interviews – DesignApplause

a conversation with patricia urquiola and a peek at her nuez chair for andreu world.

Nov 27, 2017

DesignApplause spoke to spanish designer patricia urquiola in the andreu world chicago showroom during neocon. we talk about her the nuez seat collection, which obtained a hip award in the category hospitality: seating at neocon. the chair is described as enveloping, suggestive, warm and at the same time technological. made of injected thermoplastic, it offers different options for the shell interior: fully upholstered, with upholstered seat or with padded seat and backrest. the different bases versions – four wooden legs, aluminum star, five casters or cantilever – come with a range of ten distinct colors for the shell and numerous upholstery options for the seat and backrest. a versatile design, capable of integrating into any type of corporate environment and also at home. the chair launched at salone del mobile 2017.

[patricia urquiola] we’re speaking about a new product introduction, nuez, which means ‘nut’ in english, from valencia-based [ andreu world ]. i’m very proud of our relationship, one we’ve kept for years that’s grown into friendships. we now know each other’s approach well enough where words easily translate into feelings and shapes.

why do this chair? they asked for formal and discrete, very gentle, very easy. though the company does incredible work in other materials, they were looking for a new material not in their workspace portfolio. our discussions led to plastic and they know that my injection approach is always striving for little details that are a bit curious and distinctive. what evolved was a shell concept.

we liked the concept of one shell using two elements, because of the way the two elements, like two papers, came together, like in a nut. from the back of the shell the elements created little wings which felt natural and just right. we pleated the plastic shell for aesthetics and textures giving it a materiality, a sense of touch. compared to our prior collection called nub, which was very… crafted, nuez represents a completely dissimilar notion.

[DesignApplause] nuez is crisp yet shapely. very light and does feel good to the touch. what’s her character like?

[PU] both my company and andreu philosophies are similar on many fronts. we’re all concerned, about who we work with and the way we proceed. we work with nature with a high regard for sustainability and social responsibility. we’re efficient, we produce functionality, durability, timelessness and our work, well it looks like our work. and in the end i’m very proud of this project.

[DA] what’s big on your mind right now? what’s important?

[PU] this is a conversation about a process. a company gives you a brief, you give an answer and you work in this kind of duet. it’s a beautiful established way a designer works within an industrial project. now i’m not a young designer, i’m a mature designer who’s been working this way for awhile. lately i’m doing a lot of experimentation with a group at haworth contributing to define a future vision for the group, creating an umbrella over everything. // in 2015, patricia became cassina’s art director tasked with creative management.

in the beginning it was an object and then a collection. but now we also talk about the relations of objects and space, the experiences, the services the company can offer, about everything! i’m working this way with cassina, haworth, mutina. and with andreu world i’m not doing that but i’m a good friend and they’re accustomed to my opinions and conversations. these conversations are important because they always lead to something new.

in this conversational role, the designer operates in this huge space, to re-think things, to ask more questions, it’s so open ended, so many possibilities. really, at this point the only bad decision is not to try something. and we’re just beginning.

<strong>[DA] stay tuned. [ formafantasma ] (andrea trimarchi and simone farresin) while lecturing at the school of the art institute of chicago was asked if designers are important, is design important. simone said this… the designer and the design is not important in and of themselves. formafantasma’s projects are complete once they leave the studio. it’s rare to know if their projects are a success and are rarely asked to improve what they created. their business model does not involve the relationship you’re experiencing right now.

in contrast simone felt the entrepreneur is more likely to be important. there’s a degree of control over a long period of time whereby something important could evolve.

[PU] “design thinking”, for me a label used too much, has become like a big inclusive net over everything in the world of design. i feel one starts as a specialist in design, like an industrial designer. for those who grow into more systemic integrated spaces the space opens up to expand your reach over the project. the more aspects you touch in sense the more important you are.

we can be a kind of catalyst in between society and ideals for living. we’re not only solving problems, we’re also questioning a lot of problems. i like the idea that this is a new attitude for designers: question and not only solving.

talking to designer jasper morrison about 1 inch for emeco. icff 2017.

Oct 31, 2017

above> 1 inch collection

we’re talking to london designer jasper morrison and the evolution of his chair, 1 inch. we’re in the emeco showroom. some of the questions have been edited for brevity and clarity.

[DesignApplause] jasper, is the new 1 inch collection better or just another?

[jasper morrison] big smile – it’s always better. that’s the goal. to get better. and working with emeco, especially with emeco, where only one product is shown every year…the goal is to look towards the future creating products which are natural descendants of the original.

we looked at emeco’s whole catalogue and tried to find the gap. we found the gap to be a more comfortable, better-looking stacking chair and how could we make this a slightly cheaper price point than the usual emeco chair. we wanted to stick with a square tube to keep the emeco language going, but maybe we could replace the welded seat back with a plastic option. maybe it would sort of enrich it a bit because you have this fantastic recycled material that allows us to work with a new shape, a square tube.

[DA] gregg (buchbinder, ceo) was telling yesterday that 1 inch looked like a very simple solution, but it turned out not to be so simple.

[JM] it was a hell of a lot of work. when you bend a round tube, you can imagine that whatever direction you bend it in, it bends the same. but when you try for curves which are going in different directions with a square tube, it doesn’t like it. it’s very difficult. particularly the top where it can buckle the whole thing. so we had to redraw it many times. the factory would try and do it and each iteration it was bad news again, that the square was not liking to bend that way.

[DA] were you getting worried?

[JM] yes. and then, slowly we got to something better in the last minute and we were able to show prototypes in milan (2017). now we’re working on perfecting them.

[DA] this all sounds very technical and innovative. was there an ‘aha’ moment?

[JM] there were many ‘oh no’ moments. it was much more slow. it went on through the whole year, really. i think we can be fairly sure that there won’t be too many copies. don’t think anybody would have the patience.

[DA] when did this project begin?

[JM] we started before milan 2016. we only had fifteen months. some of that was for the design. we didn’t get the first prototype until after milan last year. but now we have a collection featuring a chair and armchair, stools in three heights, and café and bar tables.

[DA] gregg also made mention that 1 inch represents emeco’s first stab utilizing upholstery. how did that happen?

[JM] emeco is very unctuous of what people ask for. after so many years of aluminum it soon became clear that we needed plastic and wood. now we need upholstery too.

[DA] you’ve made very hard materials look soft with 1 inch. the upholstery makes things even softer and is unusual, i can’t describe the feeling. not sure if it’s foam or air. what is it?

above> 1 inch collection | emeco | 2017

[JM] we’re using the original seat itself and plopping upholstery and foam on top of it. you know very well if you sit on something flat, it’s not very comfortable. you sit on something curved, it gets better. if you add a little bit of upholstery to something curved, it improves again. we use very little upholstery to make it a comfortable chair.

[DA] i wanted to talk a bit about the process as well. does your design process drive the solution or is the problem driving the process?

[JM] with both this project and the previous one shown the year before, we do it really by conversation. with the first chair i’m asking a lot of questions like: how could we make a more affordable emeco chair with the material and supplies they already have. are there limitations, things we can’t do without losing quality while using recycled materials? the 1 inch frames are recycled aluminum and the seats are 100% reclaimed wood polypropylene, sustainable plywood or upholstered.

for me, before i start the design, it’s much easier as a designer to talk your way into a project than to sit down with a piece of paper and then say voila! then give your paper to the manager. i like designing by discussion with the players, the team thing, you know? a project doesn’t happen without the company, structure, and the engineers. usually the result is very different from the one which was drawn from the beginning.

[DA] a good designer needs a good client.

[JM] absolutely.

[DA] how do you interface with the team?

