I'm on with it:

Every time I do an exhibtion it always seems that I have loads to do 2 days before it starts. And I always end up working stupid hours and forgetting what I've done. So I've decided to document a few of my goings on from my iphone 2 days before my show at Grand Designs.

It's not to moan about what I'm doing but just to document stuff, so that I have a record of what I've been doing and stupid hours and locations I'm doing them in. See a few I'm on with it posts below.

I'm in with it: 7

Man I'm getting tired! (2am) Just printing some last minute tags for the embraces I dropped off at Grand Designs yesterday! Hopefully I'll be selling a few and will be putting these to use! Once these are done I'll be heading home to pack for London & NYC. Not looking at many hours sleep!

Train at 7 in the morning back to London! cheers! See you at the show!
- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Diamond St,York,United Kingdom

I'm on with it 6

Grand Designs is set up now! Just embarking on my 4 hour trip home! It doesn't really feel right building the stand and then leaving it again, but the Royal Wedding has left me with no choice, the hotel prices for tonight were HUGE. SO I'm heading back to york and I will get the Train back down hear on Saturday morning for when the show opens.
Instead of street parties tomorrow morning I will be indoors finishing off my things for ICFF New York!

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Sandstone Ln,East Ham,United Kingdom

I'm on with it: 5

Just arrived at the Excel centre ready to set up for Grand Designs! Definitely set off this
Morning at 4am and now I'm queuing to get in! Just what I want!
- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Seagull Ln,East Ham,United Kingdom

Im on with it: 4

Good Morning A1. Best part of Setting off at 4am......sunrise!
- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Oakham,United Kingdom

I'm on with it: 3

Setting off to Grand Designs at 4am. Currently 2am and I'm weeding vinyl.....cheers!
- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Healey Wood Rd,Halifax,United Kingdom

I'm on with it 2

laser cutting some nice Oak market style price tags for Grand Designs.
- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Bootham Crescent,York,United Kingdom

I'm on with it: 1

Quick spray Job prepping prototypes for NYC before I set off for Grand Designs.

- Posted from my iPhone
Location:Bootham Crescent,York,United Kingdom

EMBRACE OWNERS CLUB

Another one for the embrace owners club / andrex advert. Thank you heather for sending in the pic. Enjoy the puppy!

IN THE PRESS

A nice feature for the Pantone Wallstore in this month's living etc.

MILAN

The above image is the Ex.T advert for their new range currently on show in Milan. See my product "standard" on the ground floor. Nice!

GRAND DESIGNS LIVE

I will be exhibiting at Grand Designs Live, I know, I know........this is stupid especially after confirming ICFF, Grand Designs Live runs from 30 April - 8th May at the London Excel Centre, this gives me Monday 9th of May to get back up North (home), do some washing, re-pack and then on the 10th of May I leave for New York in time to set up ICFF. So may is going to be a busy one.

A few people have said to me I'm mad, and they are probably right!

Grand Designs is a public show, so I'll be selling embrace direct to the public at a special show price. Snowhome has sponsered my stand, and in return for the sponsership I will be displaying a new product that Angus (owner of snowhome) has been working on with Alison Hardcastle (ex snowhome employee and illustrator) check out Alison's work here: http://www.alisonhardcastle.com/ . It's a nice collaboration!

I look forward to seeing you there!

ICFF

New York. Over the past 18 months since Embrace has been in production I have had lots of demand from the US. However my ability to gain a cheap shipping price for shipping to the US has stopped most potential orders.

This year I have decided to exhibit at ICFF, New York in search of US distribution. Since visiting micky mouse in Florida as a young kid I have always wanted to return to the US. And since being aware of product and furniture design, ICFF is one of the shows I have always wanted to visit. So as you can guess, I'm pretty excited about this one.

Unfortunately I will not be launching any brand new products at this show, as I want to make sure that embrace is the main focus, and that I get every little detail correct. To add some colour to my stand I will also be showing the Pantone Wallstore.

