I am very pleased to let you know that the ‘Alexander Lamont’ Blog is being launched today. The company is now almost 15 years old which seems old enough to wish to share with you some interesting observations into this complex and fascinating enterprise that was started with the very simple aspiration: to make original and beautiful things combining uncompromisingly exquisite materials and exceptional craftsmanship.
(Photographs are from a selection of materials and objects that are currently in various stages of production in our workshop. We will be sharing some of these stories in the near future. Please scroll down to continue reading.)
The ‘machine’ of this business is found to the north of Bangkok, capital city of Thailand. We have our workshops, warehouses, design and development studio, sales and marketing offices, trade showrooms and various other components here. Things happen quickly and new creations emerge every week so this blog will allow anyone interested to have a rare look under the skin of the company. For friends of the company, we want to show our projects, experiences, inspirations and ideas as they turn into the objects, lighting and furniture that have been described as having the character of ‘things that live at the meeting point of art and design’. There will be a weekly posting written either by myself, Alexandra or Marion who make up our marketing department. Most important to me is that our friends are able to have a closer, more intimate understanding of who we are as a creative force. Why do these few materials matter so much to us? Why pursue techniques that are so patently difficult and ‘out of the past’? What does ‘craftsmanship’ really mean to us? Where are we going in terms of new collections and new designs in moving these wonderful traditional mediums in new and contemporary directions?
It is not easy running any small business. There are thousands of small difficult decisions that in their totality define the brand and character of every company. It is certainly more difficult working across languages and cultures, making fine things in heat and humidity, controlling and producing in-house every aspect of the brand from original idea to shop design. To find simplicity and beauty in this complexity provides for a wonderful narrative – both textural and visual.
If you want to share this journey then the blog will take you through our rituals and inner workings right into the pieces themselves; the hows and whys and what fors. I have found this journey, my life’s work, to be endlessly fascinating and surprising. In working with my wonderful team I will bring you something memorable each week that will allow the light from this realm to reach those outside.