[JM] this project provides an interesting example. one member from our team in london was just at the emeco factory for three days. up till that point no one from our office had a face-to-face with emeco’s factory. we were just wiring 3d drawings back and forth. once we got through the milan thing, we decided they should meet and gregg flew him over. he arrived with all these templates to make it happen and had their first very physical discussion about what shape the chair should be.

[DA] are you computer savvy or are you still a sketcher?

above > alfi shell drawing | emeco | 2015

[JM] i’m still stuck on the 2d program. i pay other people to do the clever bit. i have sent sketches occasionally to start a project, but not usually. i usually do a precise 2d drawing that is the basis for the first 2d digital. after we make a few 2d adjustments we then go 3d and i can then spin it around and check it from every angle. typically i’ll put the old one beside the new one. there’s quite few back and forth making adjustments. but i don’t need to do any more drawings after the first one.

[DA] what’s the prototype stage like?

[JM] the first prototype is quite tiny. the next one we can probably sit on and we begin making functional adjustments. (we’re sitting on prototypes during our chat and jasper says to me…) ‘is the armrest high enough?’ i see you leaning. we’re thinking about raising it up a bit.’

[DA] i am, but maybe it depends on who’s sitting in the chair. the thing is, i’m really interested in what we’re seeing, but i’m not very conscious of the chair. and are you watching everyone who sits in the chair during this prototype stage?

[JM] that’s good about taking the chair itself out of the equation. and yes, by now we have probably twenty other 3d examples of chairs and we know how comfortable each is. like the alfi chair, it’s one of the most comfortable we’ve ever done.

above> alfi | 2015

[DA] let’s switch gears if you don’t mind. what are you thinking about and where are you in this point in time? whether personal or professional? are some things bothering you? tell us a bit about what’s going on up there.

[JM] ok. well i’m beginning to feel a bit senior in the business. it happens. and that’s ok. i’m quite liking it. i have a fairly controlled intake of work. i’m trying not to do too much. i’m really happy working with emeco because of gregg’s paired down vision of what a company needs to be. one product a year. lots of discussion. trying to do things very well and professionally. also his insistence on recycling materials and sustainability and longevity. it feels good. we get on really well.

on another side, i don’t know if you’ve been to my shop in london, but that’s a different kind of thing. it’s very experimental for us because we buy objects from different places and put them in the shop. anybody can come and buy them.

so having the shop has been a learning process and a hobby. we don’t need to make any money with the shop and we don’t really make any money with it. but it gives a lot to the project.

[DA] what do you mean?

[JM] it’s really nice to meet the customers. and the shop setting, it’s an interesting dynamic, we get a lot of feedback that way

[DA] alright, so you have the shop. that’s the experimental thing. anything else?

[JM] i stopped doing any teaching, but i like to do books. tomorrow night i actually have a book thing going on if you’d like to come. i’ve done three books in the last four years. one of them was on my work, one was on my photos and this one i’m launching tomorrow is on the collection of the portuguese ethnology knowledge museum, which is truly amazing. there are so many nice things which were done with nearly no facilities. things made in little villages in portugal. it’s a bit like that book architecture without architects. it’s a kind of product world version of that.

[ jasper morrison ] [ emeco ] [ emeco’s time-tested material ] [ emeco’s 77-step process ]

a serendipitous moment via moholy-nagy chicago design archive and designer steve liska .

Oct 17, 2017

above> sculpture class in school of design / 610 fairbanks chicago / c 1940

serendipity: the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for…
this article intends to provoke an ongoing conversation re chicago’s design history. let’s begin with a philosophy of “one must look back to move forward” and with elements necessary to this narrative — in chronological order… bauhaus movement, lászló moholy-nagy, new bauhaus in chicago, the chicago design archive, and chicago designer steve liska. an aside, this year, iit institute of design is celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding as the new bauhaus.

[ bauhaus movement /// weimar/dessau germany ] the historical bauhaus is the most influential educational establishment in the fields of architecture, art and design. founded 1919 in weimar germany by architect walter gropius as a school that combined crafts and the fine arts, it was famous for an approach to design which it publicized and taught. the school closed in 1933 when the nazis came to power in germany.

the bauhaus can still be felt today, essentially characterizing the image of german design abroad. architects, designers and artists associated with the bauhaus include: alvar aalto, josef albers, herbert bayer, charles and ray eames, eileen gray, johannes itten, walter jacobsen, wassily kandinsky, paul klee, le corbusier, laszlo moholy-nagy, george nelson, isamu noguchi, eero saarinen, frank lloyd wright and mies van der rohe.

above> in 1907 belgian architect henry van de velde founded the school of arts and crafts in weimar germany / 1919 he invites walter gropius to move in who starts the state bauhaus

[ lászló moholy-nagy, a new bauhaus school /// chicago usa ] also known as moholy – a hungarian experimental artist, modernist, and former faculty at the parent bauhaus in dessau comes to chicago. in 1937, at the invitation of walter paepcke, the chairman of the container corporation of america, moholy-nagy, moved to chicago to become the director of the new bauhaus. the philosophy of the school was basically unchanged from that of the original.

unfortunately, the school lost its financial backing and it closed in 1938. paepcke continued his own support and in 1939, moholy-nagy opened the school of design. in 1944, the school became the institute of design. earlier in 1939, the institute of design became a part of illinois institute of technology and became the first institution in the united states to offer a phd in design.

below> moholy-nagy on the balcony of the prellerhaus in dessau / 1927 / courtesy of the metropolitan museum of art

[ the chicago design archive and chicago designer steve liska ] liska shares his thoughts with DesignApplause upon discovering his new office was once the home of moholy’s school…

[designapplause] for the past 30 years you have managed to create wonderful office spaces for yourself. your current space may be your best. how did you arrive at this location?

[steve liska] our lease was up, was grumbling about it to a client that just developed the 600 north fairbanks helmut jahn building. he said he had a tenant (the pritzker military library) moving out of his building and i should take a look. it was slightly scary.

[DA] what is your vision of your office spaces? what is your office supposed to do?

[SL] as brand designers- communication is critical. so have always appreciated an open, flexible, collaborative office. our office supports us and gives us a neutral environment to share ideas. and has good coffee.

[DA] what was involved / how did you arrive at the finished presentation of your space?

[SL] the building is almost 100 years old, very solid and concrete loft-like. my friends at gary lee partners helped us plan for all the previous tenant demo- we removed walls, office and lots of strange old equipment. then they helped configure the space, basically made it happen.

[DA] tell us about some back stories to this building.

[SL] it was built almost a 100 years ago as a bakery (the horn and hardart automat company). it has been a us post office, housed hugh hefner’s first playboy office, the chez paree nightclub in the 50s, home to joe sedelmaier, shel silverstein, dingbat’s disco (mr. t!) and of course the school of design. lots of history, stories and a few cool ghosts.

[DA] what did you know and what did you learn about moholy?

[SL] it took a while to learn about the school and moholy-nagy from our new landlord, but once we did- we were fanatics. he actually taught in what is now our space. we have a great old photo of a sculpture class in our office from the late 40s. i have always been a fan of everyone from the bauhaus, but the more i researched moholy-nagy – the more obsessed i became. such a renaissance man.

[DA] tell us about the facade presentation.

[SL] many years ago the building’s owners hired an artist to decorate the front of the building with a huge mural of moses. not sure why moses, but it was quirky and interesting. the building was undergoing surface repair- so moses was going to be painted over. we talked to our landlord about replacing it with something related to moholy-nagy and the school of design. we eventually found a little 2 1/4 inch square photo at moma that we thought was a good evolution from moses. our landlord agreed- they ended up hiring the same artist to paint the mural based on that photo. a year later- the traveling moholy-nagy show was announced.

the best part is watching all the tourists who take photos from across the street. they don’t exactly know what the mural is all about- and that is good.

[DA] is this your final location in a perfect world?

[SL] no that would be costa rica or paris. but for now- this is pretty good.

