conversation: transformism, comfort in design, MTV Cribs
“When I create space I don't think about traditional function, I am thinking about how I would like to spend the rest of my day, the rest of my week, the rest of my life. I think at the end of the day comfort is winning, you know – killing design. So instead of fighting this, we just have to find a way to not hate it. I think people experience a normal way of living where you have to have a beige sofa and wooden doors and this will kind of navigate you through social class and all things that I have always been sick of, that I always tried to reject and change through my practice. And I think my clients have seen it all and they just don't want to follow this road.”
“When I create space I don't think about traditional function, I am thinking about how I would like to spend the rest of my day, the rest of my week, the rest of my life. I think at the end of the day comfort is winning, you know – killing design. So instead of fighting this, we just have to find a way to not hate it. I think people experience a normal way of living where you have to have a beige sofa and wooden doors and this will kind of navigate you through social class and all things that I have always been sick of, that I always tried to reject and change through my practice. And I think my clients have seen it all and they just don't want to follow this road.”
Harry Nuriev is an architect, a furniture designer, and an artist. He describes his approach as “transformism”: creating new and exciting designs with what we already have, in contrast to producing something entirely new. Whether it is sofas made out of winnowed clothes, gamer chairs covered with lace, or a swimming pool tiled like a Photoshop transparency layer – with his company Crosby Studios, Nuriev finds beauty where no one else wants to look, transforming objects and spaces and incorporating the digital into the real world. OttO Kent and Harry Nuriev dive into the inspiration behind his work, where he’s coming from, and where he’s heading – as well as his view on MTV Cribs and old school RnB hits.