Making Things Right: New Zealand industrial design pioneer Peter Haythornthwaite, the quest for beauty and putting the user first

Abstract

In 2018, interviewing Peter Haythornthwaite for a small contribution to the book, ‘Design Generation’1 (by Michael Smythe; published in support of an Objectspace exhibition of the industrial designer’s work), the designer ventured on to the subject of beauty and its importance to his design process. It seems fitting to start here with that idea, because while beauty’s role in design is little discussed today, Haythornthwaite saw how objects of beauty make everyday use a delight.