Fuorisalone Milan Design Week 2011: Roll and Hill

As you know we are big fans of Brooklyn designer Jason Miller.

And of the from Jason Miller established lighting company Roll and Hill.

Launched in January 2010 as a high end manufacturer of contemporary lighting, Roll and Hill currently features the work of 6 design studios and aims to bring an “American perspective” to the international lighting market.

In Milan Roll and Hill presented their second collection, or at least the first part of the second collection. A further two pieces will be launched at ICFF New York in May. In addition Roll and Hill will be supplying the lighting for the ICFF Bar. Vitra will be supplying the furniture.

In Milan Roll and Hill premiered Endless by Jason Miller – a modular lighting system that can be both a wall and a hanging light – Knotty Bubbles, by Lindsey Adelman and Odds & Ends by Jason Miller. These will be complimented in New York by pieces by Paul Loebach and Jonas Damon.

For us the high point is without question Endless – a wonderfully self confident piece that we can well imagine working in both commercial and domestic setting.

Assuming you have the space to let it fully flourish.

In Milan we spoke briefly with Jason Miller about the new collection, the decision to come to Milan and the first year of Roll and Hill.

Fuorisalone Milan Design Week 2011: Roll and Hill

(smow)blog: To begin with, and maybe as a little background, why the decision to establish Roll and Hill ?

Jason Miller: Essentially I started Roll and Hill because there was a lot of really good work going on in New York but, unfortunately, in the United States there are only very limited opportunities for designers. And so Roll and Hill was meant to be an opportunity for designers to have their work manufactured in a real way.

(smow)blog: You currently represent 6 or 7 designs studios. Are you regularly contacted by designers looking to get you to take on their work?

Jason Miller: (laughs) Yes, yes. That started the moment we announced the launch of the company.

(smow)blog: Which we guess justifies your plan. You’ve been in operation for a little over a year now, have you had positive feedback? Are you happy with the response?

Jason Miller: Absolutely. The collection has been very well received, and we’re launching our second collection here in Milan.

(smow)blog: And why the decision to come to Milan?

Jason Miller: Because Europe is a massive market….

(smow)Blog: … and the buyers don’t come to America?

Jason Miller: No, but then there is not really an equivalent in the United States. We have furniture fairs but they’re much smaller and tend only to have American visitors. There is just no substitute for coming to Milan.

(smow)blog: Briefly to finish, with Jason Miller Studios are you still doing non-lighting work, or have you gone completely over to lighting design?

Jason Miller: We’re still doing non-lighting work, but it’s going to take a few years before Roll and Hill is up and running as it should be. And so in that time I think I’ll be quite selective about which projects I take on. But, yeah Jason Miller Studio is alive and well.

(smow)blog: Excellent news, and good luck with the new collection.

More information on Roll and Hill and their collection can be found at www.rollandhill.com

Jason Miller (3rd from left) from Roll and Hill