Talk:David Trubridge

David Trubridge

 * What I think should be changed:

Change A to A1 A: David Geoffrey Trubridge ONZM is a furniture designer based in Whakatu, New Zealand. A1: David Trubridge ONZM (born 14/01/1951) is a renowned furniture designer based in Aotearoa (New Zealand), specialising in lighting (www.davidtrubridge.com). He is widely recognised as one of the world’s preeminent designers and a leader in environmentally responsible design. Encapsulating his ethos, Trubridge says that he "...works within the limits of what I have and know, simplicity and low impact, natural materials and processes, leaving a delicate footprint.”

Add A2: A2: Driven by a strong environmentally conscious philosophy the David Trubridge studio develops works for an international client base including other studios, architecture firms and manufacturers, using sustainable materials as much as possible, and distributing his lights as kitset, allowing purchasers to experience the joy of creating themselves, while reducing the environmental impacts of freighting large objects.

Add A3 A3: Countless influential international publications have featured Trubridge’s iconic work, which ultimately launched the 'raw sophistication' design trend. In 2007 he was honoured with New Zealand’s highest design award, the John Britten Award, by the Designer’s Institute of NZ. The following year (2008) the French magazine Express listed him as one of the top 15 designers in the world. In 2023, David Trubridge was awarded B-Corp Certification. Change heading from: Background to Family and Education Change B to B1 B: Trubridge graduated from Newcastle University in England in 1972 with a degree in Naval Architecture (Boat Design). Working as a forester in rural Northumberland for the next ten years, he taught himself to make furniture. His designs were shown in the UK, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum and St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh. B1: David Trubridge was born in the Isle of Wight, England. As a child, he developed a love of old sailing ships, attending an art school in his spare time where he would build model ships from used matchsticks. David graduated from Newcastle University in England in 1972 with a degree in Naval Architecture (Boat Design). In 1973, he bought a pair of stone ruins in the north of England and along with a group of friends, restored them. Add B2 B2: In the following years, he met his wife Linda, an artist, a yoga instructor and more recently an author, Passages (2018). The young couple welcomed two sons, Sam and William, both of whom have become very successful in their chosen pursuits. William Trubridge is a New Zealand world champion and world record-holding freediver, while Sam Trubridge is the founder and director of The Playground (a performing arts production company) and Wellington's Performance Arcade (an annual festival held on Wellington's waterfront). Add B3: B3: In the changing political landscape of England in the 1980s, David and Linda made the decision to sell up and buy Hornpipe, a yacht. They set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea with their two young sons, calling Hornpipe home for 10 years. Add new Heading: Career Add new sub-heading: EARLY CAREER Add new section (C ) C1: In 1976 David renovated an old barn called Dykehead, turning it into a workshop. Here, he taught himself to make furniture while also holding a part-time job as a forester on the local estate. David utilised traditional designs to learn the craft of woodworking, starting with a telling collection of pieces representing the needs of his young family. The collection included a High Chair, a Stool, a Nursing Rocker and a cradle. Gradually, David started to apply his own design thinking and over the next ten years, he expanded on his methods. David Trubridge pieces began to be exhibited all around the UK. They became so popular that examples were commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum, St. Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh and the Shipley Gallery in Newcastle. Add C2:

C2: While out at sea on Hornpipe, the Trubridge’s came to settle in the British Virgin Islands. Here, David met Robin Tattersall, an English plastic surgeon and GP who ran his practice out of an old hotel named ‘The Purple Palace’. David was commissioned to make a set of french doors for The Purple Palace. Pleased with the finished product, Robin commissioned David to furnish his new home. Over the next year, David designed and built much of the home's interiors, experimenting and evolving his designs along the way including the kitchen cabinets, bar stools, a coffee table, fitted shelves, a desk, bathroom cabinets, a dining table, six chairs and finally a four-poster bed complete with matching bedside cabinets.

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C3: Once the house was complete the Trubridge family set back out to sea, sailing the Pacific Ocean and arriving in Tahiti where they spent the next year and a half. There, David met Dick and Mary Morrison, a couple who had just finished building a house in Moorea, Tahiti. In need of furniture, the Morrisons commissioned David and he filled their home with designs inspired by the island's natural forms. This was another project that shaped what was to come for David as a designer. Add new sub-heading: CAREER IN AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND Add new section (D)

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D1: The Trubridge family arrived in Aotearoa (New Zealand) late in 1985. Two years later, David’s personal project, the Pacific Chairs series gained him exposure. First exhibited in the National Furniture Exhibition at Auckland Museum in 1988, the series included the Pacific Chair, the Sail Chair and the Canoe Chair. Inspired by David's time sailing through Polynesia the series combined shapes influenced by the sea, the sails and the islands with techniques learned during his time spent there. Auckland Museum later purchased the Pacific Chair as a permanent display.