[DA] as long as we have you, what kind of things are you working on?

[SL] a lot of real estate work, some educational institution branding, and ongoing work for a lot of existing clients. (liska.com)

[DA] i’ve been to your offices many times and we have run into each other pitching work. i don’t recall you wearing anything but a white shirt and tie. and now that you’ve aged a bit you remind me of the design community in the late 60s early 70s. very serious looking. thoughts?

[SL] i’m glad you think i am serious looking. like most things in fashion- it comes back over and over again. i count on that. i do own 2 blue shirts. seriously.

[DA] want to say something we haven’t talked about?

[SL] no, done for now. have to go pick out tomorrow’s tie.

above> liska’s office on 610 north fairbanks today / a mural of moholy over the entrance

the chicago design archive (2002-present), is a permanent and exclusive online record of chicago-related experiential, graphic and product design. the mission statement is simple – to share the best of chicago design. originally hosting only graphic design, experiential and product design work is now being collected. the cda founding board recently added a graphic design advisory and a curatorial board. it goes without saying that this dedicated team feels the burden of preserving and growing the cda, afterall, it’s only chicago’s design heritage. we asked advisor, steve liska, if we could meet at his office. entering his office building we all notice the plaque below. we didn’t know…

above> steve liska

{ bauhaus dessau ] [ bauhaus movement ] [ moholy-nagy chicago design archive ] [the charnel-house / moholy-nagy ] [ liska + associates ]

below> video trailer of ‘moholy-nagy: future present’ produced by and exhibited in chicago in 2016. other usa venues included the guggenheim, and most recently lacma

antoine roset reveals ligne roset is serving up contract furniture to the u.s.

Jun 23, 2017

above > antoine roset / jose rodriguez

designapplause is in the ligne roset chicago showroom located two short blocks from the mart, chatting with antoine roset, executive vice president and fifth generation roset.

[designapplause] we’re told that ligne roset is getting into the contract/commercial business space because of the company’s manufacturing capabilities. do you wish to tell us that story?

[antoine roset] actually, the funny part is that we started with the contract business. we’ve always been doing it in europe, back when the roset company started in 1860. with my grandfather in charge the first thing we did as a manufacturer was contract, working with universities, dorms, both institutional as well as hospitality projects. contract and hospitality was in fact our first business category.

we then moved to residential in the 1960s believing we could better control our own distribution and grow our business. during the 1980s, in the u.s., we developed our brand in residential much more than the contract business. we did this furnishing apartments, giving americans access to our design. for the past four years i see an opportunity to reintroduce our contract expertise in the u.s. and in latin america as well. i feel confident in knowing our past experience and manufacturing could again position our company as major player in contract and hospitality.

with our design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities we again have in the u.s. both residential and contract offerings.

[da] i just met the new owner of the chicago showroom, jose rodriguez. is there a new story regarding the chicago showroom?

[ar] i think the story to tell about jose and this showroom is a human story. we like to say when you become an owner, you get to be part of the family. jose has been in this business with us forever. the first time i met him was like 10-11 years ago and we had promoted him as a manager in miami. he became the owner of the atlanta store 5 years ago. and now, he’s here in the chicago store. to show that it’s a human story it’s about jose being a natural as a new owner. and he also possesses an ability to showcase a new service and a different experience. and as such, something much closer to what we have in mind, namely a new store. a new display. very much like what you can see all around the world with the new stores we are doing and renovating. in chicago, you’re going to see the best of what we do right now.

[da] alright, that’s cool. anything else you want to talk about?

[ar] i can talk about everything you want as long as it’s about furniture. i’ve always been very interested in markets and we can talk about the chicago market a little bit more. we’ve been at this location for 10 years and have learned that chicago’s a very interesting and important market. why? chicago is a very modern city with depth as you can see by its architecture. it’s always been very turned towards the future and not to the past. that’s what makes it very attractive to me. for me, it’s probably the nicest city in the u.s. you can quote me on that. (maybe after new york where i live. let’s put it that way.) chicago is green. it’s a beautiful city. there are two rivers, the lake. i don’t care about cold weather, so it’s not a problem for me. when you’re here you can feel that people really like to talk about the architecture here. i mean look, neocon is here and not in las vegas.

[da] right, neocon. and a new contract message and what appears to be a new store in what is a tremendously convenient offsite location.

[ar] yes. we’re definitely going to use this location more and more. we made mention last year, slowly but surely. the idea is to communicate with the contact world and the hospitality world, sharing with them. we are not the big, big player and we don’t want to be either. we don’t want to compete with them. we want to be the small player that can bring something different. that can give different options. that can give what we do the most: our quality, our knowledge. we are happy to share this with everyone. we have no intention of ignoring our residential business, make no mistake. but more and more, we are going to develop things around the contract and the hospitality business. it’s only the second year. this year has been a bit crazy because we are reopening the store and doing neocon at the same time. so it’s been quite challenging, but next year…

[da] then next year will be boring. (laughs)

[ar] hah! next year won’t be boring. next year will be even more interesting. we’ll have more time to prepare for neocon which is even better. we’re going to look forward to next year.

above/below > chicago showroom

above > ruché / inga sempé – below > cover 1 / marie christine dorner

the genesis of the design of everything cusp conference per dave mason.

Oct 18, 2016

above > cusp conference big dogs / andy eltzroth, kelly komp, kevin krueger and dave mason

DesignApplause and dave mason agree to meet right after his 2016 cusp conference – after dave takes a few days off to do whatever one does after a ninth annual iron man of sorts.

[DesignApplause] first question that comes to mind: where did the cusp conference come from?

[dave mason] it really came out of my experiences going to other conferences. early in my graphic designer career i went to a lot of graphic design conferences and they were hugely valuable. after a while it seemed i was hearing the same kind of things over and over. it’s not a knock on those conferences per se but graphic design is a narrow vertical. so i ended up going to different types of conferences. for example i went to ted several times way back when when it wasn’t quite as out of reach financially. eventually ted spawned a spinoff in toronto called idea city. kevin krueger and i would take six or seven of our employees to idea city every year because of how much we got out of attending as a group.

both ted and idea city had addressed design to some extent. those elements were presented in a very broad sense. as time passed kevin and i realized we were investing a significant amount of money taking our team to these events.

so over time we began to look around for more design-centric options. since we couldn’t find anything treating design in the broad/focused way we were looking for, like idiots we decided to take a shot at creating such an event ourselves. after about two years of planning and thinking and designing, the 2008 recession hit and we decided to do it. like i said, idiots!

that’s really where cusp conference came from. because we view anything that’s been created by humans as being designed, we position cusp as a conference about the design of everything, with design as a big broad idea that allows us to invite anyone we want. that’s the genesis of cusp.

[da] that’s awesome. did you ever make the international design conference in aspen?

[dm] i have not been to the aspen conference.

[da] cusp reminds me a lot of aspen where physicists, writers, social workers, ceo’s and just a mix of speakers that somehow weaved design into their deal without much difficulty. of interest richard saul wurman attended aspen then became a board member and when in the mid 80s aspen’s star began to fade richard founded ted.

[dm] we are fortunate enough to know richard and he’s been a cusp speaker, so it kind of came full circle. cusp gives us the opportunity to bring together different like-minded people within the construct of ‘the design of everything’. you’ve been to it a few times so obviously you know it creates this weird thing that happens, which is kind of exciting and energizing for us.

[da] you dovetailed into my next question — why you do it. please tell us if cusp ties into your day jobs at multiple.

[dm] we’ve evolved from taking a few employees to a team building event to involving everyone in our company to our own conference. granted some are backstage working their butts off, but it dovetails perfectly with what we do in our day jobs, designing in a dynamic, ever-changing world.

cusp is a very energizing and a galvanizing force for the company, bringing us all together, and from a strictly business standpoint, it doesn’t hurt our brand either. it’s a very positive thing all around.

