IDS12 Feature Person: Fraser Greenberg

Our very own, Fraser Greenberg, is featured in the Interior Design Show's "People. Product. Place."

Though not published, the good people at IDS interviewed Fraser to learn more about his inspirations and motivations in the design world. Here's how it went:

Q: How did you get in to the design industry?

A: Lego. I was a (proud) "doing it wrong" kid (Lego doing it wrong ads). Around the age of six I learned that you could build objects without following the instructions (note: do not attempt Ikea). It was an invaluable lesson in curiosity. To have so many possibilities with such limited tools! Imagine the feeling when I found out the world was full of thousands of materials that could be put towards solving real problems.

Around the age of seven I swallowed a piece of Lego. It was an invaluable lesson in environmental design (namely: biodegration). That, and my mom and dad, the two people that I respect most, are respected members in the Toronto design community who lovingly held my hand as I grew into it.

Q: Floorworks/Relative Space always have one of the best windows in the city. I know that you work a lot with students - Can you tell us a little bit about how that started and how it has evolved though the years?

A: It all began with a jog. Colette Laliberte, a professor at OCAD, jogged past our store as part of her exercise regime. One day, compelled by fatigue and (hopefully) intrigue, she stopped into the store to give us compliments on our window and the conversation naturally drifted to speaking of art and design. She was delightful. When I learned more about her (people in jogging suits are unassuming) it seemed a collaboration was inevitable.

It was first conceived as a 'Relative Space Scholarship', but the formality of it forced us to ponder on. So we started by looking at problems (students) and solutions (the future). The idea of using our display window wasn't the first, but as we dug into it, it just seemed to get better and better. Students would get working experience and be able to actualize one of their projects on a very large scale - and have a commission under their belts to kick start their careers. Relative Space got a constantly fresh display window led by the insight and creativity of a fantastic assortment of minds.

Q: You guys are one of the few companies that have really embraced media in the social space - ie Twitter/Tumblr paired with cool blogs - can you tell me more about that? Why do you guys do it? What do you enjoy about it? How do you see the social space evolving over time?

A: My attendance at Conversations in Design 2011 is definitely helping out answering this one. I'm going to tackle the "enjoyment" leg of the question first.

The online social space is a cozy place where the distance between ourselves and our clients is significantly smaller than in the one-way conversation of advertising. It's like being in a room where you can hear every conversation and engage everyone at the same time - and I love talking about what we do. From these interactions we learn how people perceive, engage with, and understand our products. This is fantastic market knowledge to have. It allows us to be better and our clients to derive more pleasure from our products.

Above all of this, it allows us to take a 'static' product, like wood flooring, and enliven it. It adds "life" to lifestyle. By sharing links, our projects, and hi-fiving with cool blogs, we are able to convey a lot more about what it is that we sell. For example: the process of purchasing wood floors is a peculiar one: typically, you examine a sample that's 1/100th the size of what you're getting and make your decision. That's a really big gap of expectation. Some companies try to temper this expectation through fancy tools like 3D models and walkthroughs, amongst others. We try to fill the gap through associations: here are the types of spaces we like, here's what you can do with our products, here are the people who like it.

Lastly, our social space is a community of people that we love. How many floors do you purchase in your life? It's something you'll have for a very long time. We want our products to constantly reward you long after the gloss of advertising may have worn off.

Q: What is really inspiring you right now?

A: Music. I spent twenty minutes deciding what to listen to while writing this response. 2010 was the best year in music since I was born, and the amount of creativity and diversity that is going into music now is inspiring.

Q: Can you tell us something that the typical person might not know about yourself/Relative Space?

A: "Relative Space" is supposed to mean "Family Store" (but thanks to everyone who has waxed endearingly about Newtonian Mechanics). Our company mascot is Coca, a 140 lbs Neapolitan Mastiff. I love Halloween candy. Guilt is easier to swallow in small portions. I often argue with my friends that being called a "nerd" is flattering.