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D2: In the early 1990s, the family yacht Hornpipe was sold. The money made from the sale was used to build a home, designed by David. What started as a personal project, slowly gained the interest of local clients and while he was not a registered architect, David designed 30 homes in the greater Hawke’s Bay region over the next eight years. The design of the Trubridge house also included a studio. Here, David worked on creating his first intended kit-set design, the Hornpipe Bench. Respectfully named after the Trubridge Family yacht, the Hornpipe Bench was ultimately sold as a flat-pack design along with a rocker and a side table of the same name. The Hornpipe Bench was shown at the Ligna Hannover in the UK and was featured in the 1996 International Design Yearbook.

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D3: In 1999 David curated a furniture show for the Hawke’s Bay Cultural Trust. Named Furniture in Context, David asked the participating designers to present their work in a context of their choosing. For his own exhibit, David designed a recliner using techniques he had learned studying boat design and choosing to present the work in the context of naval architectural training. This was the beginning of what would become David's iconic Raft Series. In the year 2000, a defining point in David's oeuvre was Body Raft which David presented at the Milan Furniture Fair where it was spotted by Giuliano Cappellini and licensed to the Cappellini collection. The Raft Series would expand to include Liferaft, Sling, Nananu, Float, Glide, Dondola, and the Coromandel Chair. The raft forms pushed craft techniques to the extreme. The various iterations contained feelings of the ocean or notions of escape and passage. One of the recliners was used by Tourism New Zealand in the 100% Pure New Zealand Campaign.

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D4: An exciting time in the year 2000, Trubridge revealed the Ecliptic Millennial Arch which resides on Napier’s Marine Parade. The sculpture is made from a steel arch of round pipe. At the top two large, highly polished, stainless steel discs are fastened back to back. Ecliptic is the name of the path that the sun traces throughout the four seasons. It is a reference to David's knowledge of celestial navigation which he acquired while sailing to New Zealand. The work is lined up to where the sun rose on the day of the dawning of the new millennium.

Add D5

D5: Also during this time, David was selected as one of four recipients of the 2005 Antarctica Arts Fellows where he and three other New Zealand artists were given the rare opportunity to explore Antarctica and gain inspiration. On the 12-day expedition, David saw a small kina frozen under the Antarctic ice. The shell had absorbed enough warmth from the sun to melt the ice around it, which inspired his design of the same name. Similarly, the frozen landscape inspired the design of Snowflake. However, these thoughts of design came later.

Change heading from: Awards and exhibitions to Lighting Design Change Z to E1 Z: The company exhibited at Dwell on Design (LA) and Wanted Design (NY) in 2011. It was also a part of the 2010 Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt Design National Design Triennial. E1: Trubridge spent much of his spare time experimenting with two-ply plywood. Finding that the material was too thin to take any load, Trubridge turned his attention from chairs to lights. The first production light was Coral. Soon after, came Floral, Kina, Kōura, and Snowflake. Perhaps the most well-known of David’s designs, Coral was the beginning of a whole new direction for him and ultimately the David Trubridge brand. In 2004, Trubridge returned to the Milan Furniture Fair and presented Coral as what was then a fully assembled piece. Attendee, Simon Alderson, from Twentytwentyone (a London-based furniture store), proposed a redesign of the light, making it kitset. A suggestion that would shape the future of David Trubridge designs. Change Z1 to E2 Z1: The company has been involved with the Milan Furniture Fair since 2006. In conjunction with the Natural Art Museum and the UN, Trubridge exhibited "On Thin Ice" in 2007 at the Nobel Peace Centre. Shown in Oslo, Brussels, Monaco and Chicago, this sculptural investigation into climate change won a Green Leaf Award. E2: When David returned to New Zealand he purchased a CNC machine and went into production, launching his first kitset light to the public in the mid-2000s. The popularity of Coral opened the door for Floral and eventually a whole collection. Coined the Seed System, Trubridge created the ever-expanding series of ‘Grow’ lights in 2011 when he redesigned his collection as kit sets. This idea became the backbone of the company and what David Trubridge is now commonly known for.

