Steve Jones

Designer Bio

CEO & Co-founder of Innermost

Steve Jones studied Industrial Design at Newcastle Polytechnic (now University of Northumbria) from 1988-1992 before starting a career in consultancy in London. He has always advocated diversity as a way to stay on top in design and his own experience has seen him design things as diverse as ladies shoes, books, toys, even an internship in the naval architecture department of Swan Hunter shipbuilders. Later he worked extensively in the furniture industry before moving into lighting and forming Innermost with Russell Cameron in 1999.

They wanted to build a company that had innovation at its core and treated designers with the respect and understanding deserving of great innovators. The vision was achieved and Innermost now works with designers and design groups from almost every region of the world.

Jones’s style has seen him not only bring his own designs to the collection but bring in names like Michael Young, Jarrod Lim, James Bartlett, Stone Designs and Shin Azumi, helping to shape a collection that has breadth as well as depth.

His interest in design spans all aspects of material and production and this can be seen in the varied aesthetics of the different Innermost ranges. His involvement in the process is not just a studio based one, it involves knowing production and getting into the factories to study process and consult with those that finally make the designs.

Jones is passionate about bringing designers into industry and of ‘keeping the industry relevant and up to date’, something he sees as crucial in the face of social and technological change.

Learn more about Steve’s practice and influences as we asked him 10 questions.