Your name:
Jerry Helling
What you do:
President and Creative Director, Bernhardt Design
Your latest project:
“America Made Me”, an exhibition for the London Design Festival, which will present the best work from American companies and American designers.
Who are three people that inspire/excite you:
1) Fabien Baron – Everything he touches is done to perfection, he truly has the Midas touch, and is a nice man to top it off.
2) Tyler Brule – He is a brilliant man, he takes action, and he creates while other people talk.
3) Bob Weinstein – The creator of Miramax and now the Weinstein Company, is living proof that quality and commercial success are not mutually exclusive, even in Hollywood.
What is your favourite…
travel destination:
London is my favourite large city and San Sebastian is an amazing smaller town.
hotel/place to stay:
luxury goods company:
value for money company:
design classic:
1961 Jaguar e type convertible
new design:
James Dyson industrial hand dryers
type of chair:
Bar stools: My favourite is our Aro by Lievore Altherr and Molina
Also, I’ve loved the Lem stool Shinn Azumi did for Lapalma for many years.
meal:
Double pepperoni, cheese and onion pizza at Bonnie Brae Tavern, Denver
Restaurant:
drink:
Diet Dr. Pepper
bar:
Bar at Hotel Costes, Paris
Item of clothing for…
Winter:
leather & shearling Overcoat from Buenos Aires
Summer:
White seersucker shirts from Barneys
artwork:
American Progress and Time by Jose Maria Sert, Rockefeller Center, New York.
artist:
Cy Twombly
gallery/museum
National Portrait Gallery, London
book:
Night Train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier
item in your studio:
A painting Charles Pollock did for me.
piece of technology:
I guess it is actually an app: HBO Go
historical figure:
It always changes, but right now I’m fascinated with Ernest Hemingway.
fictional character:
President Jed Bartlet from the West Wing. If only he were a real person!
vice:
itunes addiction
virtue:
desire to see people succeed.
What does the term ‘Design Hunter’™ mean to you?
Constantly looking for the perfect combination of aesthetics, quality, and performance. To me those attributes represent good design and it takes some hunting to find them.
