featured – Page 6 – DesignApplause

talking to fashion designer elke walter.

Mar 13, 2014

above> elke and zaha at zhd gallery | ‘elke is my favorite fashion designer’ ~ zaha hadid

We heard fashion designer Elke Walter was in town, having a pop-up store at Deborah Colman and Neil Kraus’ Bucktown store [ pavilion ]
[DesignApplause] Elke, what brings you here to Chicago?
[Elke Walter] We are here to do a pop-up store. Chicago is a great architecture and design destination and I once showed at Luminaire in 2007. So we thought it would be good to come back.

[DA] Is the pop-up concept new to you?
[EW] Actually we started this year. Let’s go back. Last year we, my husband Alfred and myself, moved from Germany to France. We were in a mood to start something new. In Germany, Hamburg, we had a studio and like other designers we were producing and selling to stores. We don’t have a store and I don’t like to go to fashion fairs which allows us to live in the countryside, in Provence, and everything feels very good, almost magical. It seems I am supported by the nature surrounding our new studio, I don’t know how to explain it, I feel it has an influence on my work. If you feel good you can transport this feeling through your work.

[DA] What’s your new environment like?
[EW] We live next to a vineyard. We have a very big garden. It’s a big place though my studio is very small. I now take the time to devote one-to-two hours to work in the garden.

[DA] Do you work alone?
[EW] I am surrounded by very talented and compatible local help. The conceptual, the creative I do myself and my helpers create the prototypes and some of the products. That said, it was difficult to find women who could respond to my needs. But it’s been a year or less so maybe it wasn’t all that difficult.

[DA] As a designer there is a certain element of control.
[EW] True, but the relationship, the chemistry who you work with is very important. And we are a close, small group. We don’t want to be big, we are in the country and I do feel the reduction in pace and pressure compared to a big city.

essentials collection

[DA] How do you work?
[EW] I don’t work on a computer. I don’t sketch. I just cut. I have my basic patterns in mind and I know when I have a fabric what to use it for. I’m always looking for fabrics and I buy what I like. I have something very abstract in mind when I buy the fabrics. Sometimes the concept comes later but sometimes, it’s very exciting when I use the fabric as soon as I come home. I just cut, do the basic seams, the basic sleeves, the rest is open and then I see what I can do with it. At the start I work on a mannequin.

[DA] Ok, so you create as you go. You know the strengths and weaknesses of the fabrics. When someone asks you to do something you can grab the right fabric.
[EW] Yes and, I do not leave the choice to my customers. I like the idea of someone telling me I need a dress, I need a coat, I need something sumptuous, do what you think is good for this. I may be told what the event is and maybe there are limitations like don’t make it black or silver. I may then send just one piece or a box of things that I curate from what I have on hand.

[DA] What is the lead time for a dress?
[EW] If I have the time and I can concentrate on a piece, it can be created within a week if I have the fabric. If I have to look for the fabric I need one week more.

[DA] I learned that you also do work for the performing arts. Tell us about that experience.
[EW] I did performing arts twice. Once for the German theatre and then for the same director for a Hong Kong presentation. It took me three months to work on each. I would like to do it again and we’ll see if an opportunity presents itself but it’s something I don’t pursue with vigor because my regular work needs time too.

[DA] You’ll figure it out. What is your mix within your current portfolio?
[EW] I have a collection called ‘Essentials” which come only in black and there are always pieces available. They are basics and there are many options. Everyone says they feel so comfortable. That’s because of the way I cut. For example, with long sleeves there are no shoulder seams which demands quite a bit more fabric. Production apparel is cut with fabric efficiency in mind, usually at the cost of comfort. I am now spoiled wearing clothes that offer a great degree of comfort and freedom.

[DA] Do you design for men? I’m thin but I’ve worn oversized for such a long time. Now fitted clothes are in and it’s a whole new wardrobe. And I can see a man wearing some of your work.
[EW] Yes, snug clothes are in now, it’s the trend. And the clothes are much cheaper to produce. I am working on a new unisex line. They are coats and jackets and they are loose fitting. I’ve done clothes for my husband and Nasir Kassamali. I’ve done shirts. The men’s jackets look a bit different than what we are used to seeing.

[DA] Do you feel your clothes are designed for a different physique?
[EW] For small people everything looks good. It is difficult if you are very thin. I now have three sizes and they seem to work. One reason is many of my pieces are adjustable or can be worn different ways. You can let it hang loose or cinch it up and make it look best for you.

[DA] How did you get into design?
[EW] I did many things before. Maybe this is not the end. I was a writer, my husband is a writer. We did live in France from 1994 to 2001 and I started designing my own clothes because I couldn’t get what I liked where I lived. There was a day when I needed someone to do something for me and I was forced to do it myself. I placed no restrictions on myself, doing it differently, doing what was possible. I started very simple, then it came closer to the body. Then I got my first customer which I never had in mind to work for other people. But there were other orders and when we went back to Germany I brought my clothes into a shop. At this time I was making one-of-a-kind. And then in 2003 I opened my own store. I would buy fabric and make one-of-a-kind and it was very successful. I couldn’t believe it. One should have studied for what I now do, and the success encouraged me to keep going. I became a member of the German craft council, I am still a member. We went to shows and in New York where I met Nasir and he invited me to go to Miami in 2006. In fact he introduced me to Zaha Hadid and this December I will be showing in her design gallery. Looking back, one day you notice you’re part of the design world and that was never the plan. The plan was to do something for myself.

[DA] Was the craft council responsible for getting you out of your city?
[EW] The council presented opportunities which I followed. For example, the government gives financial support to go to fairs and provides venue to show your work. They also included me in an installation at a Hamburg museum. There were many opportunities.

[DA] What’s the difference between a trunk show and a pop-up store.
[EW] A trunk show typically occurs in a department store or boutique shop and you bring your trunk of work and they bring their customers. With a pop-up you have much more responsibility. It’s your shop within a shop. And you wouldn’t go into a fashion shop because they have their own stable of designers. With a pop-up you can go into many design worlds, an interior world for example and for a brief period of time your work is special within another environment, though design is the common thread.

[DA] Clive Thompson, a writer, says ‘our ideas are inspired by our environment.’ Are you inspired by your environment?
[EW] When I work, what I’m doing, what I like, I cannot say I saw something that inspired me. What should I say? I like certain things of course though I can’t say my dresses are a result of a tangible this or that. You know, it’s here (pointing to heart) and I’ve thought about this and I’ve talked to my husband a lot. For me, when something is done you may give it a name. For example color, some things look like morning dew to me or rain. So you see, my process is the other way around. And the process lives in a claustrophobic place, it’s in my head, and it’s my mirror. It’s me and the fabric. and that’s why, even when we had a studio in Hamburg and we had people working there on staff, I couldn’t be creative there, with people all around me, it was impossible. I took half of the day in my studio and half of the day in my head.

[DA] You mention mirrors. How important are the mirrors in your life?
[EW] Very important. Because I have to see what I’m doing while I’m doing and I want it to be beautiful from all sides.

[DA] So you have a mirror surrounding you?
[EW] No no, it’s one mirror. I am really not complicated, it’s really very simple. And now my space is very small. Me, the mirror, the fabric. And there I am standing, always standing. It’s a very physical exercise when I’m doing one-of-a-kind.

one-of-a-kind

[DA] What’s the function and purpose of clothes. To you?
[EW] We should look good in it. We should look good and be comfortable. And not just like everybody because you get clothes, both cheap and expensive, and I don’t see a difference. The clothes should show your personality. If it’s a simple black thing, cut in a different way, people will say, “Oh she must be special” or “she looks so different”. You don’t want to hide in the crowd. You don’t want to be like a mouse or an insect. Or a fish in the sea.

[DA] Ok. I get it. You know when we are talking about fabrics I was recently a guest of Heimtextil and though I didn’t talk to many designers I was almost always thinking how the designer, the fabric, the presentation, how do they arrive at the end product. How do very successful designers, and I include you, get the fabric?
[EW] Very famous designers work with manufacturers, and we talk about this. For instance in Italy, if you have an idea the manufacturer does it for you. I want this print, this texture, this weight, this function, maybe two colors, maybe 14, and the manufacturer shows you this and that to respond to. If you go to a fabric fair, a very good in Paris, Première Vision, on the first day you just walk around looking touching and you choose the companies you like most, and you choose your samples, your swatches which are sent to your studio. Then back at the studio you put together colors and textures. The best is to find your manufacturer. That way you don’t need 20 options you need just one, two, three, and that’s what we are doing now. And there are also wholesalers who deal in smaller quantities and deal with the designers who are yet another resource to choose. If I do a one-of-a-kind I am looking for a very special unique fabric.

[DA] What are trends to you?
[EW] Trends are market related so you have to do something for the next season. So you buy something new. That’s all. It’s fun for people who participate. I don’t want them to stop. For me, a bit foolish because for example, in the 90s everything had to be neon colored. Shoes, jewelry, nail polish, lipstick. And then you have all this stuff in your closet. You know, this is very personal. And then they say, let’s go back to the 80s. Then everything we just mentioned practically goes to black. The trends are primarily the province of less expensive products and everybody wants to fit in. Granted, its good for the economy.

[DA] Do you throw in the creative recipe sustainable, ecological solutions?
[EW] Oh yes, though I don’t use or look for special ecological, organic fabric, because for me sustainable is that I can wear my work for years on end. And I can wash it and not take it to the dry cleaner and it still looks perfect. It remains unchanged in the design, its freshness, its state.