[da] no question about it. you and i made a plan immediately after cusp 2016 to have this chat after you took a vacation. now you’re back, are you starting to think of next year?

[dm] well i never stop thinking about next year. i was thinking about next year last year. this thing is with me 24 hours a day. my radar is always on. it’s amazing how many times a day i bump into something and i make a note of it. two years later, that note i made has translated into someone standing on the cusp stage talking about something. it’s sort of become part of my dna for want of a better term.

[da] i recently talked to people who went to an annual design conference and they mirrored what you said earlier regarding repetitive topics. the rookie attendees were a lot more inspired than the seasoned attendees. this speaks to your eclectic group of speakers. so what do you look for in a speaker?

[dm] that’s a very popular question. we have a trivial phrase and i’m sure you’ve heard it: cusp worthy. we don’t invite people because they’re public speakers or ‘thought leaders’. we invite them because they’re involved in something that fits the essence of the conference. sometimes i may send a prospective presenter information about the conference. on a follow up they’ll say, ‘i’m not a designer, i think you’ve got the wrong person.’ but when i explain to them that the way we see it, if for example, they’re endeavoring to re-conceive the u.s. criminal justice system. that maybe they’re trying to redesign it. that maybe this process does make them a bit of a designer. and they often go, ‘i never thought of it that way, ok, i’ll come and talk.’

i find people. i contact them. i invite them. i talk to them. if they say yes, they come. and that’s it. and the process rarely comes up short.

[da] i’m a bit conflicted with the design label though when it’s in everyone’s vocabulary, both good and bad and especially when it’s not tied to a process. but to your point, historically, cusp has curated a great and inspiring body of work. and design does feel comfortable in many settings.

[dm] that’s a good way of looking at it. there’s something special that takes place at cusp…the speakers can only talk about themselves and what they know and what they do. a product designer and a comic book writer may find a common thread in their, let’s call it design, process. and the attending sales manager, or librarian, or student, realizes that thread and takes it into their own world. that’s pretty cool. we think everyone has a design gene which they wittingly or unwittingly use to solve their problems. as a species, in a relatively short time we’ve gone from stone tools to putting a vehicle on mars. you don’t do that unless you are designers by nature or by instinct.

[da] not everyone, but evenly distributed amongst all passions and whatever disciplines. there’s a nice sprinkling of someone who can visualize things and folks who can create a process and folks who can execute this stuff. in that sense, we’re all designers. no question about it. cusp’s main theme is clear. is there a sub-theme?

[dm] we want to introduce design to everyone and introduce it early when possible. for example, if we can get high school kids to cusp, we want to reinforce design as a concept in their minds, that they can design things too. that they don’t have to accept the status quo. that things can be redesigned as well as designed.

american democracy is not the same as canadian democracy. and that’s by design. but these systems can be redesigned if they’re not working. that’s the essence of cusp. by saying it’s ‘the design of everything’, we mean everything.

[da] good point. i was exposed to jazz in high school and it’s served me well in all sorts of ways. what do you look for in an audience?

[dm] i think the audience self-selects. and cusp is unusual. we have lifers who have attended 6, 7, 8 years. when asked how they would describe cusp, they’re like ‘i don’t know.’ it’s a hard thing to describe, which makes marketing a little difficult! in the beginning cusp came from and was of the design world. the attendees were design-centric professionals we knew — our peers and our colleagues — our friends — mostly practitioners of design. over the years the mix has evolved to less than 40% being design practitioners. the rest are composed of chief innovation officers and company founders, etc., who know that design matters and they should be thinking about it and learning about it all the time. and that’s why they’re there.

[da] i like the daily schedule – cramming a lot of stuff in 2 days. especially the second day. i like the music each morning to get the head straight and i’ve become accustomed to death topics after lunch. this year someone talked about the prison system and the guy i was sitting next to was saying ‘boy, this is really heavy stuff.’ and i said, ‘a couple years ago a woman talked about planned (designed) assisted death.’ so i’ve come to expect and anticipate that messaging after lunch.

[dm] ha! good to know but that’s not intentional! here’s a little secret, ron. we don’t ask people what they’re gonna talk about. we invite them because of who they are and what they’re involved in — for example someone might get invited because they’re the greatest widget designer in the world — but they’re free to talk about whatever gets them up in the morning or keeps them up at night. and then they don’t talk about just widget design. they talk about something that matters relative to the design of everything. like i said, people have been there 6, 7, 8 years. they can’t describe cusp per se but each year it’s a new life learning experience.

[da] so is there anything you want to do that’s been a real challenge to make happen?

[dm] i don’t think so. because we’re not trying to grow this into a worldwide thing. we like exactly what it is. it’s small, intimate and everyone gets to meet everybody. it’s got a great reputation now, to the point that when i invite someone now, they take a look at the site and say that they’d love to be a part of it. it’s got some momentum i guess. it’s not our day job. there’s nothing that we sit around and go ‘i wish we could do this, but we just can’t get there.’ ya know? it is what it is and we’re thrilled with it.

[da] sounds right. is there anything we didn’t talk about that you wish talk about?

no, but here’s a refrain. these days, through algorithms that think they ‘know’ us, we get lot of programmed content, keeping those things we inquire about in our faces. cusp can’t pretend it knows you or what you might find interesting. if you go to a graphic design conference as a graphic designer, you have a reasonable graphic design expectation. but we hear it over and over: folks don’t know what to expect when they attend cusp conference. numerous people have said ‘i really didn’t know what to expect, but i was flipped out or blown away by it.’ people came away with so much because they literally had no clue what they were going to experience.

so ultimately it’s that unknown that becomes valuable, the serendipity of it all. i think that’s what i hear over and over. ‘wow. i work in this field. i never would have experienced what this guy from this field completely different from me had to say, but what he said applies to me.’ and there lies the magic of: the design of everything.

talking to designer patrizia moroso at luminaire.

Jul 28, 2016

above> patricia uriquiola and patrizia moroso at luminaire’s women in design event

designapplause talks to patrizia moroso prior to her special chat women in design: patrizia moroso & patricia uriquiola with spanish architect and designer patricia uriquiola at luminaire’s chicago showroom. moroso is an italian furniture company founded by patrizia moroso’s parents in 1952, and it is still a family company. today the company is headed by the second generation of the moroso family- roberto, the ceo, and patrizia, the art director. patrizia gives us a good glimpse why building close relationships with designers and architects is so important to her.

the story of moroso is about adopting a different approach to the market. it’s a story told by their designs and projects, by people, the protagonists of contemporary living, who tell of their genuine, spontaneous passion for beauty, emotion, design and art.

moroso says what sets her company apart is the amount of time and effort it puts in to make sure the unique character of each designer’s concept is captured in the finished product. “we talk a lot with the designer to try to give identity to the objects,” she explains. “we try to understand what is the personality and the identity of that thing.”

[designapplause] what is the most rewarding aspect of your job? was this realization a surprise?
[patrizia moroso] what i love about my job is the possibility to make things and collaborate with the brightest minds i know. it’s a fantastic opportunity for your life to be enriched by these special people and to realize something with them is simply wonderful. these people bring talent, ideas and like patricia (uriquiola) a friendship.

