Founded by English twins Richard and Antony Joseph, Joseph Joseph has become something of a household name since the brand’s 2003 inception and you’ve no doubt come across some of its iconic products. A triumph of form and function, many of you would be familiar with the Folio chopping board set, Nest Plus bowl set or the Chop2Pot folding chopping board. We spoke to Richard as the brand celebrates two decades.
With backgrounds in industrial design, Richard worked for James Dyson before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey with his brother. “We were always making stuff as kids. We loved design, technology, art and the idea of designing our own products and packaging. Initially, we just made things that we liked,” says Richard.
The brothers started the business by developing functional household projects, primarily in the kitchen space, after meeting a kitchenware buyer for the since-closed UK department store Allders. “She said she was always looking for functional yet good looking kitchen products and encouraged us to go down that path,” says Richard.
Over the 20 ensuing years, the brand has diversified its product line-up and now features in various parts of the home through its portfolio of around 500 products. With 250 employees worldwide (mostly based in London), the company operates in 15 overseas markets and its products are distributed through various channels including bricks-and-mortar retailers and online channels. “To build a business and be able to design stuff that consumers find useful and want to buy is truly magical,” says Richard when reflecting on the milestone.
The brand’s design ethos revolves around identifying consumer problems and providing innovative solutions to them through clever design. “For us, it’s all about finding the problems and solutions,” says Richard who explains that each product takes about 18 months to design through an approach that involves consumer interaction, at-home observation and a real commitment to understanding the user experience. “We love looking at areas that other people overlook, like the humble toilet brush which we reinvented. It’s a product that we all use, so we thought why not?”
By addressing real needs and challenges faced by consumers, Joseph Joseph aims to create products that are not only functional but aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly too. Key products include a folding ironing board ‘pocket’ with iron dock for compact storage and the Tota laundry hamper that allows for the efficient sorting and transportation of laundry.
There’s also waste bins for kitchens (featuring clever mechanisms for recycling and waste compaction) as well as dish racks and in-cupboard organisers. Space-saving kitchenware is another big category for the brand and that line-up has just been expanded with the arrival of ‘Space’ which is a range of innovative cookware with foldable handles.
Recently launched in Australia (a global debut no less), the Space stainless steel pan range features a ceramic coating inside and out, is induction compatible, oven and dishwasher safe. But the best part about the design is its foldable handles that promise to save up to 50% more space than standard cookware.
“You can put them in the dishwasher with the handle folded which is another great space saving hack. You can also keep the handles folded when cooking if you have little children around,” says Richard of the range that has received a glowing reception so far. “The feedback has been amazing. If people say ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ you know you’ve created a great product.”