Change Z2 to E3 Z2: In New Zealand, BEST, Good Design and the NZ Home Design Awards have been acquired. In 2007, Trubridge also received the John Britten Award, which is New Zealand's highest design accolade. E3: Also during this time, polycarbonate had become a staple in David Trubridge design. Polycarbonate is a long-lasting and impact-resistant plastic that can diffuse light like rice paper. This feature gave the polycarbonate designs an ethereal nature. After the launch of Squirt in 2007, variations such as Twist and Swish were introduced. In 2008, Trubridge exhibited Cloud at the Milan Design Fair. The Cloud lights replicated the spiral shape of the seats below them, referencing the small islands David had seen during his ventures across the Pacific Ocean and the stationary clouds that would sit above them. Clouds, which were used by Polynesian navigators to find islands from afar. Returning to the Milan Design Fair the following year, Trubridge launched the Baskets of Knowledge. Based on a Māori legend in which three kete (baskets) were used to bring knowledge down from the gods to the people of the land.

Change Z3 to E4 Z3: Trubridge has taught and lectured at a range of institutions. This includes regular summer school sessions at Vitra Design Museum (France), a "Distinguished Visiting Professor of Wood Arts" award at San Francisco's CCA, and as a speaker at the Arquine Architectural Institute in Mexico. E4: The popularity of the polycarbonate designs led to the design of the Ebb series. The Ebb lights were released in 2010 and inspired by the sketches of light-play on water ripples that David observed on his travels. Referencing the ebb and flow of the sea, Ebb refers to the directional arc that arrays around four different design forms. The Ebb lights were first launched as fully assembled lamps made from polycarbonate plastic and plywood components and were re-designed five years later as kitsets.

Change Z4 to E5 Z4: Martin Sidoruk, speaking for the DINZ Council, said, "David is a true advocate of New Zealand's design industry, speaking regularly overseas and mentoring young designers, while at the same time achieving international success and recognition for his incredible designs.” E5: In 2010, David presented the installation ‘Icarus’ at the Milan Design Fair. Based on the Greek myth about the boy who flew too close to the Sun, Icarus included the kitset design, Sola and the polycarbonate design Wing. The installation was later purchased by the Pompidou Centre in Paris for its permanent collection. The same year, Trubridge exhibited Dream Space, an exploration of the architectural potential of the process Trubridge had perfected with kitset lights. The Dream Space was a dome structure made from thin aluminum sheet and a pine base. 4 metres wide and 2.4 metres high, the Dream Space was able to be almost entirely packed into a suitcase.

Change Z5 to E6 Z5: In the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours, Trubridge was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to design.[3] E6: 2015 saw the redesign of the Ebb series, making them kitset, and the introduction of the Mānuka light. Inspired by the native New Zealand Mānuka flower and diatom structures, Mānuka was a new development in David Trubridge pendant lights where multiple peripheral LEDs replaced the standard single central bulb. The intricately patterned sphere was made up of 32 “flower” shapes with 12 LEDs embedded in this shell structure, made from bamboo plywood, aluminum and polycarbonate. The pin-point light sources cast magical overlapping shadow patterns.

Change Z6 to E7 Z6: Trubridge has been listed by French magazine Express as one of the top 15 designers in the world.[4] E7: In 2019, Trubridge immediately discontinued six of its thirteen products with a high plastic content, with the remaining designs phased out over the following year, in keeping with the company's commitment toward sustainable design practices. Despite the significant commercial success of these product's, Trubridge said of the discontinuation that the company "can't go on selling them and still claim we are doing all we can as a company to reduce our environmental footprint."

Add E8

E8: As a direct response, the Trubridge Studio set out to find new ways of using sustainably managed bamboo plywood, taking inspiration from the discontinued designs. Of this, came the 'Navicula', 'Maru' and 'Kete' designs. Wood waste from the plywood products is sent to a local timber mill for efficient incineration to generate electricity in its steam power turbines. Add E9

E9: In recent years, the company has eliminated plastic wherever possible, converting to paper tape and sourcing compostable zip bags for the essential kitset packaging. They are working with suppliers to develop alternatives to nylon clips. Add E10

