Column: Crazy Design, Crazy Interiors!

Monthly Column By Richard Naylor

So here’s the big question: can the commercial interiors industry take a cue from the “crazy ones” and embrace a bit more madness to truly innovate? George Bernard Shaw would say yes! He believed progress relies on the “unreasonable” people who push boundaries. Even Steve Jobs called out to “the crazy ones” who “change the world, those rebels who refuse to settle”. And maybe it’s time our industry took a lesson from them.

Let’s face it, business-as-usual has wreaked havoc—Friedman’s infamous idea of prioritizing profit over all else led to a 50-year legacy of consumerism, pollution, and environmental degradation. It’s high time we challenge this outdated, profit-driven mantra and make room for a more radical and meaningful way to do business. Who’s with me?

Enter the “social entrepreneur” and “social intrapreneur” — heroes who prioritise positive social impact over mere profits. Social entrepreneurs, like the folks at Harry Specters Chocolates, prove that you can do well by doing good. Mona and Shaz Shah started a successful business that also provides jobs for an autistic workforce, proving you don’t have to sacrifice purpose for profit. Think about it: couldn’t the commercial interiors and design industry tap into non-traditional talent pools and create purpose-driven brands that make a real difference?

But you don’t have to start a brand-new business to make an impact. A social intrapreneur—someone within an organisation driving initiatives with social and environmental impact—can also shake things up. Think of this as encouraging a Dragons’ Den-style pitch event where employees propose innovative ideas. Not only does this lead to some seriously creative thinking, but it also fosters a culture of inclusion, purpose, and yes, a little craziness. This isn’t about charity; it’s a business model that benefits people and the planet, and it’s profitable.

So, why not be the trailblazer who “thinks different”? Go ahead and give the rulebook a nudge, cultivate some “crazy,” and let your brand make waves in a stale industry. Let’s disrupt, innovate, and inspire a new standard. After all, as Jobs said, those crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who actually do!

Richard Naylor, Founder and Chief Sustainability Officer at Hawksfield Ltd