[da] have you enriched your life by selecting such a high quality of talent?
[pm] ha! yes. you know everyone is influenced by their beginnings, and my beginning was with very special people and different from the mainstream of design. i started working in the family company, an established company (in the 50s) and simply a daughter coming back from the university. but my roots in the family business started early for me, a young child where i spent much of my time playing with fabric and wood as toys.

above>plana – massimo losa ghini | 1987

at the university my courses were more creative in nature and i had ideas and my first collaboration was with a friend, massimo losa ghini, who was 22 at the time, but later became a very famous designer in italy and founded a movement called bolidismo and worked with the memphis group with ettore sottsass. soon after was ron arad and then toshiyuki kita.

above> suriyama island | toshiyuki kita | 1989

ron was the first to translate an incredibly strong design language and his work was basically art pieces for collectors and museums with the subject of the chair. and with us, it was the first time he created industrial objects and i feel very proud doing that. i was absolutely attracted by his talent and his congeniality. with toshiyuki, coming from japan, for us a completely different world with another kind of concept for the seat- maybe like sitting on a rock in the garden, a fantastic example of organic design. it seems that every designer i’ve made contact with are special talents that greatly influenced me.

[da] do you take risks selecting your talent?
[pm] creating something new is an elemental part of design. it makes no sense to just make another thing like the past. so yes, of course. taking risks is part of our job. and this is also the most exciting part the process.

[da] regarding creative pursuits, can you share what you feel is important?
[pm] the first thing is to know yourself. to have confidence in what you are creating, which is not very easy when you’re young. to also feel and communicate passion. and think about finding a good partner who reinforces your thinking.

if you want to do something and can’t find someone happy to make it for you, just do it yourself. do it yourself first and show that it’s possible. and the technology makes it possible to create your own work. in the end, the (industrial) designer has to have a partner in the industry.

for example, i remember in the 80s when i was crazy about all the young london designers, the manufacturing industries were not there. the then young designers, ron (arad), jasper (morrison) and tom dixon, their studios also had workshops so they could make things to propose to people. tom dixon, after trying many many times became a big success mass producing his own.

above> serpentine | tom dixon | 2003

when i first met patricia she presented models of baskets that she interpreted as furniture and she made all these models by hand. you see, when the designer presents more refined examples, more than a sketch or computer prints on paper, there’s a much better understanding of the project and designer. more recently, with front design like ron they also started designing for galleries and collectors and could also make things by themselves.

of course if the relationship is there, sometimes a sketch is enough. so you see in this example the importance of the relationship.

[da] a personal question about you. what do you feel are your most valuable assets you bring to your life’s passion? what are you blessed with. is it a talent or something learned?
[pm] i don’t know. i hope it is the value in the end of what we produce. it is the result of many good relations. i like to go around and see our work in a beautiful space, perfectly in harmony with the space and showing the value of the design. sometimes i go to a museum and see our work side by side with great pieces and i’m very proud. i also consider the life of a piece, if the work resists the change of time, resists the trends and is bigger than the last trend. of course every object does not have to be a masterpiece but the value a piece brings is very important.

[da] expanding on this question, is there something that people think is important but it’s not all that important?
[pm] ah yes, the ‘aesthetic’ for instance. you know i receive quite a bit of suggestions. most typically the younger talents focus on the aesthetic to try to keep my interest with some ‘ooh wow’ aesthetic attempts. but for me the aesthetic is absolutely the second step behind the concept because the concept is telling me why you did it.

[da] i recently judged a design show and the results were awful. a problem was the judges were given no criteria on what was important. was there innovation, was there a need fulfilled, were others talking about it. with design, after all the above is checked off what is the final criteria? is it good looking, how can a great solution not be beautiful. the aesthetic is pretty important here.
[pm] yes but for me the aesthetic is of course but it’s sort of of course. to understand why first, the concept, and then of course beauty because beauty is part of what we try to produce. and beauty is different for everyone in many different ways and takes a long time to fully appreciate.

[da] tonight you and particia will be chatting at luminaire regarding women in design. in 2009 you said there were many women design critics and journalists but few women designers. do you have a reason why? so today are things better?
[pm] let’s talk about gender differences. yes, there are many journalists and many are women, especially in italy. both genders are equally talented and accomplished it seems and i don’t see any gender difference. in the profession of design however there is some difference.

the people that i work with are all very confident and the dialog is easy and with many friendships. and there’s not a big gender difference regarding communication. but of course i find that the work between genders is usually a little different. the little details seem to be usually more important for women than for men.

above> victoria and albert | ron arad | 2000

for example, ron arad is really made of iron. his work is sculptural with a very strong gesture and (whoosh) in one second he designs something that has the beauty aesthetic we were just talking about. and he’s connecting this artwork with a craziness for functionality. a chair has to be comfortable and the shape determines comfortability. and if i wish something warmer and softer then metal and we arrive at felt because it’s smooth like metal. his shapes derive from cars, speed and architecture, but he’s not interested in some other the details.

above> tropicalia | patricia uriquiola | 2008

in contrast, patricia’s focus is on the little details. she’s interested in how we do a stitch, how to get a certain effect she wants. she’s not interested in the shape but the very detailed combinations of color and weaving and fabric. we wind up making custom fabrics to satisfy her vision. interestingly, with this kind of detail i find we arrive at a ‘total’ project of fabric determining softness, shape and functionality.

above> soft wood sofa | front design | 2010

for front design (anna lindgren and sofia lagerkvist) their focus is on illusion, it’s not a function but an idea. for instance their ‘soft wood’ bench concept is a fabric that looks like wood, an illusion that a magician might do. it’s fantastic because of the surprise.

[da] your emphasis on knowing why and your interest in the details reminds me that tomorrow i am spending the last day at neocon seeking out the design award winners. my intention is to ask them why their product won the award. what made it so good.
[pm] ah, to ask the people that won? a good question. let’s hope that they know.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”13″ gal_title=”luminaire patrizia moroso 2016″] above> click on image to open lightbox | images courtesy of luminaire

luminaire is more than a furniture showroom. it is an interactive design research center, a playground for the soul, an esplanade for discovery. more than anything else, however, it is a resource focused on creating environments that affect people’s lives.

interview with mia lewin and bill hanley of kontor. neocon 2016.

Jun 11, 2016

above> a concept sketch for rockwell unscripted / image courtesy knoll

neocon 2016 has provided an opportunity to become better acquainted with start-up and design resource kontor. mia lewin is a founder and ceo, bill hanley is the vice president content / editorial director

[DesignApplause] mia, why don’t you give everyone a little bit of background on the concept of kontor?
[mia lewin] kontor is an inspiration and workflow tool for professional designers and their clients. you can think about it as a combination of houzz and pinterest for commercial interiors. we bring together designers and their clients, product manufacturers, and distributers, all on one image-based platform, allowing them to work together to design better offices. the company was founded by me, our cto, andy parsons, tom melcher, and kevin ryan — kevin is a serial entrepreneur here in new york behind gilt groupe, business insider, and many other successful companies. my background is really in the commerce and lifestyle industries. i’ve always been passionate about design and fashion. back in 2009 i saw home design, moving online and going much more global in its aesthetic. people wanted to mix and match styles and products, and we started kontor because we saw those same trends happening on the commercial interior side, especially in the tech industry, in silicon valley where i was based for about for 10 years. i really wanted to build this platform that was an inspiration. everybody can collect and create mood boards as well as collaborate together with their teams and their clients, all in one place, to come to design decisions better and faster.

[da] and how’s it going? what’s the past year been like?
[ml] the past year’s been great! about a year ago, at neocon we launched our private beta version of kontor. we had about 30 early partner design firms on the platform. and a year later, as we’re going into neocon again, we now have 850 of the leading design and architecture firms on the platform, representing more than 60 different countries. we launched the product publicly last november, and we’ve become the go-to platform to the designers and architects within these 850 firms. we’ve seen tremendous growth and excitement. in addition to the design firms, we also have around 200 of the who’s-who of design brands, contextually integrated into the site. these range from knoll, herman miller, steelcase, to trendsetters…like moooi, tom dixon, muuto, secto (who are, like me, from finland), among others.