E10: David Trubridge says, "I'm hoping I can bring light to the use of plastic in industrial design. Designers must think about materiality and life-span. What are you designing? How long will be it be relevant? What will happen to it when it’s discarded? Can you redesign the system rather than the object? I think this is such an exciting time to be a designer. We are all responsible for the future.” Add E11

E11: Today, The company has committed to using renewable materials in any new designs. They are hoping other sustainable substrates will be developed over the next decade. Change Heading from Notable works to Sustainable Design

Change Y to F1 Y: Flora, fauna, and formations within landscapes mainly comprise Trubridge's work. These include lighting, furniture, large-scale commissions, and sculptural pieces which are all designed with longevity in mind and integrity at their core. F1: Ever since he was a child, David has imbued his creativity with a sense of care, which he believes is the essence of craft. That care ranges from caring about the longevity of a well-made product, to caring that the owner is enriched by it. Change Y1 to F2 Y1: Perhaps, one of the most well-known Trubridge "signatures" is the Coral Light. Inspired by the designer's experiences underwater, the piece is based on the structure of a geometric polyhedron and is reminiscent of the intricate patterns within the coral itself. Sold as a kit set, the environmental footprint of the light is also reduced. This is a typical Trubridge feature. The collections incorporate a wide range of "Grow" lights which are known as the "Seed System". The company believes this involvement of the customer in the construction process is an essential advancement of the product's emotional worth. F2: On his return from Antarctica in 2005, David gave a series of lectures about the responsibility of design, both within New Zealand and around the world, stemming from his concern over the climate crisis. David also presented his philosophies around sustainable design to groups of students when he began regularly teaching at the Vitra Museum Design Summer School in France and worked a semester as a tutor at TAFE (Technical and Further Education) in Perth, Australia. Change Y2 to F3 Y2: Trubridge's body of work has continued to develop since his early days as a craftsman in the UK. In 2008, Body Raft was designed for the New Zealand exhibition "Furniture in Context", which was an initiative of the Hawke's Bay Cultural Trust. Later taken to the Dowse Art Museum, this piece was further developed in 2001 and shown at the Milan Furniture Fair. It was Body Raft which propelled Trubridge onto the international design circuit with the piece's design purchased by the Italian company Cappellini. F3: In 2006, David presented the exhibition ‘On Thin Ice’ at the Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery. The work included three steel sheets that had been laser-cut into increasingly shattered patterns like the breaking sea ice he had seen from the plane to Antarctica. The title referred to the literal melting of the ice as well as our tenuous existence on Earth. The following year, David entered this piece into the exhibition ‘Envisioning Change’, organised by the Natural World Museum in partnership with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Norwegian Ministry of Environment. Shown at the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, the exhibition was designed to create awareness around global warming in honour of the annual UN World Environment Day, 2007. Rather than generating carbon emissions by sending his heavy metal pieces overseas, Trubridge opted to have his designs recreated in a local metalworks factory. The work earned Trubridge the award for the best sculptural design. Envisioning Change went on to be shown in Brussels, Monaco, and Chicago.

Change Y3 to F4 Y3: A regular presence in the US and European design markets, Trubridge has also developed a number of large scale commissions for corporate clients. These include a series of lights for Topshop's flagship store in Oxford Street for the launch of the Kate Moss collection; for Stella McCartney in Printemps (Paris); benches for Suncorp HQ (Brisbane) and the AMP foyer (Auckland); customised lights for Oroton (in all Australian stores); and sculptural light installations for Bombay Sapphire's pop up shop in Auckland. F4: Trubridge is regarded as one of the world’s leading designers, at the forefront of ecological design. Trubridge’s design work is a continual improvement of care for the environment and people, constantly looking to reduce any detrimental impacts of the product or distribution.

Change Y4 to F5 Y4: A collaborative project with Urban Arts Projects resulted in a lighting installation for the Westfield Fox Hills Shopping Centre in California. In addition, Trubridge has work in The Minneapolis Museum (Glide), Auckland Museum (Pacific Chair) and in the Powerhouse, Sydney (Sling). F5: Trubridge lighting designs are made from bamboo which is a secondary resource from Chinese plantations grown for food that would otherwise be burnt as waste, with the amount of material used minimised to reduce impact. The lights are designed so that a strong structure is created with small pieces of extremely thin bamboo material. Over recent years, plastic has been progressively removed from the David Trubridge operation, except for the nylon clips used to assemble the lights, the bulb holders/cables and the diffusers on Navicula and Maru.

