2010: T: Style, Nov 2010
101105-ny-times-style-mag-cover-1500g
101105-ny-times-style-mag-cover-1500g
 
101105-ny-times-style-mag-p76-1500
The New York Times Style Magazine

When Theo Richardson, Charles Brill and Alex Williams, three baby-faced graduates of the Rhode Island School of Design, first appeared in 2007 with a floor lamp inspired by graphs and pick-up sticks, they were filled with energy and youthful bravado: they christened themselves Rich Brilliant Willing. Exhaustive self-promoters and occasional party crashers, they seemed ready to storm the offices of Cappellini or Moroso, demanding a shot at the big time. But if the big time has finally arrived for these 20-somethings, who introduced four products with four different companies in the past year, it’s because they’ve earned it. By financing their own studio projects, they’ve been able to develop a colorful mix-and-match aesthetic that is both industrial and playful, one that has caught the eye of brands like SCP and Artecnica — a rare feat for young American furniture designers. “We’ve learned to know the difference between what will be a feather in your cap and what will actually help you build a business,” says Williams (center). The group’s Bright Side Lights for Artecnica, a cast-glass pendant inspired by old telephone-pole insulators and Mason jars, also happens to be its most mature effort to date. Says Richardson (right), “We’ve started to develop our own voice.” By MONICA KHEMSUROV