[DA] I’ve changed my attitude a bit. This past year I had to judge a show of new products and my criteria was if there was no sustainable effort, we are talking about material here in most cases, the object could not receive a vote higher than five, no matter how it looked or behaved. My criteria has shifted more in line with your assessment of what sustainable means and now put that in my equation.
[EW] There are many aspects to this issue. You can work with organics but you also may have a worthy self interest to work local and the material and the manufacturing might not be locally available. And I feel, with what I do, I could have trouble always finding a unique, renewable, beautiful, sumptuous, responsive material for every solution. I can rationalize there are not that many one-of-a-kinds in the big scheme of things.

[DA] You know, I am a hypocrite in this matter. At home we don’t use plastic bottles for water, nor plastic bags at the grocery store. We take public transportation when we can and in DA I preach sustainable. But our car, it would be labeled high performance.
[EW] Ok, if we are going down this path, I don’t use cotton because I don’t like cotton. The material I use is, well, high tech.

zhd gallery pop-up

[DA] Are you on your computer looking at fashion?
[[EW] No, not fashion. I use the computer for music. My son give me music in my dropbox and now I have an extensive playlist and the music goes on before work, during work and occasionally in the evenings. And I enjoy Youtube. The computer is next to my music and I enjoy finding out what the singer looks like, the performance art of the song and I am less interested in what they are wearing.

[DA] When I listen to music I listen to the music, not the words, but the music. I can be following a song for two years and all of a sudden it dawns on me what the song is about.
[EW] When I’m standing, draping and cutting the music needs to be loud. And not classical but edgy. When I’m sitting the volume comes down. I also look at design blogs. I like to look at lighting, installations, I follow Zaha Hadid and enjoy what she creates. I use it for research and follow German and French politics. I read The Guardian online. I’ve looked for shoes. Ah, I don’t have much time to do any of this. I prefer working in the garden. Alfred lives on the computer and tells me everything that’s important. He tells me everything I have to know.

[DA] What’s next?
[EW] Monday we go to France to get ready for Geneva and Hamburg where we are still working with two stores who want our stuff and we do runway shows for their designer week. Then to Berlin where we will be in an art gallery. Then in London where we will be in Hadid’s design gallery. We were also thinking about being in New York at year end where a store wants us to come but we wonder if it’s a good time just before Christmas when everyone, the women who buy our work, are extra busy socially and don’t have the time to come to a pop-up. We are also talking to an artistic photo gallery in Berlin. I like the interplay of photography and my work.

[DA] Anything else?
[[EW] While in Chicago I really enjoyed giving a lecture at the School of the Art Institute fashion department where I was a guest of Katrin Schnabl. In my new space I miss my interns. We had a lot in Hamburg and now I don’t have the space and we live in the countryside and they would have to find a place to live and they would be bored.

[DA] DesignApplause has a roster of about 15 interns and they work when their schedule permits. What’s interesting for me is I pick the ones who are fast at what they do.
[EW] Ah, same here. I don’t pick them because of their portfolio. I first want to talk to them and then I give them a little test. I want to see their practical side and our working chemistry. I am also wanting to get back into objects. Maybe lighting. I am working on a pendant light where the light source is coming from the bottom. I would like to collaborate with a lighting designer and I am looking into that.

at the pavilion pop-up

[ Elke Walter ] is a mainly self-taught designer who has always refused to learn from others. Her aim was to get down to her own creative impact. The inner need to create things and give shape to fabrics was her stimulus.

But after more than 15 years in fashion business, furnishing more than 20 boutiques worldwide, and feeling urged to get back again to her own expressionism Elke and her husband Alfred, decided to make a sharp cut.

In 2012 their 20 boutiques worldwide were informed that they will not be furnished with Elke Walter collections anymore. The Walters gave up store and atelier in Hamburg and moved to Southern France. The reset button was pushed.

In the Provence countryside new expressive design is created that is showcased and sold via a pop up system in Europe and the US. Based on a permanent basic line, the Essentials, one-of-a-kind items are created, as well as a genderless avant-garde and an accessories line. Good form on a base of sustainability.

Innovative design, combined with distinguished craftsmanship is able to produce the thrilling highlights of today.

For the 2nd half of 2014 details to be announced
New York
Sao Paulo
Dallas
London
Miami

<a href="about ron kovach

Talking to didier krzentowski of galerie kreo. Design miami/ 2013.

Dec 20, 2013

2012 galerie kreo booth

[DesignApplause] We talked with Didier Krzentowski of Galerie Kreo in 2012 and 2013. But we never published 2012. The following is 2012 and Didier is going to start with where it all began.
[Didier Krzentowsk] OK, so like 15 years ago, I find out that in fact, if you speak about design and furniture design, or industrial design, we are living in a world where we remix everything, not much is really new. Even if you take the cars, you see fantastic design that happened between the ’50s and the ’70s. If you take the watches, it’s about the same. But after that, if you take into account much of the industrial design, even though technologically things get better and better, much of the design is a remix, a re-hash.

So I got the idea, at this time to have a gallery, one that could be like a collaboratory with the designers, where we could think about ‘new’ designs, plus thinking this new design could afterwards go to market. I never speak about decoration but more functional design. And all of the designers we work with like Konstantin Grcic, the Bourroullec’s, Pierre Charpin, or Martin Szekely or Hella Jongerius are also all thinking first in their head about industrial design with products going to market. And the gallerie concept in a good way allows them to pre-think, as you were, their designs and maybe helps them to build what they want the design to be in the future.

465 | konstantin grcic | galerie kreo | 2011

For example we are in the DesignMiami art fair, and here’s a table (465 from ‘champion collection’ that consisted of eight tables) by Konstantin Grcic. You see on the feet of the table you have decorative symbols which are unique to the table, and in fact, it is ideal to say, now everything is branded because of those symbols. And then a new idea arises that the next generation tables will be come in an assortment of colors. Each time the designer has an opportunity to see their effort, there are new ideas.

In fact, the very idea of the gallery is to be a platform where the designer, the collector, the visitor can speak of design in the future. That’s 90% of the work of the gallery. The rest of the work is aimed at collecting. I’m kind of a furniture collector. And for 30 years I’m collecting lamps. There is a book by jrp|ringier called The Complete Designers’ Light (1950-1990) where I was showing like 800 lamps from the ’50s to the ’90s. And this book lists all the lamps with the designers I work with. And in fact, the book was just to show that we invent and when people invent.

[DA] What did you do prior to 15 years ago? Were you just collecting or did you have a gallery?
[DK] I was a collector, an avid collector of art and furniture design. And when we sold the company I was working with, I thought that my next edition would be to do something I like and what I like was art and design. And before I opened the gallery, I was thinking about industrial design but the financial side of it. That perspective came when I was working in the sports industry, I was working with Jean Claude Killy, the skier, and I saw all these sports guys had agents and Killy signed on with Mark McCormack who headed IMG (International Management Group).

And I thought why can’t we bring these designers who also work in a huge industry and bring them together to think about new products. And the company was called Kreo. And in fact, everyone was quite happy with all the products that were introduced. There may be 30 million pieces in the world now. And at this time we work with Marc Newson, the Bourellacs’, with all of them. But we couldn’t succeed, because people were not in the mood to wait and they wanted the product right away. But some were ok with a copy of the product, which we can now call a limited edition of the product.

[DA] How, how do you collaborate with your designers? How do you commission them? What determines what you carry?
[DK] We are like partners. Well no, in fact, we are the first to work the way of the art industry, that means we are not exactly partners but instead we split the production and we split the margin that we earn. And this was different from everybody else. So maybe it’s for this reason, for 15 years or 14 years (Galerie Kreo opened in 1999), we continue to work with all these designers. And if you take people like Konstantin Grcic, like the Bourellacs, like Charpin, they have one gallery in the world, and we are that gallery.

[DA] When they have an idea do they approach you? Is that how that works?
[DK] Yes and no but whenever they do approach us and we begin to speak together, it can be really very long. Jasper Morrison, we had to wait five years to do an exhibition, but we have made two in a row.

strong>[DA] And what of the other way around? You have an idea and you want something to happen?
[DK] No. In fact, I never have an idea because I’m not a designer. So in fact, they work on research and when they ready they come to me. Though, if we have a group show, it can come from me. I will finish with a fantastic show, but with only three answers. The question with the missing object. (both laugh.)

strong>[DA] Do you want to say anything about Design Miami?
[DK] Of course, I’m very happy about Design Miami. Why? Because, in fact, you know, we went to see Craig Robins a long time ago to say a lot of art collectors collect our furniture, and we wanted to begin something with them. And we began the fair with them. So when we saw the success of Basel, Art Basel and Design Miami, we were really happy.

strong>[DA] You’re on the vetting committee to determine who’s going to be here. Obviously, since day one, right?
[DK] Exactly.

strong>[DA] Do you have to turn any away?
[DK] Sometimes we turn away. Sometimes we say people be careful, because you are showing the same thing, you know just like a vetting committee.

[DA] There are 36 galleries this year, so congratulations are in order. Is there anything you want to say about the business aspect in general?
[DK] Thank you. I’m really happy because in fact, we see that more and more people beginning to look at the furniture designer, and that’s great.

didier in 2013 galerie kreo booth

[DesignApplause] Back at it with Didier in 2013. What’s happened this past year?
[DK] I think people are more and more involved in design and look intently at furniture, especially at Design Miami/. They are also more interested in content and the story of the designer’s who are making the pieces.

