The Chameleon Principle

01 — STUDIO STORIES

Adapting to your surroundings without losing your identity.

I recently rediscovered this photograph from my years at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts.

For our academy yearbook, each student was invited to be photographed with an object — or something — that symbolised their personal design philosophy.

I chose a chameleon.

Getting one was quite an adventure.

I borrowed it from a pet shop and spent an entire day taking it with me to the photoshoot. It was exciting — and slightly nerve-racking — to be responsible for such an extraordinary little creature.

And then I fell completely in love with it.

Those delicate feet, almost like tiny hands. And those remarkable eyes!

Each eye moved independently, observing the world from every possible direction.

Sharing the set with this beautiful animal was unforgettable. I was genuinely sorry when I had to bring him — or her — back to the shop.

And the colour!

There is, of course, a certain irony in choosing an animal celebrated for its extraordinary ability to change colour — and then having the portrait taken in black and white.

Perhaps that makes the image even more fitting.

The colour is present, even though we cannot see it. Just like identity, it exists beneath the surface. It is not defined by one fixed appearance, but revealed through the way it responds to its surroundings.

My choice was not accidental.

A chameleon observes, responds and adapts — without ever losing its own nature.

Even then, this represented something essential to me.

I have never wanted to impose one recognisable style on every project. I listen to the place, its history, culture and inhabitants. I research its geographical and emotional roots.

Every environment asks for a different visual language.

The colour, the materials and the atmosphere reveal its identity.

Every space carries a different story.

My role is to discover that identity and translate it into a world with its own soul — a world that feels as if it could never have been anything else.

Looking back

Looking at this photograph now, I realise that the core of my design philosophy was already there.

Long before I had found all the words for it, I had apparently found the perfect animal.

I have always understood this principle perfectly in design.

In relationships, admittedly, it took me a little longer.

Adapt to the world around you.

But never disappear into it.