Q&A with Polina Parshina

In February of this year, Polina Parshina joined luxury furniture manufacturer Linley—under the direction of its new CEO, Jamie Edmiston—after spending half a decade at the Cheshire-based furniture specialist Silverlining. At the launch of Linley's new Riviera Collection, SuperyachtDesign met with Parshina to hear more about her new role as head of product and brand development.
 
SuperyachtDesign: What is the goal going forward for the company and your role in that process?
Polina Parshina: To clarify the design identity and the design language of our products and product range, which is very important for us.


SYD: Linley sells everything from candles to furniture. What are the unique selling points of Linley’s products?
PP: The candles, for example, are an entry-level product. However, what is important is that when people buy this little piece of Linley, it is not an inferior piece but simply smaller. It has to be as good as any other product, share the same values and craftsmanship, and have the same design values as an architectural box or one of our dining tables. This is very important and is one of the areas that I am looking at to ensure it remains the case.
We have a lot of people here now who really understand the superyacht industry and the requirements and quality standards expected. They know how to deliver this quality and of course we have great heritage and craftsmanship that we can build on.

 
SYD: Aside from yourself and Edmiston, are there any others in the team that have been brought on from the superyacht arena?
PP: Jamie brought quite a lot of new people when he came on board but of course we have quite a lot of people here already who have worked for the company for a long time and really understand the quality and the craftsmanship expected. We have staff in both our production and design departments with experience of the industry, which is very important. This means that our team is able to communicate to designers in their language and can understand all the requirements of the project. We can manage, build and deliver their product exactly how they want it.
 
SYD: What has Jamie brought to both the team and the company as a whole?
PP: We have this great combination of tradition plus innovation at Linley but now with Jamie, we have this breath of fresh air and new life, energy, passion and excitement and the drive to innovate more, as well as research and engage with more of the market. We are also going to open up to more of the design world to get more creativity going and fresh ideas in.

 
SYD: Are you speaking to any superyacht designers specifically?
PP: We are talking to quite a few yacht designers and have a couple of projects on the go, which is really exciting. We also have a few really interesting initiatives, which I can’t tell you about at the moment but it is very much design related.
However, we also want to get a lot more involved with other British industrial designers and young designers and graduates. We are currently discussing the possibility of establishing a David Linley Design prize to achieve this. I think people don’t necessarily see us as the place to go and engage with at the moment, especially when talking about young designers. We really want to open up to the whole London creative scene and to work with both the bright and young British talent, as well as the more established British talent.
 
SYD: What are the main differences between British and Italian furniture manufacturers?
PP: We are very proud of being British and I think with Italian companies, you can see how they all support each other, and how they engage with their designers and the manufacturing companies and the publications. I think we need to have that here in Britain and to be a lot more engaged with the designers, manufacturing companies, the artists and museums. We’ve got an amazing eclectic scene here in London and I think that is something we really want to be a part of and contribute to as much as we can — to promote British craftsmanship and design.

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