[DA] Do you have an opinion on why this is happening?
[DK] I am not sure why. We have definitely seen a rise in the interest for design; you now have major Art Museums organizing very important design shows. Such as the Marc Newson exhibit currently on at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Design is at the forefront of contemporary creation, and has managed to capture a younger audience, as well as the more established collectors.

[DA] The designer’s that you’re representing are also very strong production designers.
[DK] Absolutely. The designers we represent, also work with the best industrial companies such as Flos, Vitra, Alessi…At the gallery we act like a research laboratory for them, meaning they have total freedom to create.

poltrona gold | alessandro mendini | 2013

gemstone table | hella jongerius | 2013

[DA] We were in Chicago at Art Expo this past September. Tony Kalman had a great show. Do you think design galleries would come and be well received in Chicago?
[DK] Of course. Chicago is a very important place in Art and Design.

[DA] At Art Expo, at some point after going from booth to booth the idea of are there any architects or designers hanging in the booths. I only asked a few booths and maybe sorry this idea didn’t come sooner. But out of 12 galleries asked, eight had designers or architects in Art Expo. One was Gyorgy Kepes who taught at the Institute of Design in Chicago. He taught a class on light and design. Gyorgy was very influential in Chicago and Moholy Nagy asked him to teach. Another Alexandre Arrechea, a Cuban born artist. His sculpture represented Chicago bridges which are all stacked. Even a gallery owner, Robert Koch, is an architect.
[DK] Interesting. To be an artist you are free if you wish to go into any field. For an architect or designer that may be a bit more complicated in it’s constraints.

[DA] Let’s flip it around. Are any of your designers here pursuing art that you know of?
[DK] No, they are all in design. Now fashion, if you think of Dior he’s a fashion designer but he’s also an artist with a big ‘A’. But the designers in our galerie are just thinking about design.

[DA] Didier, I do know what else is different this year.

dk 2012

dk 2013

[ galerie kreo ] The kreo Gallery was founded in 1999 by Didier and Clémence Krzentowski. It enjoys an international reputation especially for its limited objects and furniture created by leading designers editions, satisfying it’s founding goal of getting design closer to the public and providing a “space laboratory” dedicated to the research work of these designers. kreo’s first location settled in the 13th arrondissement of Paris in the middle of a group of avant-garde galleries, first rue Louise Weiss, then to a larger space on Duchefdelaville street. In 2008, the gallery moved to the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés to 31 Rue Dauphine.

Talking to architect and artist johanna grawunder. Design miami/ 2012.

Dec 2, 2013

collection > no whining on the yacht | carpenters workshop gallery | 2013

[DesignApplause] We’re talking to architect and artist Johanna Grawunder. Please share a little bit of your background?
[Johanna Grawunder] So I’m an architect. I trained in California, at Cal Polytechnic State. And then, at a very young age I moved to Florence to finish my degree in architecture and staying in Florence an extra year. Then of to Milan to work for Ettore Sottsass and ended up staying there 16 years. With Ettore I was doing mostly architecture. I became a partner in 1989. In 2001, I went out on my own. And since then I’ve been doing mostly limited edition art, furniture, custom commissions, some interiors, a little bit of product design.

[DA] Well you know what, you’re American bred, but you have the European combination of all the disciplines. How do you feel about the saying, ‘if you want to be a famous architect, design a chair.’
[JG] The chair is very difficult. I was telling you before about designing jewelry. Jewelry is an object that is so interactive on the body, very physical, a direct interaction and a little different than architecture where the body’s in space, moving through it. A chair is probably the piece of furniture you interact with most. A sofa is a little forgiving, because you can sit and lie on a sofa so many ways. But on a chair, pretty much everyone sits the same way. It has to be ergonomically quiet, you know, perfect and steady. And there so many really perfect chairs I have a difficult time thinking, what can I add that’s new? Whereas with lighting, I feel that there’s a lot I could still do as well as other kinds of more abstract forms of furniture. But a chair, someday, maybe someday.

DA: I predict your chair is going to be terrific. Describe your lighting. What do you try to achieve? Tell us about the white one with the panels. Zoe Ryan from the Art Institute of Chicago picked that out as one of the favorites at DesignMiami 2012.

line light | carpenters workshop gallery | 2012

[JG] That would be Line Light. I was very happy about that. They have one of my pieces in their collection, which is nice. Line Light is made of aluminum, steel and brass, LED bulbs. It’s a luminous wall light or a bas-relief sculpture, which plays with the surface of the wall it detaches itself from. Its arrangement means the light composes a veritable palette of colors, white and black modulated at will, reflecting off the wall to become a singular, ephemeral work of art.

[DA] Let’s talk about your light that’s in the Art Institute. Is it an LED light or is it a normal, energy-chewing bulb?
[JG] The Art Institute has ‘Boxy’ a luminous table in glass produced by Glasitalia. And it is LED. So, we’re good there. (Both laughing.) From the very beginning, even before LED was quite common, I used fluorescent tubes. At the time when I started doing them, the early ’90s, it was actually more for the form than thinking about the energy conservation. Because that wasn’t really on Milan’s design radar at that point, and it wasn’t really on my radar.

Although in the back of my head, I knew this was actually also a good form of light to use. But I was using it more for the form. When LED came along, there was this added advantage of the energy conservation. But as well, now, you can do so many different things with LED. When I started thinking about using LED, I didn’t feel like it was really ready for prime time. It was a novelty, and quickly was facing extinction because of the poor quality of light. Now I can use LED on almost anything.

[DA] Jake Dyson said the problem was you couldn’t get a reliable chip, and reliable chips have now been out for five years.
[JG] Lighting is polarizing for many right now. The incandescent is sufficiently entrenched and the options are expensive to switch to LED no matter what side you take. [ an aside: this conversation was a year ago and today there’s a shocking abundance of LED options. Home Depot was very smart to totally commit to LED before everyone else. ]

[DA] Making such a conceptually big switch in product is hard to visualize for most and even harder to execute. The car industry is trying to figure it out too because of the electric car.
[JG] But in the car industry, you have the third party, which isn’t just the car maker, it’s the oil companies. I didn’t mean to get so political so quickly.

pink void | carpenters workshop gallery | 2013

above> Pink Void, exploits hot pink anodized aluminum to cast a warming glow sure to enhance any interior environment. Simultaneously minimalist and bold, the floor lamp was inspired by a snapshot Grawunder saw of sunlight reflected on mirrored barn doors.

[DA] Let’s continue that thought. How does ‘design’ bump heads with politics?
[JG] The green issue is very interesting. You could say, ‘Well I’m only going to use recycled materials.” But if you say that, you’re still not discouraging the originator of the plastic bags. A philosophy I practice is to use the least material possible. If for one of my pieces, it turns out that steel provides the most thin, lightest, most performance efficient material, then I’ll use steel. We also should take into consideration the amount of energy and bad byproduct waste it takes to reach market. Does that make any sense? It’s not original. Frank Ackerman comes to mind.

[DA] So, if you want to design a ball, you will turn it into a whiffle ball.
[JG] Exactly. Now I don’t do light with regard to weight, nor super, super light. And I’m doing quite large, architectural-scaled abstract pieces. But within that world, trying to use the least amount of material as possible. For example, the Line Lights is comprised of mostly the LED, the rest of it is just a very thin aluminum panel.

[DA] What about that nice, black coffee table I saw at Carpenters Workshop Gallery?
[JG] The coffee table is aluminum too.

[DA] And uses Tron lighting. Was Tron (the movie) in the 70s?
[JG] You are not the first one to bring up Tron and I looked it up: 1982. Blade Runner too. It was ’80s. It was actually, I, I re-looked at it recently. It was right- I think it was a year before Blade Runner. The first one. (DA: Yeah.) And then the second one came out a few years ago, but the first one kind of blew my mind. (Laughing.)

[DA] Not meaning to be cruel but when did the Tron concept burst out of the table?
[JG] I’ve always sort of put light into my furniture and I count light as another material. I think of light as a kind of paint, as a kind of color, as a way to give an extra sort of soul.

In that table called ‘Platform’ I didn’t want an ‘big’ light, nothing to obvious, not a hybrid light that’s also a table. It was really about a table that just has a slight delineation of light. The gallery (Carpenters Workshop Gallery) was a big part of the concept discussions and everyone was pushing for less and less light. They wanted it even more mysterious. Just a few little pieces here and there. I like it and think it worked.

[DA] So they were a good client?
[JG] A very good client. (laughing.) I think of them more as a collaborator.

[DA] What’s the conception to finished piece process like?
[JG] I first presented the collection pieces, maybe 15 drawings, two years ago earlier. We met here in Miami, and it took a year and a half, which is a little longer than usual but I wasn’t in any hurry myself. I hadn’t done a custom collection like it for a few years, and I wanted to finish things that I had already started before concentrating on this collection. We modified things. We made prototypes. We went to Italy to check the engineering out up close plus thousands of Skype meetings from San Francisco.

All of these pieces were made in Italy. The artisans are fantastic. The two pieces you’re referring to were made by artisan Marzorati Ronchetti. We’re talking about six pieces of each design, so it’s not really an industrial thing.

[DA] Why do you like doing limited edition?
[JG] For a couple reasons. I don’t necessarily want these things following me for the rest of my life, you know? In 20 years someone says, ‘I like that table, can you have it made?’ I’d rather just be done and have moved on. And the limited edition model is good for collectors. And it’s a way to keep being able to propose new things, because if you wind up creating that crowd-pleaser piece you get through that and get out. The designer now has many more opportunities to create.

