10 favourite things: Michael Findlay

Michael Findlay with some of his favourite designs. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

Tricia Guild is the creative force behind the famous British Designers Guild brand - and when it comes to getting that beautiful range of products to the world, Michael Findlay is the expert.

Findlay, who was in Auckland last week, has been in the textile business all his working life.

His first job was with a merchant in Yorkshire, selling suiting to tailors. He then moved to Moygashel, a division of Courtalds, before joining Designers Guild 25 years ago as the founding sales director, establishing a world-focused marketing team.

1. Travel. I like seeing different cultures, architecture and colours. I come to Australia and New Zealand on business once a year - it is like home away from home but with a better climate. Italy is just beautiful. I love Tuscany, the countryside, the medieval villages, the great food, wonderful colours, the architecture, the beautiful coastline. I like being in France because I speak French and I like the wine.

2. I love sport, in particular tennis, and in winter I like to go skiing. It's my way of relaxing and yet it's still, as in business, competitive. I am very competitive.

3. Home. I live in a three-storey Victorian terraced house. I love the height of the ceilings and the feeling of space. We moved from a chocolate-box English country cottage - which looked lovely on a sunny day and in winter with the log fire going - but the windows were very small and it was very dark.

We craved the light. One of my favourite rooms at home is our kitchen-conservatory. We have a Designers Guild floral fabric on the windows and when I come down every morning it makes me happy. People think that men don't like flowers and floral fabric but I find it absolutely charming.

4. Watching the sunset while having a gin and tonic.

5. Music. I find it very relaxing. I listen to anything from pop to jazz to classical. I have a one-and-a-quarter-hour drive to work so I will often listen to the radio. I usually start with the news then switch to pop music about 20 minutes before I get to the office to get my adrenaline going. Then on the way home I like listening to classical music to wind down.

6. Theatre. I love musicals and good acting. I've seen Judi Dench, Peter O'Toole and Liam Neeson on the stage in London. I also adore the cinema and my wife and I and our 11-year-old son, Barnaby, spend a lot of time watching movies.

7. I'm passionate about Designers Guild. I could not work for a fabric company or any company if I didn't love the product and that's reflected in our home, which is decorated almost entirely in Designers Guild fabrics. I always want to change the decor at home because we launch two collections each year and I'm always falling in love with something new.

8. I love colour, but my favourite is blue. It has a reputation for being a cold colour but it does not have to be.

9. Flowers. I love to see flowers in a house. A house feels empty unless there are some flowers in a vase.

10. I love furniture that is individual and that you can sit and relax in. One of my favourite things to do is to sit in my favourite chair, with a gin and tonic, watching TV.