"Humphrey Ikin has been a central figure in the evolution of the Pacific Design movement. After completing a commerce degree from Massey University, he searched for a creative outlet for his talents. He began an architectural degree at Auckland University, but soon found he was focusing more on the furniture for a building rather than the structure itself. Inspired by a trip to the Royal College of Art in London he became a self-taught furniture designer and maker and has spent the last two decades creating his unique pieces.

Ikin has been inspired by things that he sees around him: the benches carved from single tree trunks for Solomon Island Chiefs; the natural rugged beauty of the Pacific; the practical functionalism of the New Zealand farm. Furniture as art has been a recurring theme of his work.

Dubbed a pioneer of the new Pacific minimalism, his works present the blending of Pacific symbolism and grandeur with the functionalism of modernism. Post-modern or past-modern, they are pieces of functional art. His work has been recognized by New York's ID Magazine, in which he was listed as one of the top 40 designers in the world today. His work was featured alongside that of international heavyweights Philippe Starck and Jasper Morrison.

Ikin is a designer-maker, more artisan than industrial designer, and therefore it is difficult to make these comparisons. However, it is undeniable that he has placed New Zealand furniture design firmly on the world map.

His work often seems a contradiction with the use of roughly hewn, simple block-like forms in contrast with elegant, subtle curves and fine details held together by intriguing arrangements and modern technology. The elegance and simplicity of his work captures an essence that is helping to define New Zealand design." - Pradeep Sharma