[DA] Have you done anything that was a production piece?
[JG] I did some lighting for Flos. And glass pieces for GlasItalia and vases for B&B Italia, a mirror for Boffi.

[DA] So it doesn’t really make any difference whether it’s limited or production?
[JG] In a perfect world it wouldn’t. But in a realistic world, I have a lot more creative freedom doing limited. With limited the galleries only have to worry about selling it six times. If you have to sell thousands I have to change my design so a thousand people like it and can afford it. And I feel I can research and experiment more with limited than I would with production. Although more recently, the production side is also having to take more risks than before, just to stay relevant, so both limited and production are sort of converging and good companies like Flos and Glasitalia totally get that.

[DA] The client is a big influence with regard to research and experimentation. Well, it seems like everything takes about 2 years, no matter what.
[JG] That’s interesting, yes.

[DA] When I saw the coffee table I immediately thought of Ad Reinhardt. I learned about Reinhardt because I decided to paint and it took a few years to actually stretch a canvas and put paint on it. I didn’t trust my tools and I didn’t want to ruin my reputation. It was starting from point zero to paint. My first painting was a black six-foot square and people were asking me if I knew Reinhardt.
[JG] (Laughing.) Uh oh, did he do a coffee table?

[DA] I don’t think so.
[JG] I like your story, because I’ve had people reference me to Donald Judd or earlier work people said Dan Flavin. Of course you get influenced by things, but it’s really indirect. I mean, really indirect. And whether that’s intentional or you get it through osmosis. I see stuff now that even younger designers do, which is very derivative, not necessarily of me, but sometimes, you know of other people too. And it makes me more forgiving, because you realize, well maybe they saw that in DesignApplause or something. But maybe they just picked it up in the ether and, or maybe the thought process brought them to the same point. If you came up with the black square by a very pure thought process, you’re in good company. Ha. (Laughing.)

[DA] Like my memory is not very good. (JG: Join the club.) Especially the ‘instant recall’ But mostly a result of our selective memories. I think our influences, our inspirations are selective also. I mean, there are some things you see and you never forget it.
[JG] We’re pre-programmed to react to that (DA: Totally.) not to the other thing, yeah.

[DA] Can you think of anything that was alien, what you thought was unique, and you did it, you got it?
[JG] When I did it, and I got it? That’s interesting. I have to say, when I first went to work at Sottsass, I was just out of college, and my intention was it was only going to be a summer job and then back to California. His layers of, um, sensoriality, was really quite alien to me. Because I had, I think, a kind of minimalist soul. I had studied modernist architecture and grew up in a California modern house. So to go up there and see this like total orgy of color and texture and forms, in fact, was a little bit alien to me.

And I didn’t fight it, because of course he was the master and I was a lowly draftsman for the first few years. Slowly, I started to understand the reasonings behind it, that it wasn’t kind of this irresponsible, crazy, what people were calling it ‘zany’, you know, wacky- it wasn’t that at all. It was a very serious, political statement about design and how we live, the choices that people are given. So, from that, I tried to get into that a little bit. And some of the first work I did on my own was probably much more influenced by Memphis and by Sottsass.

Since I’ve been out of that, not out of it but stepping out and trying to make my own way, I find myself coming back to a more of an original root. Of course, now, hopefully much enriched by this incredible experience I had at Sottsass. And certainly not superseding in any way, but my natural tendency is to be more reductive. And to be a little bit harder, in a sense. And more what I was considering architectural, which was these abstract, straight line forms. Does that make sense?

[DA] Yes. So what was it like working for Ettore and what did you learn?
[JG] I learned enough that someday there might be a book. (Laughing heartily.) I doubt it, but there’s a lot there. It was just an amazing, mind-blowing experience to go up there. First of all, you’re a Californian living in Italy, is already a pretty amazing experience. A lot of people have done it. But he in particular, he was really a master with a whole school of thought. And he’s seeded so many different designers out of that school, who’ve traveled different roads and found different ways of expressing themselves.

I think that’s his main lesson. You have to find your own innate road and then work it and believe it, trust your instincts, but be very aware that every decision you make is – I keep using the word political- because he used that word- it’s actually a political decision.

If you’re using gold, well that means something culturally. That means something in the history of design, but it also means something in the history of class warfare. You have to be very aware of what you’re doing at any given time. And that was a huge lesson. To understand that everything you do has meaning and sort of reverberates in one way or another to what you really believe. If you’re true to yourself.

[DA] You worked with him for such a long time, how would you describe what his mission and vision was? What was his thing? What was he trying to do?
[JG] I worked with him probably I think longer than anyone, except for his original partner, Marco Zanini, I was there 16 years straight. And I do not feel, what’s the word?

[DA] Qualified?
[JG] Qualified. Thats the word. I don’t really feel qualified to try to summarize that. I can only say what it meant to me. So for me the lessons were what I was saying, everything has a reason. What may surprise many, he had no tolerance for decorative things, even when they were definitely the easier way to go. And even though people thought it was decorative. It was instead very precise ways of moving things around. I never heard him say, ‘I did this because it’s cool.’ Or, ‘Yeah, yeah I liked it.’ Or, ‘Well, let’s try that, the kids like it.” I never heard that kind of thing. It was always a very specific discussion about the meaning of things, and finding ideas and inspiration in common places, like the latteria on the corner by his house, which had a crazy op-art plastic laminate counter, in the 70s, and the thing is, he ‘saw’ that, he was open to that kind of stimulus.

And he was so very important in the history of design and you can see his influence all over Miami.

You know, Memphis and Alchemia before Memphis, were the original limited edition design, an experimental kind of really crazy, not normal, not production furniture. It was the first time they were showing these pieces in galleries. In 1981, the first Memphis show was actually in a gallery, and you know, it was a whole new thing.

sottsass associati | ettore and johanna collaborate |

Before then, it was rare to see heavy, heavy experimentation with furniture, with few exceptions like Joe Colomobo, or the Radical Design shows in the 70s. In fact only recently has this area been dubbed art design. I think it was dubbed pretty much for Design Miami. With respect to my pursuit of limited edition helped me in the States. In Europe, limited edition design, experimental design was in place at this time. There were people collecting and or just wanting to see it. But in the US, I had a very difficult time early on explaining what I do. You know, they understood furniture design and craftsmanship. So when I did a show in San Francisco in 2003, with pieces from Europe, and people asked me questions like: ‘So you’re a glass blower?’ Because I had pieces in glass. Or, ‘Are you a metal worker?’ Because I had things in metal, and I had to explain, well no, I’m a designer.

Oh, but so are these in limited production? It was a very complicated thing and I think that the market here- although I hate to give the markets too much credit, but it’s been hugely important for this particular field. How valuable this field is, that’s a different question. For me personally, it’s valuable. I think for the history of design, it should be valuable. It’s valuable if product designers are seeing experimentation and using that patrimony of knowledge that comes out of doing prototypes and things like that.

[DA] I’m going to have to learn when and why the design galleries emerged.
[JG] Now I’ve got to check my history, because I’m thinking more 50s’ and 60s’, such as work by Jean Prouve for example, wasn’t really made for galleries. Those were commissions of private people or institutions asking to fill this government building with furniture. The fact that French dealers went in and saw the work and realized what it was and took it out of that context and then put it in a gallery. That’s a different situation.

[DA] Do you feel there’s supposed to be a design statement in your work? Or is it individual?
[JG] For me, after some years of experience, I feel it’s a little bit more individual. It doesn’t mean that I’m creating in a vacuum, but I don’t really necessarily try to consider design history or the direction of how design is going. I feel like it’s a little bit more my own personal road at this point, but hopefully a road that is still extremely valid. And takes advantage of new technology and philosophies about use of materials, any new materials, any new ways to control light. The materials, the technologies do drive the process but form and color, that’s more individual.

johanna | satai hotel miami beach | 2012

And I am aware when the street is going in a totally different direction, you know, the design street, I should call it. For example, a lot of very Expressionistic and almost organic. And I just don’t feel that’s my road. I’m an architect by training. I like straight lines. It doesn’t mean I won’t do a curve now and then, but I do like straight lines. I like the idea of order and geometry and to follow the basics, which would be technology, material science, function. And my respect for architecture and architectural form is really going to be hard to shake.

A final thing is designing within an urban environment. Space, or lack of space and lack of light pose challenges. These kinds of challenges for me are what hopefully will keep stimulating the design. (looking at her watch) OMG! Look what time it is!!

Johanna’s current work can be see at [ carpenters’s workshop gallery ] during Design Miami 2013

Jony and marc's (red) auction. Sotheby's.

Nov 11, 2013

interview with sofa chicago director donna davies. sofa 2013.

Oct 31, 2013

donna davies

[DesignApplause] Donna, tell us a bit about your background. What kind of events do you attend?
[Donna Davies] I’ve been the director of SOFA Chicago since 2011. I was an art dealer for 15-years. My first job was Assistant Director of Contemporary Art at Gerald Peters Gallery in Santa Fe. I moved on to Chicago and was the director of Marx-Saunders Gallery at River North, which is now Ken Saunders Gallery. And during that time I was an exhibitor at SOFA Chicago for 8 or 9 years.

So my background with SOFA Chicago goes back a number of years and is multi-faceted because I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I was on the management side and the exhibitor side. And I think, or I hope, that that brings a perspective that allows me to see the needs of all of our audiences. We have dealers and galleries who are exhibiting with us and I understand their goals and their needs. And I also have worked with those collectors and those visitors who attend the fair, so I’m very attuned to what they want and am able to facilitate that, being on the management side.

