You’re Invited! Dining with Cultural Inspirations: John Williams, Director + Founder at SpaceInvader
Imagine hosting a dinner party where every detail – from the enchanting venue to the eclectic guest list – reflects the passions and inspirations that have shaped your creative life and work. In this joyful feature, we step into the mind of John Williams, Director and Founder at SpaceInvader to explore his ultimate dinner party with the people who have influenced him as a creative.
My Party setup
Venue
An archetypally English outdoor space that’s lush, green and so near water that you can hear it at close quarters. Nothing beats food that’s cooked outdoors – and in a place as close as possible to the original food source.
Menu
The food would be an English version of a classic Italian four-course meal, covering antipasto, primo, secondo and dolce and featuring freshwater fish and spring lamb. The drinks menu would be kick-started with a spicy margarita, followed by wines specifically chosen for each course – old world Rioja, Sancerre, Barolo or Côte de Rhone all come to mind!
Entertainment
I think we would kick things off with an acoustic set from Paul McCartney. Then, a house music set by Chaos in the CBD during sunset, followed by a set from Underworld as we move into the night!
My Guest List
Mark Demsteader
Renowned figurative artist Mark Demsteader had a huge effect on me when I was at school, at a point when he was just starting his incredibly successful career. He literally taught me how to draw and paint and how, with a single mark or gesture, you could evoke both mood and movement.
Nick Drake
I lived in America when I was a young designer and it was an amazing experience. Lots of beach life and great music, but lots of reflectiveness and life thoughts at times too. Nick Drake was my perfect musical companion throughout.
Zaha Hadid
Zaha Hadid was prolific and seemingly boundless in her energies and has made us all see differently thanks to her weird and wonderful shapes and sweeping curves.
Jaime Hayon
I saw Jaime Hayon speak at a Sleeper event recently and, even though my head was full of work and business thoughts when I sat down to listen, he really took me somewhere else with his brilliant approach that straddles design, interiors, art, objects and sculpture.
Stewart Copeland
I’m a drummer outside of work and my dad made me listen to Stewart Copeland when The Police were on the radio one day when I was first learning. Copeland really led the band from the back and was so influential on me. 15 years later, I met him one day in LA and I was right back there in my head, hearing him for the first time. It was a thrill.
The Count of Monte Cristo
I’ve read Dumas’s novel three or four times and his great fictional character, the Count of Monte Cristo, always really affects me. He’s a flawed character but he navigates good and bad fortune with patience and determination – an inspirational role model.
John Williams, Director and Founder, SpaceInvader
John Williams is the Director/Founder of SpaceInvader, the Manchester-based consultancy he set up in 2009 and which is now one of the UK’s premier interiors agencies. He leads his creative team across multiple sectors, including hospitality, stadia, commercial workplaces, retail, developer residential and cultural, public-facing environments.
John believes in evolving and pushing design projects at every stage, whilst remaining loyal to the SpaceInvader ethos of collaboration and authentic, location-specific schemes. He is a strong advocate for a more sustainable future and believes in design with a social value, where the vision for each project continues out into the local community.