What were your goals for starting Picnic Design?
Developed with a love of thoughtful and whimsical design, the name Picnic Design says it all. Like a picnic, design should be fun and enjoyable, open to dreaming and playing, even if the ideas may seem silly at the start. Like a picnic, design is collaborative, with everyone at the table contributing towards a common goal. The result is multi-faceted, layered and unique. No two picnics are ever the same.
How would you describe your design philosophy?
Everything we create has a story. We place emphasis on making connections, be they visual via an interior balcony, or physical with a secret passage. We make sure the story is open-ended and designed to change, so the place will transform with the users as they grow.
Which personality traits help your partnership succeed?
Our main trait is curiosity with a touch of stubbornness. We applied them as we grew up, and eventually in our work and in our travels. We have learned to observe attentively, shed our preconceptions and ask questions. How people share a meal, or seek relief from the sun, or even how they get to work, all serve to expand our perspective. We are also inspired by our hometowns: Hong Kong and Bonfield, Ontario. Joanne has a natural propensity for tall and dense ways of living. By contrast, Eric was influenced by his summer campground adventures across Canada.
What makes your partnership special?
As partners in life and work, the two naturally bleed into each other. We embrace this wholeheartedly, often talking about groceries and projects in the same sentence. Our children, having been immersed in enough project speak, have demanded to be clients. The Two Peas in a Pod project (pictured above) we created was for them.
This or That
Color Scheme: Monochromatic or multi-hued? Multi-hued for sure. We live in a world of color.
Bright Ideas: Sketchbook or tablet? Sketchbook. Nothing compares to the feel and sound of a pencil pressing on paper. We are old school.
Sound Off: Peaceful or lively audio background? Most of the time, it is peaceful and serene, but when we really need a boost, or when something really good happens (like a new project, hitting a project milestone or having a project photographed), we crank it up in the office.
Project photos by Scott Norsworthy; Headshot by Collective Photo Co.
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