The third part of your question, what other events do I attend, and obviously I love attending art fairs. I attend as many as I possibly can. I love Miami Basel in December and all of the satellite fairs. And now New York going to Freize, and try to see as many fairs internationally as I can.

[DA] You’re a good fit and you enjoy this role to date.
[DD] It’s a lot of fun for me, and I think one of the key things about SOFA is that we’ve built a community, and really it’s a number of communities that are all interlinked. The common denominator is the art world, and the communities are the respective materials used in the art, the curators, the designers, the critics, the art groups’ board members. I’m happy to be a part of the evolution of these relationships for almost 10 years.

sofa 2012

[DA] What kind of a fair is SOFA?
[DD] This year is SOFA’s 20th year. And we’re very fortunate to be the longest continuously running art fair in the city, and now to be one of the longest running art fairs in the country. We’re very unique in that we’re focused on materiality. So we have a focus on glass, textiles, wood- materials that are rooted in the decorative arts, and the arts and crafts movement that has evolved over the years. It’s the reason why SOFA was created 20 years ago, to create a marketplace for these forms and mediums that, at the time, were not incorporated into museum collections, or readily visible as two-dimensional work. It’s not a fair where you find paintings. This is a fair where you’re going to find unique materials, unique one-of-a-kind objects and meet the artists who have created these pieces.

[DA] Tell us about the last 5 years.
[DD] We’ve seen growth in the prices and demands for materials, especially in glass. The studio glass movement began 50 years ago, it started out with glass blowing, and the material really evolved. SOFA is an ideal venue to trace the evolution. Today there are many more artists, as well as techniques. Now glass is incorporated with other materials. For example, this year you’re seeing Colby Parsons, a young artist, who’s represented by Lacoste Gallery, using ceramics combined with video. The speed of change seems exponential.

[DA] How many galleries are exhibiting this year compared with last year?
[DD] The last year and this we have nearly 70 galleries.

connect | university of iowa installation

[DA] How does art and design interface at SOFA?
[DD] Art is the hook to hang onto here though some artists feel their creations are the result of design. One of our goals to celebrate our 20th year was to look ahead and see what’s coming in the next 20 years. To that end, we’re introducing design in the strict sense this year through our ‘Connect’ concept. We’ve invited five art & design university programs to each design an environment: a space with seating and lighting elements, a space for visitors to relax, but also learn what these design schools are creating. In Connect you’ll absolutely see an amalgamation of architecture, design, art and landscape design.

The fair has always been- one of our major missions has always been education. We educate our visitors, our clients, to have a better awareness of what they’re seeing and hopefully make an emotional investment. People are learning more about what they’re seeing, are a bit more intrigued to the point where something may really speak to them.

What’s interesting is the dealers, galleries and artists, all dealing with very unique pieces, are working hand-in-hand with architects and designers all the time on specific commissions, collaborating to create unique pieces for corporate and private spaces.

[DA] You mention earlier SOFA is niched in collectable sculpture and functional art. You also mention Design Miami which is niched in furniture and lighting though there’s a sprinkling of jewelry. The Connect concept is introducing furniture, lighting and landscape design. I see Barry Friedman at SOFA this year. I met Barry at Miami several years ago where I met Wendell Castle. Do you envision the design galleries presenting more furniture and lighting in SOFA’s future?
[DD] You know, all of the fairs have their niche with a sprinkling of integrating this or that. We are also always working to bring related objects. Many of the fairs have evolved from SOFA. I mean, Wendell Castle, George Nakashima, Joseph Walsh- those artists were selling here 20 years ago, 10 years ago. Wendell Castle is still showing at SOFA.

“untitled” | wendell castle | barry friedman ltd | 2013 [link]

We have Sam Maloof, icons of the design genre, which has evolved from the arts and crafts movement, which is what SOFA evolved from as well. So, it’s where we’re going. It’s something that I’m working on making a particular theme of the fair in the future. This year we have a wonderful offering of artists and galleries. And Barry again is showing Wendell Castle. Lewis Wexler is bringing Vivian Beer, Timothy Schrieber. And Sarah Myerscough is a new gallery, and her second year at SOFA, is bringing really fantastic UK, design pieces bring Gareth Neal and Michael Peterson, and Bill Zimmer is bringing Sam Maloof.

[DA] OK, we’ll just see where it keeps going, I thought SOFA last year was very, very good. Speaking of last year I came across an installation by the College of Fellows and I talked to an editor for American Craft Magazine and we are talking about limited editions versus commercial, craft versus design and art. The magazine was about to release an article on this topic as there’s a big debate the most successful path. Are you involved with any of those conversations?
[DD] It’s a fascinating conversation. You’re talking about the American Craft Council and the special exhibit that they presented last year. You’re probably going to hear that conversation on the floor this year too. Wendell Castle, for example, is making limited edition pieces, he’s moved away from some of those unique pieces that he made 20 years ago. And you see that more and more with the design artists making limited editions. Not so much with the glass and ceramics as that’s still a one-of-a-kind artform.

freedom-1 | latchezar boyadjeiv | habitat galleries | 2013 [link]

[DA] Any predictions on how this will evolve?
[DD] Well, it’s something that will be a part of the fair moving ahead as more and more of these artists incorporate other materials in their work. It may continue to develop as more and more design work is brought into the fair. It’s something that will be very relevant.

[DA] How does SOFA partner with the city of Chicago?
[DD] We’re always looking to maximize our partnerships and our sponsorships with the city. It’s a continuous conversation. Sponsorship money- those are long discussions that are worked out many, many months in advance of the fair. Especially with Connect. This is our first year for Connect, and it was very important to have local participation. We’re very pleased that we have Illinois Institute of Technology. And for next year we would like to have more local involvement. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College. Harrington College reached out to us this year, so, certainly working with the local schools, working with the city is something that’s very important to us.

[DA] It seems online exposure and sales is growing. Some of the sites have partnered with the galleries. How does this business model impact SOFA?
[DD] We’re definitely aware and talking about that business model. It’s already happening. Not necessarily through a partnership just yet. We still produce a physical catalogue at the fair. But we moved quickly, for a number of years, to an online catalogue. You can actually go through the online catalogue before you get to the fair, and get a sense of who’s bringing what, seeing the images that are available. We can put more images online than we can put in the physical catalogue, and the feedback we’ve gotten from the dealers is important. So in a way we’ve already been doing it ourselves without a partnership. With the contact information, the offerings, many pieces are sold before folks even get to the fair, which is great.

[DA] Is there anything that we didn’t talk about that you want to bring up?
[DD] There is something else new to the fair this year which might be of interest: We’re introducing SOFA Selects. We’ve reached out to a number of art and design professionals, museum curators, designers, interior designers, architects and critics, to make their picks, the pieces they’re excited to see. So, when you get to the fair, for example, you’ll see that David McFadden from the Museum of Art and Design, chose a particular piece and why. It was a way to further engage the audience. When you’re here you’ll see these curators and these people walking around the show floor, but if you aren’t able to have a personal conversation with somebody, here’ a way in a sense, to get inside that person’s head. Why did this critic, curator, designer or architect choose that piece?

Maybe you’ll see that we’ve invited David Blaine, who’s a New York architect. He’s made his SOFA selection, and maybe you’re a new collector and you’re thinking about building a house and you like a particular piece, and you see that David Blaine has chosen this particular piece and you maybe feel like you share an aesthetic. Or maybe you see Suzanne Lovell has chosen a particular piece and you like the way her eye and sentimentality and maybe you’ll work with Suzanne.

We’re also really excited to have Jack Lenor Larsen coming to the fair this year. Jack is at SOFA for the first time, making his choices for the LongHouse Special Recognition Awards for Best in Show, which will be for best artwork and best booth design.

[DA] I really like the Select concept. There are so many offerings it can be overwhelming and the Select concept can serve as an organizer. Question, these selected pieces, are they earmarked at a respective booth or in an installation?
[DD] You will see them in the Select booth. You will also see signage calling out those pieces in their respective booths.

You know, we’re excited that it’s the 20th year and we’re hoping it’s one of our better fairs. We always try to improve it each time. Out of the 70 galleries this year there are 18 galleries from around the world, much higher than in previous years. So I think it really speaks to the importance of Chicago as an important marketplace.

event> sofa chicago 2013
venue> navy pier | chicago
preview> 31 october 2013 | 7>9p | tickets $50 [link] public viewing> 1>3 november 2013

[ exhibitors ]
Aaron Faber Gallery
Abmeyer + Wood Fine Art
Ann Nathan Gallery
Armaggan Art & Design Gallery
Barry Friedman Ltd
Berengo Studio 1989
Blue Rain Gallery
Bullseye Gallery
Charon Kransen Arts
Clark Priftis Art
Craft Scotland
CREA Gallery – Contemporary Fine Craft
Cultural Connections CC Gallery
David Richard Gallery
Diehl Gallery
Donna Schneier Fine Art
Duane Reed Gallery
flow gallery
Galerie Elca London
Gallery FW
German Pavilion – German Arts & Crafts
Glenn Aber Contemporary Art/AIBO Fine Asian Art
Habatat Galleries
Hawk Galleries
Hedone Gallery
Heller Gallery
Hive Contemporary
Ippodo Gallery
Jane Sauer Gallery
Jason Jacques Inc.
Jean Albano Gallery
Joanna Bird Contemporary Collections
John Natsoulas Gallery
Judy A Saslow Gallery
Kirra Galleries
Korea Craft Design Foundation
Lacoste Gallery
Lindsay Gallery
Litvak Gallery
Maria Elena Kravetz Gallery
Mattson’s Fine Art
Maurine Littleton Gallery
Mayer Fine Art
Mindy Solomon Gallery
Next Step Studio & Gallery
Officine Saffi Ceramic Arts Gallery
Oliver & Espig
Option Art/Galerie Elca London
Orley Shabahang
Palette Contemporary Art and Craft
PISMO Gallery
Pistachios
Pistachios
Ruth Lawrence Fine Art
Sarah Myerscough Gallery
Schantz Galleries Contemporary Glass
Scott Jacobson Gallery
Shabahang Persian Carpets
Sherrie Gallerie
ten472 Contemporary Art
Thalen & Thalen Sprl
The K. Allen Gallery
The Pardee Collection
Thomas R. Riley Galleries
Wexler Gallery
William Zimmer Gallery
Yvel

Talking to designtex president susan lyons. Neocon 2013.