EX-T

So.......there has been 100's of enquiries about this product over the past few months, when will it be in production? How much will it cost? Where can I buy one?

It's finally here, standard has been signed off to a new Italian design brand called Ex-t. Ex-T will be exclusively manufacturing and distributing 'standard' worldwide and will launch it along with 12 other new products at their flagship store on via Tortona 34, during Milan Design Week. April 12-17.

It's a massive shame for me not to be able to get out there for the official launch, but my wallet is totally empty after forking out for New York & Grand Designs at the end of this month :(

The good news is im currently prototyping a wall mounted version of standard and a couple of products to come under the standard broom stick inspired range, so keep your eye's peeled.

Just for the crack

Still emptying out the studio, thought it would be funny to try x2 small Embraces together. Just for the crack!

- Posted from my iPhone Location:Grosvenor Terrace,York,United Kingdom

Happy Customer

Amidst all the stress's of moving studio and struggling to find storage space for too many prototypes, a few emails have put a smile on my face today. The first from Rob. A happy 'Woodskin' customer. Rob says:

"I follow your blog and occasionally see people send in pics of your products and while i cant afford the embrace or any other your other creations at the moment I hope one day I will! (I am debating the standard when it is available) however i thought i would send you a pic of something i can afford".

Thanks for this Rob and don't worry, I can't afford many of my pieces neither. The one thing I have always said to myself is to: "never design what you can't afford"..............I'm still trying to master this.

The second was an order for an embrace from somebody with a great address:

For anybody that isn't aware, that's the Isokon building. See info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isokon

I really hope this owner sends in a nice pic of the embrace in situ.

I really enjoy the fact that an embrace will be situated in such an iconic design building. I also enjoy the fact that embrace was designed for a university brief to design a modern take on the penguin donkey. A product that was designed for Isokon by Egon Riss, a former resident in the Isokon building. :)

THE LAST ONE HERE

I'm currently coming to the end of what has been an exhausting all-nighter, (forgive any spelling mistakes now). I have been packing my crate for my exhibition in New York, and then checking it over and over and over and over......and over to make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything. The show, ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) isn't until 14th of May but my crate has to leave this morning to get the slow boat (cheapest form of transport). I think it's so hard for me to pack up because I never do anything this far in advance. If you know me well you will understand. (check out the crate above, thought I'd put the fixie in to give you some ref/scale...and because I havn't blogged it once in the 2 years I've had it).

Another reason for the all-nighter.......My crate for New York isn't the only thing I've been packing up........My 2 year contract for DesignWorks @ York St John University has finally come to an end. The uni has been amazing to me, it's where I studied and found my passion for product design for 3 years and for the last 2 years (straight form graduation) it has been the backbone of my career so far as a designer. Without YSJ I could not of done what I have done.

Every prototype I have ever made has been here, every exhibition I have done has been built and tested in the H-U-G-E studio space we have here. I will never lose touch with YSJ and DesignWorks, after all it is the birthplace of 'embrace' and we all know how important that is.

I officially leave the studio space in DesignWorks on 6th April (this weds), I will be relocating my studio into the tiny but neat backrooms of snowhome. A 2 minute walk from YSJ. I still plan to utilise the YSJ prototyping facilities the best I can over the next few years/until I can afford my own. Although the thought of leaving DesignWorks makes me sad the prospect of moving to Snowhome makes me excited, things have to move on and I think it's finally time for me to move to the next level. (above images show design works right now 5am monday morning....me packing for ICFF and Grand Designs and moving out all happening this month)
Look out for more johngreen & snowhome collaborations.

STOCK

Hi all, just to let you know I've had a nice new delivery of embraces. All finishes in good stock and a nice few images to go with it.

OFF CUT'S

Check this out, some the lads were hacking up a pallet in the workshop to helping me out to build my case for New York. I picked up these little off cuts in the workshop. Great coasters......wonder if it's been done!