[da] what is your criteria on how you select partners?
[bill hanley] we show work by design firms of all sizes and shapes, from hok and perkins + will to knoll and herman miller, down to solo practitioners doing tight-budget products. we want to reflect all sorts of different budgets, all sorts of different styles, and the range of interesting work that’s being designed out there. and then we curate what to showcase from large, big budget projects to creative small solutions.

[da] your growth is one thing…the way you started by just connecting people, has that changed? i’m not talking about where you’re thinking of going in the future but it started out very simple, just connecting people. all the articles, a little over six or seven months old, called you the pinterest in this field and it seems much bigger than that. but maybe that’s how you started? are you doing more than just giving people ideas? visual ideas?
[ml] yes, absolutely. our vision is really to enable the workflow for both the designer and their clients. and it’s really being able to provide a sense of what is going on in the industry and then provide the audience with the workflow tools to help throughout the project. starting with from the inspirational stage of looking at examples and ideas for a new interior, to collaborating on the overall aesthetic, to presenting and exchanging ideas and having discussions, all the way to making product decisions by facilitating conversations between the designers, the clients and the brands — everyone involved with purchasing decisions about what goes into an interior.

[da] what you’re saying is you’re now functioning as a part of the team? is that right?
[bh] it’s really a collaboration tool. we enable discussions that you have with your team, presenting mood boards, saying “i love this i hate that and what about this?” you know those have been very analogue historically. and what we’re doing is digitizing that conversation and also giving you information about products in a way that didn’t exist before. you can actually make one-to-one comparisons within those mood boards and start narrowing down decisions on what you’d want to include in a project. we’re not actively, as a company, participating in the design so much as providing a tool that enables people to communicate in a fast digital way.

[da] what’s the best way to utilize kontor’s resources?
[ml] we’ve built the largest database for office interiors in the world. on top of the database we built the industry’s first design-specific specific search and discovery tool. you can collect information on kontor but you can also collect from any website and manage all of your digital content, information on products, all in one place. then we provide those collaboration tools for you to make product and design decisions in a much more digital way. it’s all about searching and browsing for inspiration, seeing trends, collecting, collaborating and finally making those design choices.

[da] let’s come up with a case example. we have a design office and they have a client. now using your new digital tool, how does this whole process start and unfold?
[bh] designers come back to kontor to take a look at what’s new in workplace design. they know they can see new and interesting products every day on our site. when they eventually enter the workflow process, KONTOR seamlessly becomes a part of that process, either initiated by the designers or their clients.

users will also curate collections of images that they find interesting. they will also add other imagery that supplements it. for example, if a designer is working on a kitchen space. they can quickly collect a multitude of different kitchen spaces on kontor and then invite a colleague and/or client to collaborate on that collection. everyone is easily exposed to who’s doing what in the entire workplace design field. in the end, designers can educate client to make better decisions.

KONTOR also has the ability to gather images and keep a record of the process, a real timesaver. for example, let’s say they’re reading DesignApplause and grab a few images on your site—which unlike doing a random google search, always retains a link to where those images are found. once the mood board is created, using kontor’s comments feature, the team easily discuss what they have collected there. reference copies of all of the images in the collection can also be downloaded (with a prominent watermark attributing the photo) if there’s a need for a traditional physical pin-up presentation. you can also use those boards to collect, say, three different pendant lights with different price points then using the commenting function, conversations regarding selection come about. Kontor provides an easy-to-manage digital process from the ideation phase through the execution.

[da] are all these happenings confined to the desktop? do you have any mobile capabilities?
[ml] the site is completely responsive, which means it’s mobile- and tablet- enabled so you can use it as a web experience. we’ll be launching an actual mobile app later on.

[da] you mentioned a couple of events. what events are you attending?
[bh] we’ll be in your neighborhood for neocon coming up shortly. we’re giving out tote bags and also sponsoring the coffee bar in the vip lounge with bow truss coffee which i’m super excited about. they have amazing coffee! we make our rounds to all of the regular events. the latest was icff in new york. did you attend also?

[da] i was. i was really happy to see, this is my third year in a row, a remarkable growth of offerings. javits remained solid but offsite offerings grew. felt more like a european design week.
[bh] yes, also with me. one thing that was really surprising and fun was the expanded site unseen offsite. i think they did a really good job of keeping a really tightly curated and exciting group of the new makers.

[da] we just mentioned a few of the established companies doing new things, which is very exciting. i’m wondering to what extent the emerging talents are now inspiring the established, a topsy turvy process. let’s talk a little bit about your collaboration with knoll at neocon this year.
[ml] great, yes. we are collaborating with knoll to launch their new office collection by david rockwell and we’ll also be hosting a joint event at the knoll showroom. the new rockwell collection, unscripted, is a really unique and fun collection with a strong design aesthetic but that is also very adaptable to all kinds of offices and uses.

above> rockwell unscripted includes bleachers which can wrap around corners and come in a variety of customizable finishes / image courtesy knoll

an overview of the entire collection / image courtesy knoll

[da] when is the event?
[bh] monday the 13th at 4:30p at the knoll showroom. ron, you probably already have one but i’ll send you an invite.

[da] thank you! how did knoll and kontor partner up?
[ml] we’ve had a longstanding relationship with them. knoll was our very first design brand partner. and we launched our private beta to the industry last year, together with knoll, at neocon in their showroom. and since then we’ve partnered with 200 leading design brands but knoll really was the first. and as part of the partnership we do a lot of co-promotional activities to really tell the story of their product and ours in a new, fresh way.

[da] i’m now very curious what your working space is like? is it the same as startup? 
[ml] ha! the cobbler’s children have no shoes. so we’re a typical startup in the way that we’ve been super busy building the team and building the product. we are still subleasing with our sister company, zola, which is a wedding registry and another portfolio company of kevin ryan. we are in a very fun industrial-style space in tribecca in manhattan. as for our next own, real office we are starting the process very soon. we’ll probably have a design competition with our design partners and brands to create an office space that reflects the mixing and matching of different styles, a global aesthetic combining flexibility, technology and design. naturally we’ll be collaborating on kontor to make that come true.

[da] right answer 🙂 kontor is free to utilize now. how do you expect to monetize in the future?
[ml] the platform is free for everyone, for the designers, architects and their clients who are using us as their workflow tool. the offering for the design brands and dealers, will soon become a paid service as of july 1, 2016. it’s a contextual marketing tool for brands and their distributors to reach the key decision makers in the industry using the kontor platform. there will be a monthly subscription fee based on the bundle of services they opt into.

[da] can you give us an example of the insight the past year has presented to you?
[bh] in terms of macro-trends the influence of residential design and hospitality on office design has continued to grow. as everyone becomes able to work anywhere and everywhere. the kind of domestic comfort and sense of space more akin to a hotel lobby is becoming more prominent in the office space. we also do quarterly trend forecasts. we’ll have another one coming out at the end of the month.

because of the volume of projects and images that designers post on kontor every day, we’re also able to see micro-trends early. we start to see similarities among spaces emerging well before a lot other people. we’ve been tipping off our users with our findings. that’s everything from particular configurations of conference rooms to things like the return of the chesterfield sofa. who knew? it’s really interesting what you can see when you use our search to look at our database.

[da] the chesterfield, for example, is the trend spontaneous across different sectors or are people using, maybe the internet, and being influenced?
[bh] i think it’s a little bit of both. some of the trends are people wanting the same lighting fixtures they discovered in the media. on the other hand, there are ideas emerging independently that are responding to the way people work now. certain ways of treating lounge spaces and certain ways of treating workspaces. the actual use of the office space may have more influence on a trend than just businesses wanting their space to look like a prominent project.

[da] is there anything that you want to talk about that we haven’t talked about yet?
[ml] we’ve covered a lot today, thank you. any questions that you may have?

[da] kontor is a very interesting product with a lot of promise and the best of luck to you. thank you for reaching out to DesignApplause and of course, we’ll see you at knoll!
[ml & bh] see you at knoll!