Sep 26, 2013

susan lyons

We’re talking to Susan Lyons, new president of Designtex.
[DesignApplause] Where was Designtex maybe a year ago, and where were you a year ago? And where are we today?
[Susan Lyons] We’re a 50-year old company. Started by two gentlemen who came together to develop products. Their first product was Verel, a flame retardent woven drapery fabric for the glass wall buildings being erected 50 years ago. This new architecture precipitated objections, mostly from the architects, who wanted a monolithic visual surface. You see, when people move in, there’s a lot of visual chaos in the windows.

That first drapery product, satisfying a need, I think, really started the company down a path towards always looking at ways to combine aesthetic problem solving and performance-based solutions.

Back to your question. A year ago, Designtex was in this showroom space here at Neocon. They had just purchased a large format digital imaging company. This acquisition could propel us into mass customization just-in-time manufacturing, and was one of the things that drew me back to the company. It seemed like a wonderful additional toolkit that we could offer to our clients.

I think one of the things that we’ve always been about and will be about going forward is offering architects and designers a plethora of tools to use to manifest their creative visions for their clients. The large format imaging opportunity was very, very exciting.

A year ago as the imaging thing was picking up speed, we found ourselves focusing less on developing a broader range of textiles. So we’re really trying to bring that back. A year ago, where was I? I was the Creative Director for Materials for Herman Miller. And I loved it, and I love them. But this opportunity presented itself.

[DA] How long were you with Herman Miller?
[SL] I started working with Herman Miller in 2007 and was with them for six years, as a consultant. Before that I was at Designtex from 1989 to 2002, leaving as their creative director to start my own business.

[DA] You’re a creative director in textiles. Are you a textile expert or a designer?
[SL] I never had formal training, but had opportunities to learn on the job. When I was a senior in college I started a tee-shirt printing company. The idea was done as an independent study that was called ‘The Alliance of Art and Culture in Contemporary Life.’ You know, one of those titles you put together to get your advisor to sign off on. I asked two partners to come in and the business went from printing 10 shirts at a time to printing a thousand. Three years later, another partner, a retired stockbroker who eventually bought the entire business.

Then I had an opportunity to go to India and work with a family who owned textile mills in Ahmedabad, India, where Ghandi was from. And I lived with them, worked with them for six months. They were interested in preserving the traditional methods of textile manufacturing, even though they were owners of large industrial factories.

[DA] What year was this?
[SL] 1980. Though they owned these large factories, they were interested in making sure that the villages doing block printing and silk screening and sari and quilt making would still have those opportunities. I was brought in to develop a product that could be exported to the West, to develop a distribution channel.

I worked with all the local artisans. Together we designed a 100 new wood blocks that were more contemporary but used traditional methods. And we developed textiles and quilts and pillows, products that ended up being sold through Habitat in the UK, now The Conran Shop.

That was a great experience for me, I learned a lot about the resources that were available in India including the hand weavers. I came back to the States, showing anybody and everybody all the stuff that I had with me. One women said, ‘Oh, you’re a textile designer,’ and sent me to owner Robin Roberts of Clarence House, a very high-end textile company.

I looked them up in Interior Design Magazine, pre-Internet you know. They made eighteenth century chintz and my work is very minimal, like no way. But this very interesting man said, “I don’t know what to do with you, but this is cool. Why don’t you come and work with us?” So I learned about print design, with him.

Then an opportunity to work at Boris Kroll Fabrics, a company that combined advanced weaving technology with an original and enduring color sensibility. I was made the director of product development and with no weaving experience found myself working on the looms, really hands-on experience, and something I’m quite proud of. I was there for 4 years and Mr. Kroll was still alive, and he was a great teacher and he tought me.

Ironically I ended up at Designtex the first time. And then left. That’s the story. A checkered past.

[DA] Very checkered, but you know what, it also isn’t. It’s pretty focused.
[SL] Yes, I think so. It’s just one of those things where having opportunities to actually get your hands on the making part of it. I love factories, and I love to see how things are made. So to have the opportunity where I had the chance to work for companies that were manufacturers and were makers, is great.

[DA] So you’re now the president. Have you given up your loom and acquired a suit?
[SL] No suit, no suit. You know, when this position came up I had this interesting thought: I’ve designed products and thought, ‘I wonder if I can design a company?’ What would the company look like and how would I do it?

I do see this as a design project. How do you design operations? How do you design product development? The thinking evolved to how do you use design thinking to actually change an organization? How can you design a culture? How could you design an ethos for a company? How could you design its operations?

We have great people internally, fantastic teams. We’re going through a process now that we’re calling ‘simplexity,’ where all of the departments are basically taking themselves apart to then put themselves back together. It’s using those things you know as a designer but applying them to a different set of problems.

[DA] What’s the relationship with Steelcase?
[SL] We’re an independent brand. We’re an independent subsidiary, so we operate independently. We are part of them, we partner with them when it makes sense.

[DA] What’s Designtex’s mission?
[SL] Our role and our mission is really to help the indie community realize their creative vision. So we work with them, and if they decide they want to work over here, we go there with them. Steelcase is a great company to be partnered with, but we also work with, more or less anybody.(laughing.)

[DA] Is Designtex worldwide?
[SL] We are semi-worldwide, I would say. One of our goals for this year is to build a solid international distribution model. We’re very strong in North America, Canada, Mexico, via NAFTA, We have representation in Asia and Australia,

[DA] Were you on Heimtextil? What other shows?
[SL] We’re not a big fan of trade shows. We invest in face-to-face relationships with our sales reps to our clients. We’re at Neocon but I’m not sure where we’re going to show next year. We’ve done various shows over the years, but our big investment is the product, our people and let them work their magic.

[DA] What have you learned since you got this new hat?
[SL] I’ve learned a lot. And I’m learning everyday. We have a good team and I learn from them. I learn from our vendors, we have fabulous mills and suppliers that we work with. Our organization has about 220 people, so I’m learning how you do that. It’s learning how to communicate more effectively. How to can keep everyone motivated. How to crowdsource ideas with your people. My job is fascinating has been an interesting learning curve for me.

[DA] What are Designtex’s services and who’s your customer?
[SL] We already talked about the indie companies. We do a lot of custom work. In the hospitality market, particularly. We have a really strong technical services department so if somebody needs a particular performance product problem to solve, we’re good at that. We now are adept with the digital imaging, and that’s all custom at the moment.

We have a factory up in Portland, Maine, that is peopled by, and run by artists. This factory’s focus is on artistic problem solving. Many of them are very accomplished photographers and painters. They take their skills used in their own work and bring it to our factory, and help our clients develop exciting solutions for their projects.

color wheel collection | “all colors are friends of their neighbors and lovers of their opposites.” —marc chagall

Color is the foundation of a designer’s tool kit, so Designtex has created a color system. The Color Wheel Collection consists of seven textures offered in an expansive range of 250 hues built using Pantone color references. This program allows designers to easily build palettes of primary, secondary, and tertiary colors that are complementary or analogous across the color spectrum.

We’re starting to create standard products as well, but what’s exciting is on-demand manufacturing. For example, we just finished a fantastic project with Rolls-Royce where they wanted panels that could be changed out very easily. We have a magnetic wall system with an image on top of a flexible ferrous material that can just be peeled off, so it looks very architectural, built-in. ‘Swap out’ is very easy and inexpensive. And a very good environmental story too, because you’re not having to rip the things down and replace them with new material.

[DA] Do you do furnishings?
[SL] No, we don’t do furnishings. We do surfacing materials. From upholstery to wall coverings to space division materials.

[DA] Do you make smart fabrics? Fabrics that clean themselves or can change color?
[SL] We’re looking at it. Nothing to talk about yet. But Designtex always had a really strong R&D presence. We brought Carol Derby from our environmental research department and promoted her to vice president of R&D. We’ve always liked combining science and art. Looking at ways to use less material and make materials smarter.

DA] What’s really exciting right now?
[SL] A big answer question. A lot of the answers right now are in 3-D printing. I’m also excited about what the large format for digital imaging can be. I think up until now it’s been used in a prosaic way: The big flowers or photographic scenes on wall panels. There’s room for more creativity. Not to just make art but to make meaningful products. We’re just starting to explore what it can be.