Change Y5 to F6 Y5: Most recently, the Pompidou Centre in Paris has purchased Trubridge's Icarus installation (two Wing and one Sola light) for its permanent collection.[citation needed] F6: Kitset designs significantly reduce the freighting volume of the lights: on average 30 kitset boxes take up the same volume as a single assembled light.

Add F7

F7: The David Trubridge company follows sustainable practices in all areas of business, including clean energy consumption and reduced waste to landfill. It endeavours to give back to the community and to nature, financing educational activities with children who will learn about the need to care for nature. David Trubridge is a key sponsor of the Maraetōtara Tree Trust, funding to protect, enhance and restore the local Maraetōtara River from the top of the Maraetōtara Valley to its outflow into Hawke Bay at Te Awanga beach.

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F8: David Trubridge Ltd was the first Australasian company to offer EPDs (Environmental Product Declarations) for its designs.

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F9: In 2023, the company was awarded B Corp Certification.

Add Heading: Commercial Design

Add G1:

G1: In 2011, David designed the David Trubridge Ltd headquarters. Located in Whakatu, Hastings, the new premises included a design studio, a workshop, a dispatch office and a showroom, where, for the first time, all available products could be displayed in one place, with all steps from design, to manufacturing to distribution happening under one roof..

Add G2:

G2: In 2014, David Trubridge and lead designer Marion Courtillé collaborated with PNL Group, a design company specialising in workplace and commercial environments. The partnership produced a range of commercial furniture including Hush, an award-winning acoustic light that creates a peaceful environment by absorbing noise and reverberation; Luup, a series of highly versatile flat pack tables; Soft Ruth Rocker, a contemporary take on a traditional rocking chair offering a comfortable spot to recharge and; Island Seating, redesigned from the launch in 2008, an alternative to the standard ottoman ideal for a foyer or a collaborative office space.

Add G3:

G3: In 2016, in collaboration with the Rotorua Redwoods Treewalk, Trubridge designed the iconic nocturnal tourism experience: Nightlights, New Zealand’s first design-led tourist attraction. The night-time experience offers visitors and locals the opportunity to explore Rotorua’s majestic Redwood forest under the shroud of darkness; illuminated by David Trubridge lights. At the time of completion in 2016, the Rotorua Redwoods Treewalk was the world’s longest suspended walkway, consisting of 23 elevated swing bridges with the addition of over 70 lantern-like lights, living platforms, and a spiral staircase designed by David Trubridge Ltd.

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G4:A long collaboration with Scion in Rotorua, working on various alternatives to oil-based products resulted in the 2023 installation at Tākina Wellington Convention & Exhibition Centre. Made of organic biopolymer, the light installation depicts the wind which “shapes and defines the identity of Wellington city”


 * Why it should be changed: The original edits are out of date. We are employed by David Trubridge Ltd and have been requested to update this page to the current, correct information.
 * References supporting the possible change (format using the "cite" button): Information can be found here: https://davidtrubridge.com/nz/

Zak Shrubsall (talk) 22:26, 29 January 2024 (UTC)


 * The changes are not supported by neutral, independent, reliable sources. Please provide reliable sources that support the change you want to be made.  It is very unlikely that all the information came from a single source. Also, the source appears to be a primary source. I also suggest making it more specific about what information came from what source. Shadow311 (talk) 16:36, 30 January 2024 (UTC)


 * please find the references below however most of this information comes from David himself or his book 'David Trubridge - The Other Way'
 * ^ "Driven By A Strong Environmentally Conscious Philosophy". David Trubridge. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
 * "David Trubridge - Designer Profile". Stylepark. Retrieved 16 September 2022.
 * ^ Dunn, Collin. "David Trubridge: Designing with Morality". Treehugger. MNN Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 2 May 2013.
 * ^ "Queen's Birthday Honours List 2019". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
 * Schamroth, Helen. 100 New Zealand Craft Artists. Auckland: Godwit Press, 1998. ISBN 1869620305. Zak Shrubsall (talk) 20:24, 30 January 2024 (UTC)

Update 'David Trubridge' Wikipedia Page
Hi there,

We would like to propose an update to the 'David Trubridge' Wikipedia page. I have been instructed to propose on here as I have conflict of interest as I am employed by David Trubridge Ltd. I will send my requested edits to the article to the request wizard.

Thank you,

Zak Shrubsall Zak Shrubsall (talk) 22:26, 29 January 2024 (UTC)