[ kontor ] [ knoll ] [ rockwell group ]

getting from point a to b with giulio cappellini. icff 2015.

May 17, 2015

[DA] What’s on the top of your mind right now?
[GC] Ah, many things. It’s because I’m always looking towards the future, what’s next. And more and more now, I experience a great of degree of change to an approach to design that has transpired over time. In the 50s and 60s, those early products just had to be well-constructed and beautiful. Today it’s more than just a nice shape, now there’s more emphasis on function. We also think more about scale. By scale I mean that many of our customers live in the city and their living spaces are physically smaller, and we scale down for them.

More recently we have found the need to not only create for the home environment but for the office space as well, a landscape experiencing a great deal of change. The same for technology. There are many more natural materials and complex natural colors to work with. And today the consumer more and more likes the freedom to make their own choices. So more options, more customization is added to the mix. And through all of this, quality has to keep pace and not be compromised. There’s a lot to think about.

[DA] Giulio, you’re a great judge of talent. You’ve done this for years. So many designers that I’ve talked to agree you are responsible for who they are today. Who, what do you look for?
[GC] I think that each designer is unique, they don’t follow the same line or path. Sometimes they have a sketch or prototype and now I think I can’t live without this product and I want to bring it home with me now. I try to talk and get to know the designer to see if we communicate and can work with Cappellini. There’s a need to establish a relationship that communicates the right feeling, the common perspectives and values. So the personal approach is very important. I always say the good Cappellini designers are first of all good friends of mine.

[DA] Good chemistry. Everyone gets from A to B a bit differently. How did you get from A to B. What are some of the things that were important to you to put you where you are right now?
[GC] I’m always enthusiastic in my job and I try to be kind to my stomach, you know, less worry and more passion. At the beginning of my career I didn’t follow an A to B dream. And now today, the company is big, the situation different, and through this change I like to always keep a little freedom. Regarding the company and our relationships with our consumers, we do it a certain way which seems to work, but I also like to take my risks and strongly believe in what I am doing. For me this is very important.

[DA] Would you give the same answer if I was asking what advice would you give to a young designer?
[GC] I’m a visiting professor, invited by design schools to speak about my experiences. I tell students that I understand when they start their career they want their sketches and ideas to quickly hit the marketplace. But you cannot think it’s a simple journey to design a new chair or table. You have to follow the development of a product like a baby.

In the market there are thousands of products. We really don’t need a new table or sofa, we need a better table and sofa. The new products should be more contemporary and the shape may benefit from the new materials and technologies. Plus there are new strategies and philosophies to add to the process, such as incorporating environmentally friendly and less expensive features. I tell them do few things but do good things.

[DA] Is there any aspect in design that’s broken, not working, that can be improved upon?
[GC] What I’m going to say is something I just thought about this morning. There can be a communication problem in design. If a consumer doesn’t buy a product most of the time it’s because they didn’t fully understand the design’s value to them. The value needs to be better communicated to the consumer. We can’t assume the buyer is knowledgeable.

Knowledge is not enough however. For many years, the communication about design was, maybe too sophisticated or better, there was a presumption and maybe an elitist attitude that impeded communication. Maybe it was just hearing the top 300 in design talking to themselves. And maybe this dialog made some a little afraid of design. People might like and appreciate the artifacts in the permanent collection of a museum or the windows displays of a fine showroom but they’re still afraid to go deeper, to engage with design.

[DA] To be continued.
[GC] To be continued.

L>R luca nichetto, giulio, jaime hayon smokin the design world

Giulio Cappellini is a Milanese architect who has been working since 1979 with an energetic spirit and refreshing goals. Through the years his work transformed into that of a designer’s, offering a personal approach to contemporary design. He has successfully established both his brand and his name and has worked as the art director for other key design brands. His most important project, the “company”, transformed Cappellini into one of the biggest trend-setters worldwide. His lectures at the Milan Architecture University always generate great interest from Montreal to Valencia.

[envira-gallery id=”45242″]

2015 ushers in 20th anniversary with debut maison & objet americas in miami.

Feb 27, 2015

We talk to Philippe Chomat, Maison & Objet directeur de la communication.
[DesignApplause] Philippe, can you share with us what’s new since we last talked one year ago?
[Philippe Chomat] This session is the 20th anniversary of Maison & Objet. It’s a key moment because a lot has changed in 20 years. The market, the information, distribution networks, the projects and the way people see design today. 20 years ago there was no design in our offerings. The design aspect was introduced in 2000 and the designers of that era are now stars. Today everyone wants a designer’s signature on the product to add value to that product. And now at this time we launch inspiration in another way. Then it was more decoration and now, it’s really everything, more than form and function, there’s the materials, the environmental and the brand or narrative elements.

We have a new inspirational term which is ‘Make’ because it’s very important to say to the market and to say to everybody that today you have the internet, social media and the mobile way of life which is to say an non-material way of life. And the heart of Maison Objet represents the material way of life where products are made of wood, metal and other materials.

An important design statement is made within this ‘Make’ envelope if you will and our special design exhibit is named ‘Tendencies’ which comprises three inspirational elements: Natural Made, Human Made and Tecno Made. Natural-made is about designers, creators, using natural materials, natural compositions as found in nature. Human-made is the heart of Maison Objet, designers using wood, metal, handmade items. And techno-made is the new generation of product using technology to create the products.

( more about ‘make’ following Philippe’s comments )

We also have selected a designer of the year for the Paris show, Japanese designer Oki Sato of Nendo. He has created a homage to chocolate and the best way to explain it is to visit his installation. [ Oki talks to DA about installation ] We also award Talents à la carte, six emerging designers. (Christian Vivanco, Liliana Ovalle, Cooperativa Panorámica, Paul Roco, Studio davidpompa and FOAM & Perla Valtierra)

[DA] It’s safe to say we’re in an era of design. Cities are creating design events – design weeks because design is the magnet for addressing and solving a broad spectrum of urban, manufacturing, retail and people needs. Maison Objet is a perfect example. Can you tell us about the inspiration and aspirations of the upcoming Maison & Objet Americas?
[PC] It’s very simple. Today, if you’re not international, you’re dead. For us, Paris is an international city and we, after 20 years, attract a worldwide exhibitor and visitor. The world marketplace is dynamic and each region experiences ebb and growth cycles. Right now retail in France, Europe is down and other countries such as the Middle East, China and South America, retail is up. And you have a lot of new projects coming into these countries because they are in a growth mode.

We feel for us in Paris, we have a successful business model. But we feel we can do more. We now have to propose to our clients, our customers, to go directly to these growth countries because it’s in everyone’s best interest. As you know we ventured into Asia last year. We thought about such cities as Hong Kong and Shanghai and eventually felt that there were many reasons to select Singapore. For example this is Singapore’s 50th anniversary and we’re hosting conferences in March 2015 to also celebrate 50 years of friendship with France.

With Maison Objet Asia we discovered that 30 percent of the participants never visited Paris and they came to us to exhibit because they couldn’t find any show like us in Asia and they never thought to come to Paris. In Singapore we had 272 exhibitors and 13,000 visitors. We felt we discovered something good here.

So now we feel we can find something good in Maison Objet Americas and held in Miami. For one thing there is no show in the Americas like us offering the variety and quality of objects and styles, from the classical to modern design. And why Miami. Because Miami is the gateway and link of the Americas. It was important for us not only to focus on the U.S. but both continents.

Here we find a lot of new projects going up in Mexico City and Brazil is a very important city in terms of decoration and design, the Campana brothers for example and the architecture in San Paulo. So we propose to our customers to reach out to a large base of architects, interior designers and retailers. We are opening in May with 250+ exhibitors and hope to attract 10,000 visitors and we think we are going to do that.