We’ve always been interested in collaborating with other people. Twenty years ago we were working with people within the built environment but weren’t textile designers, per se. Projects with Aldo Rossi and Bob Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, Richard Meier and Chillida. We did quite a few explorations with Pratt Institute. We had a division called One Plus One, now we’re calling it Designtex Plus. So we’re going to begin to see a series of collaborations under that name.

charley harper

The first one we’re doing is called Designtex Plus Charley Harper. I’ve always loved Charley’s work, and I was talking to Todd Oldham, who’s the steward of the archive, and said, “You know, wouldn’t it be great to use Charley’s imagery for a collection, a collection around wellness?” Just because for me, his stuff just makes you feel good. We thought it would be fun to explore how we could take Charley’s work into a healthcare environment. As we’ve been working on it I’m feeling it’s really going to be more about well-being, a much broader interpretation.

Another big focus, of course, we’ve always had a strong interest in environmental product development, trying to move our materials, constantly optimize our materials, and make them better and more sustainable. An example is a new upholstery line called the ‘Gold Standard Collection’ and we like to say it’s so green it’s Gold—NSF/ANSI 336 Gold. The Gold Standard Collection is the first upholstery fabric ensemble to attain this third-party verified certification at the Gold level, demonstrating a commitment to both the environment and the well-being of the end user.

gold standard collection

This is a fun story. A lot of our product is done in post-consumer recycled polyester, and as you probably know, that comes from, a lot from bottle chip. What’s happening in this market, finally, a lot of the beverage companies want their bottles back. They’re taking custody of their materials back, and it’s getting harder and harder to harvest the polyester yarn from just the bottles.

So we thought, we need to start harvesting other waste streams for material. For white yarn we stick to the method just described: we use the bottle chip which becomes resin pellets which leads to post-consumer white yarn.

loop to loop

For color we go one step further. We take all waste from the Steelcase panel plant in Athens, Georgia, which becomes resin which leads to a gray solution-dyed yarn. Solution dyeing is a yarn coloration process in which pigment (all the multiple colors of the waste) is added to the polymer melt before the fiber is extruded into yarn. The color, therefore, is an inherent part of the yarn itself. We can now over-dye this fabric into any color that want. And this product is also recyclable. Well more than that even: It’s the first upholstery made from recycling already recycled textile waste.We call it Loop to Loop because it achieves a closed loop process for products within its supply chain.

[DA] So recyclable on steroids.
[SL] Exactly. This is a platform we’re going to continue to develop.

Designtex is a design and product development firm that celebrates inquiry and collaboration. A Steelcase company, the Designtex offering includes upholstery, wallcovering, panel fabrics, drapery, architectural panels, and digitally-printed surfaces. Designtex maintains showrooms, offices and sales locations in 110 global locations.

[ designtex ] [ steelcase ]

Interview with designer jean-marie massaud. Neocon 2013.

Sep 16, 2013

[DesignApplause] Jean-Marie, tell us a little bit about the project you’re working on for Coalesse.
[Jean-Marie Massaud] We are working with Coalesse on a liberal amount of products. which are not just products. Today, companies realize that work is being rephrased, today it’s about work and life. You see, the space and timeframe for working has changed, and Coalesse is trying to provide solutions that’s linked with this new way of living and working.

Some of us either have to work or if lucky, choose to work. My life today is to work on vacation and it took 15-years to accomplish this. I have been working this way for two years. I live near Saint Paul De Vence, in the city of La Colle-Sur-Loup. Part of my team is in Paris, part of my team is in Brittany.

[DA] How big is your team?
[JM] We have 15 people, not so much, but involved in big projects in architecture and the car industry. And these are few projects, not so many. I live alone with my family and I don’t have any people that are working with me in La Colle-Sur-Loup. And I work with my graphic tablet, receiving and sending drawings. I’m linked everyday, but I live on vacation.

I’ve proposed that my team also work on vacation. A lot of them want to stay in Paris, in Brittany. And they are not students, which was another kind of life scenario. They are efficient professionals, not obliged to be a prisoner of an office tower at work.

And so we tried to develop with Coalesse this idea, because it’s natural for them. It’s can be said, it’s a philosophy in which they believe. And when they came to visit me, I told them my dream is to be able to work and also be able to enjoy simple dalliances. So after I drop off my kids to school, I have a coffee. I’m looking at the sea, looking at the mountains. There is the snow.

During the coffee, I discuss with the waiter – he knows me – “Voila! What are you doing?” “I don’t know.” And: chat, chat, chat, chat. After half an hour, it’s done. And then I have to communicate. So I come back to the Wacom tablet, usually, to sketch. Or, when I have a very good connection with the iPad a video conference is possible.

And once I send the sketch to my office I’m free! And because I’m free I might do some sailing. And in this space my brain, packed full of many things suffers little constraint but just thinking about what’s next. I am always writing notes. While lying on the bed when I’m at the hotel or after I go do a run like I did this morning, I write more notes. And the work of the day is done.

[DA] So you write many many notes. You draw with a tablet, you have an Ipad, do you write digital notes or on paper?
[JM] I have – what do you say – a love for notes? My office manager tells that I have too many papers. My system works for me though I’m still waiting for an iPad with a graphic sensitivity.

[DA] There are applications and pressure sensitive styluses for the iPAd.
[JM] Not quite, yet. What I would love, let’s say, during a video conference, sketches could be sent, corrections made on the tablet and then sent back. It would eliminate the need to refine the sketch on paper and scan it. I could correct the exact curve, or exact section… I had this same conversation with Jonathan Ives three years ago. There’s a market. My freedom is linked to this product!

[DA] You want to do everything while on that boat!
[JM] That would be fantastic!

[DA] Tell us what your doing with Coalesse.
[JM] Our first attempt was to put the task into perspective. Coalesse creates classic furniture that’s relevant for the work space or home. I told them the best lounge chair in thw world is the Eames chair from Herman Miller. There’s no other product so smart and competent. If we are to do something – another one great one – maybe it’s not about the architecture, maybe it’s about the integration of your way of living, the sensitivity of the finishes. And so the final customer or the architect specifying the project, makes this product their own because of the link to life, to work. All of this made possible, not with a high-tech solution but with a lounge chair with an ottoman.

The chair is kind of an evolution. It now has a movable work surface in which to place an iPad, to…

[DA] Take notes. Jean-Marie, this chair is designed for you!
[JM] Yes yes, quite possibly. There’s a light in the canopy. A hands-free clip-on device holder. We can video conference in this lounge. A further evolution is maybe the need of intimacy, because if I am in a hotel, a creative agency, there is need for quiet space with little visual disturbances so we pull over the canopy.

If we reconsider the space of walking in an office or a dorm, the space has to be thoughtless. It only has to look like your private place, because more and more people want to feel- how do you say- to feel love more than efficiency. (laughing) So we developed these kinds of ideas.

And the ottoman is more than that (removing the cushion), it is storage space.

And the hood is very light. And there’s no need for electrical wire because of bluetooth, a wi-fi area. The beauty of the hood is how minimal and simple, a really elegant small space.

[DA] The acoustics under the hood is really good. Very little outside noise and we are in a very noisy showroom. You know it looks very twenty-second century.
[JM] Yes, but at the same time, the space is neither the mechanical expression where you feel it’s an office, and yet it’s the office of the familiar, something very natural.

[DA] Jean-Marie, what did you learn from this project?
[JM] Many things, but of interest to me, firstly, I learned to work with American companies. Yes. Working with Coalesse and the collection involving many pieces and several design destinations. No offense here but my experience working with European and an American company, the cultural differences became apparent first hand.

First of all, for me with this experience there were many more people involved on this project. In general, European meetings tend to be smaller, maybe two or three. But this collection, at times maybe 15 people in a meeting and I learned to be more clear in the detail of the message I have to give, because we are doing a lot of meetings. And everybody is very good at method, a very strong method in order to be sure that everybody (15 brains with their own culture and knowledge) shares the same content.

And it was interesting how to fertilize ideas together, with different cultures with the same vision, the same stakes. The vision was simplicity, to create some evolution, and not for the day after tomorrow. To be elegant, but in a sensitive way, not just to be efficient or just to be smart. Just to be elegant. And a merger of all things in today’s world, the work, the play, a way of living. Very cool and I love this feeling of being cool. Really.

[DA] Tell us a little about your philosophy, how materials seem to drive your solutions. The Toyota Me.We is a good example. Do the materials come into play with a project like this?

[JM] Material is just one part of the puzzle we need to accomplish a vision or project. Design adds value in this respect because design is about creative synthesis, and there are a lot of stakes we wish to unite. There is of course, the quality of the service we want to provide. There is usually an economical scenario we need to factor in. So we have to do things which are smart, we can share and to create value.

There is, the technical means and the technical states about lightness, about doing better with less, about the world’s soul which speaks to sustainability. So materials are super important.

For example, the hood on the lounge is made of synthetic felt. It’s made of reclaimed materials, and we see it mostly in a car, the ceiling, the doors. Actually the construction of the canopy, is very much like the ceiling of a car. The synthetic felt is easy to work with and do not forget, our brain is programmed to associate felt with acoustics, noise dampening. The cover on the lounge not only has good acoustics but it persuades your brain too. When you see it, you’ll understand. It will be quiet inside.

[DA] Tell us about the Massaud Collection.
[JM] I think the chairs are quite unique. And there are so many office chairs! For me it wasn’t a question of good taste or bad taste, I wanted to provide some sort of affordable solution of – a chair being a chair. The solution has to be elegant, but it’s about doing business. It’s using the same shell, the same little wire frame for all options.

And we do a lot of things with this principle. The collection doesn’t look plug-n-play, but it is. It’s a flexible collection which gives you, the person, many options to choose your condition, choose your identity. And these options both mix and match, there are low solutions and high solutions. The same with the armrest. And far from the very technical office chair.

