“I’m very direct and brutally honest.”

“My friends describe me as goofy, like a big, dumb dog,” says Philippe Malouin as he explains why, when they witnessed his business persona for the first time this summer, they were taken aback. “I was on vacation in July with friends and I had a business call about a product I’m developing in New Zealand. They were all a bit freaked out because they’d never seen me like that,” he laughs.

Philippe, an award-winning product designer with his own studio in London, switches from oversized Labrador to a vision of professionalism as soon as it comes to his business. When he’s not creating bedside tables, bowls or light installations, Philippe can be found lending a critical eye to the sleekly modern interior design jobs handled by his company, Post-Office, for clients that have...