[DA] Along with Maison Objet’s anniversary Design Miami also just celebrated it’s 10th anniversary. I interviewed eight founders of the original 15 design galleries last December and all agreed the fair exceeded their expectations. An important factor was exhibiting during Art Basel Miami, the synergy is great for both. Plus ’80’ and sunny in December. I’m wondering what May will offer you weather-wise, though Paris in January has certainly not deterred Maison’s success(!), and if you’ll find an unknown element that offers a synergistic advantage.
[PC] You raise interesting questions that have already been raised. Everyone’s calendar and logistics pointed to May or June. We will be there 12-15 May. Regarding a synergistic element, we ‘know’ the Art Basel folks. We have mutual aspirations for us to succeed. It’s not a same-day synergy but it makes Miami Beach more and more desirable. We both know, Art Basel and Design Miami helped change the image of Miami regarding art and design. There’s now a spirited design district. People are now used to coming to and finding a very worthwhile destination. We feel we discovered something good in Miami.

[ 2015/16 inspiration ‘make’ ] The M&O future-casting department, Maison & Objet Observatory, has organized emerging trends with the inspirational theme ‘Make’ and spelled out in three categories Nature Made, Human Made and Techno Made. Reminding us of the design magazine Domus 2012 exhibition ‘The Future in The Making: Open Design Archipelago‘ the 2015/16 message presents a trifecta of science, craftsmanship and maybe unforeseen, that of technology placing control of production processes in the hands of designers and consumers.

above / below> new families of objects use organic properties and compose with time, to satisfy our need for contemplation / yoho stool from brabbu

above> / below> the art of making by hand, the new luxury, creating unique shapes and typologies / the tools of the trade, agustina bottoni and simon hasan work with the medieval leather-working technique of cuir bouilli

above> / below> technology increasingly drives solutions and inspires/challenges imaginations / 3D printed chair 71 was designed in 2006 by françois brument and ammar eloueini

[ maison & objet paris ] is

[ maison & objet paris ] 20 years old this is, well, big. The event fills eight exhibition pavilions, each dedicated to a certain interior design category for a total of over 3,000 exhibitors from all over the world. The format not only showcases but facilitates a dialog between experts, professinals and the devotee.

[ 2014 january] 138,440 trade visitors
49% of international visitors 144 countries represented 3,245 exhibitors
40% of international exhibitors

>visitor profile
36% specifiers divided among the following functions:
37% – Interior designer/decorator
18% – Designer
10 % – Agency – hotel director
9% – Certified architects
6% – Restaurant’s chef
5% – Stylist – trend setter
4% – Art director
4% – Property developer
3% – Consultant/merchandiser
1% – Archivist
1% – Landscaper

64 % buyers divided among the following metiers:
48% – Retailers
15% – manufacturers / designers
10% – wholesales / importers
9% – department stores / buying groups
8% – specialized points of sale
6% – e-commerce
4% – other visitors

130,000 sqm net stand space 54% sqm of international exhibition space

scott henderson designs usa partner country presentation for ambiente 2015.

Feb 9, 2015

Partner Company 2015 is USA. The annual presentation of a partner country at Ambiente increases public interest in the fair, as well as its attractiveness and major role as the most important event in the worldwide consumer goods industry. USA will be showcasing trendsetting ideas, designs and products and the audience and exhibitors will have the opportunity to experience an American way of life in a special presentation and in numerous events and activities on the Monday of the fair. Last year’s partner was Japan. Former partner countries were Denmark and France.

DesignApplause has been talking to New York-based American Scott Henderson since mid-August 2014, following the development of his concept.
[DesignApplause] For this assignment what is MF hoping for?
[Scott Henderson] Messe Frankfurt chose me to be the designer of the Partner Country Exhibition because I work very closely with the primary industries that regularly show at Ambiente, and also because they perceive my work as combining a lightness and wit with innovative practicality.

[DA] What did your design brief ask of you?
[SH] The design brief was simply: Design an exhibit featuring the United States and curate all of its contents with US based products—mostly from the products lines of the Ambiente confirmed US exhibiters. I can also chose some products from US based companies that are not necessarily exhibiting at the show itself. We had 2-3 design reviews and I presented three concepts all at the same level as each other. We collectively chose the direction we’re moving ahead with, which was definitely the strongest one.

[DA] Tell us about the chosen concept.
[SH] The big idea begs for a concept that evolves around unique iconic American images and symbols and serve it up to a global audience. The US is unique with regards to densely populated areas separated by vast stretches of open space. This reflects the very different regional looks we have. Matching an iconic product and a geographic region evolved into the Adirondack Chair, a classic I love, and a New England seascape. There are also two classic rural residential mailboxes at each end, befitting to the concept and with their flags in the up position. The flags are American flags, the only explicit reference to the US in the exhibit. There are also display tables abstractly representing plant life growing about these giant chairs.

[DA] What did you learn?
[SH] While I was working on this project, one exercise in the process was to create a visual “mood” board representing all things America. What I noticed while doing this is that as an American, I found out that it can almost be easy to take the USA for granted, especially when you start to consider how the rest of the world may view all of the positive things about our culture, geography, iconic products, etc. When assembling imagery that represents the many aspects of American life and its diversity on many levels, I was reaffirmed to how the territory is quite deep.

[DA] What are the challenges?
[SH] The greatest challenge for me in designing the exhibit was how to decide what to do amid the seemingly endless possibilities. Messe Frankfurt Ambiente being an international trade fair, I also thought about each concept not just through regional eyes, but through the global perspective, in effort to create a presentation that will be universally positive, yet authentically American. The serenity of the New England seaside, with the giant (9 feet tall) and truly American Adirondack Chairs facing the ocean scene from high on a cliff-side, seemed to be a great way to do this. The exhibition is titled Seashore Galore and is erected in a very open space which lends itself to the expansive, light and airy look of the design.

above / below> an earlier iteration of the seaside concept

above / below>
[SH] Concept 1, my first idea staggered panels emanating from the floor, and ceiling, creating display shelves at two different heights. A show attendee can just walk up to this curved display wall to access the various products. The staggered panels abstractly represent the stripes of the American Flag, with negative and positive spaces playing off of each other. Through the negative space created by the staggered panels is an LCD Video Wall that would show images of American life, geography and culture. The images would be moving around randomly and perhaps synchronized to sound in some way.

I was going for a “Slick” “designy” solution with this first attempt, but at the end of the day, I think that people have all seen technology and slickness, and no matter how well we executed on this idea, people might just walk on by as it lacks the emotional connection that the final chosen direction with the Adirondack Chairs has.

above / below>
[SH] Concept 2, using cedar shakes, an authentic American building material found on salt box houses in regions like the north east, I experimented with cutting through the “roughness” of the cedar to expose high-gloss, lacquered and randomly staggered display boxed that would be brightly lit from inside. The juxtaposition between the rough and smooth, and natural earth tones versus a vibrant tertiary color, were interesting to me. Since the space is 4 meters tall, I explored using some of the vertical height by incorporating a ramp that runs the length of the exhibit, to allow show attendees to walk ‘up’ into the space. The picket fence is meant to again combine tradition with a contemporary treatment—creating a contrast that was intended to be powerful. I think playing iconic tradition against contemporary details and colors often has the potential for high-impact.

[ Partner Country USA ] exhibition and activities will be held in the Foyer of Hall 4.1 throughout the duration of the fair.

[ scott henderson ] I think good design involves a big idea that is so
built-in to the product that becomes its total story. A bad design is one that attempts to get 10 or 15 small ideas to work together, resulting in a muddled or forgettable story. With my own design work, I try to incorporate one big idea that you see right away at a glance that makes you say, “I get it”, and when you get it, you smile and experience happiness. If the idea is strong enough, a very mundane object that was part of the world’s background emerges into the foreground.