The low chair is very low and the armrest disappears to make it more – could be like the shoulder bag for a girl. This chair for the female, it’s my favorite.

[DA] Yes, I like the armrest. Very stylish. Very efficient.
[JM] Efficient but not too arrogant.

[DA] Can you tell us a little about the Toyota Me.We concept car?
[JM] For me, this is an urban car concept which implies what you might expect. First, your eyes tell you it’s not about arrogance or sharpness of the shape- it’s friendly. It’s for the guy walking the street and seeing the car, it catches his eye. It’s for the user who isn’t scared anymore about the scratch or the maintenance of the scalp. Your eyes tell you don’t worry.

[DA] So the anti-crisis car.
[JM] Yes! There are dozens of materials or processes that are smart and we have to choose. The car appeals to many because we have many options to choose from. It has an aluminum frame and renewable bamboo floor and also recylable polypropylene panels with not only color options but texture options. After enough scratches and maybe dents simple replace a panel. The material here was a big part of this vision. You have to crystallize this vision in matter. Material is very important.

1/2> lounge with hood
3/4/5> lounge
6> height adjustable, swivel tablet | cord pass through at base for charging devices
7> ottoman storage
8> low-back executive
9/10> mid-back executive
11/12> high-back executive

Jean-Marie Massaud is a French architect, inventor and designer. He was born in Toulouse, France in 1966. Massuad graduated from the École Nationale Supérieur de Création Industrielle – Les Ateliers, Paris in 1990 and began working with Marc Berthier. In 2000, he co-founded the Studio Massaud with Daniel Pouzet and expanded his interests in the fields of architecture. [ massaud ] [ coalesse ]

My nose my stekkerdoos: studio job for lensvelt. Milan 2013.

Jun 25, 2013

We were quite looking forward to talk to Job Smeets and Nynke Tynagel of Studio Job, whose creations can stress art as the counterpoint to design, can be wildly fun, unpredictable and we anticipated an equally lively chat. A healthy body of work affirms modernism though their sculptural translations also resemble sophisticated contraptionisms of time-traveling with Jules Verne. Tonight, Studio Job is presenting their new ‘Job Office’ collection for Lensvelt. The collection consists of a buffet cabinet, a desk, and an LED lamp and is an extension of the Job Cabinet launched by Studio Job in Milan 2011 – a metal cabinet with a single door that also comes with a gold-colored key. The venue, the refectory within the monastery within the Museum of Science and Technology. The walls and ceilings covered with beautiful 18th-century Sala del Cenacolo frescoes. ‘The Wall’ is our background music.

click > enlarge

>

[DA] The chosen space is extremely surreal. And the installation’s teaser promotion is of famous people with golden noses. Job, please explain this concept for us.
[JOB] Do you know what stekkerdoos means?

[DA] Please tell us.
[JOB] The concept is ‘stekkerdoos’ translated from Dutch means multiple socket, in this case, my nose, my socket. And you know, I have a strange nose. In high school I was told my nose looked like a socket. But on the other hand, the nose is also a handle to open a drawer in an office desk.

[DA] This is a story about turning a negative into a positive.
[JOB] I think so. Yes feel the handle, feel the nostrils. Finally you can open a drawer by putting your fingers in the nostrils and you don’t have to worry about your mother saying you can’t do that. After all these years.

[DA] An ultimate revenge.
[JOB] Yes, exactly.

[DA] When did you think of this concept.
[JOB] I knew it when I was 15. It just took 25 years to make it happen.

[DA] Tell us about the ‘Job Office’ collection.
[JOB] Lensvelt makes office furniture and people today are working more and more in their home. So we are trying to personalize this experience. These pieces are very modernistic, in a modern style, like this lamp that goes back to the 50s and we also merged a sculptural presence to the pieces. A merger of the right industrial product with the gilded sculpture.

[DA] The nose is a very organic statement and the gilded button is huge.
[JOB] Yes, regarding the nose I was looking for a handle and maybe we were looking for a human statement. An the most iconic thing about the lamp is this big on/off button. And there are 100 lamps in this installation celebrating 100 years of Lensvelt. Like a big KGB office with all these lights for interrogation.

[DA] This space, this installation. Reminds me of the crazy offices in the movie ‘Brazil’.
[JOB] Exactly. This reminds me of the Pink Floyd movie ‘The Wall’ where you could see all the hammers. That’s the reason for ‘The Wall’ background music.

[DA] How does humor play into your design concepts.
[JOB] Humor is quite important. Human beings are already too serious, especially taking themselves too serious.

[DA] Several designers we talked to mention noise and chaos and they are providing ‘peace’ and ‘natural’.
[JOB] Peace and natural is not new in design. All of us are just mirrors. I feel our design is reflecting what we are up to and our environment isn’t that peaceful. And our environment is very surreal, it’s never what you think it is.

[DA] What expression are we looking for here. Something good looking?
[JOB] No. We must all admit that we are like those sparrows who try to steal the bling. We are all attracted to stuff that shines. And of course we are attracted to beautiful things and I like to play with that a little bit. But I’m not interested in aesthetics at all. I’m interested in how humanity functions, in the seducing quality of the bling bling. The sculptural aspect can be seen in our work: We have created a lot of huge gold sculptures. And the office is all about function and we about are looking for a fresh a personal look for office furniture.

[DA] Is there a sustainable aspect of the office collection.
[JOB] Sustainable is important but the term is a marketing term. What we do is make unique pieces that are well made, and some of the pieces cost quite a bit. These pieces will be handed down from generation to generation, never thrown away. Some are museum quality and they will last a long time. It could be that 100 years from now there will be more Studio Job products around than Ikea and they are so much bigger.

job and nynke in the studio | photo: t. wolzak

[DA] What is your office environment like?
[JOB] Nynke and I work in a concrete environment, like a bunker. We are surrounded by modern design from the 50s and 60s. I like the period a lot, the post war reconstruction period. If I had lived in the 50s our work would reflect that period. I’m sure if Pierre Jeanneret or Jean Prouvé lived today their work would look so different. That’s what I mean about reflecting time, the work is really a diary. It’s such a tragic thing to be a designer when the only thing we can do is dematerialize. But this can be inspiring, if you can be as less a designer as possible and maybe make art. The conflict of design and art is quite interesting.

[DA] Everything here tonight for Lensvelt are production pieces. Though your body of work includes a great deal of collectables.
[JOB] Studio Job is in the collections of maybe 40 museums. And we have many solos exhibitions around the world. So we enjoy and thrive on limited edition sculptural pieces but we are also invited by producers to create production objects.

[DA] Is the function different with limited vs production.
[JOB] It can be. It really has to do with the working with the brands and their objectives. But our mindset is to push the solutions as far as we can. I see this philosophy in fashion, in haute couture, which has a strong sculptural aspect to it. And haute couture inspires the creation and production of products which still possess the sculptural quality but becomes more reachable to the larger audience.

[ Dutch Profiles ] are short documentaries about architects, graphic, product and fashion designers in the Netherlands. The series debuted in 2009 and there are currently 85 videos plus 10 in production to date.

[design miami basel 2013 ] 10/12> chartres | carpenters workshop gallery | 2013
13/15> black cat | carpenters workshop gallery | 2013

[ neocon 2013 ] 16/17> aftermath | maharam | 2013
18> bavaria | maharam | 2013

[ studio job ] [lensvelt ] [ salone internazionale del mobile ]

A conversation with boffi ceo roberto gavazzi.

Apr 4, 2013

xx roberto gavazzi

We’re in the Chicago showroom of Maxalto and talking to Boffi CEO Roberto Gavazzi. Boffi has recently opened a showroom in this space.

[DesignApplause] Roberto the last time I saw you though we didn’t have a chance to talk, was in Boffi’s flagship showroom in Milan during the 2012 design fair. You and Philippe Starck were in animated conversation while looking at a kitchen system.
[Roberto Gavazzi] Phillipe dropped by to look at new products and we were discussing several new techniques incorporated into that particular kitchen system. Boffi sells the kitchens to the best architects and designers worldwide known such as: Philippe Starck, Norman Foster, Jean Nouvel, Patricia Urquiola and, of course, Piero Lissoni. We are particularly proud of this as it means all these important people like Boffi products and choose to buy our systems for their private kitchens/ bathrooms instead of designing a system and asking for a special production on a personalized drawing.

aprile kitchen with wood and stainless steel | piero lissoni | click > enlarge

[DA] The ‘Philippe” kitchen in Milan that was in your showroom, did that concept go into production?
[RG] Yes, it’s now in production. It took a few months to be ready because it required a new manufacturing patent: The new material looks like a solid piece of stainless steel, but in reality it’s a sandwich made up of very, very thin slices giving us a lighter material that’s easier to use and bend. Stainless steel can be very heavy and complicated to install. It was difficult and complicated to produce but we’re happy with the end result.

[DA] Let’s talk about the business side. You came to Boffi in 1989. Piero Lissoni came in 1990. Why were you guys brought in and what roles did you play? What roles do you play now?
[RG] Piero Lissoni at that time was already an extremely strategic resource for this company. When I came in 1989, I was completely ignorant in terms of design and manufacturing kitchens. My previous job was in the computer industry in Italy and France. No culture, no knowledge, no real special attitude toward this business.

[DA] Why did they ask you to come on board?
[RG] In reality, they didn’t ask me. I wanted to stop working for large internationals and wanted to become an entrepreneur and so, I started looking for a company that was for sale or that needed a partner to step in and become an industrial entrepreneur. My family has been and still is entrepreneurial in Milan and I inherited this mindset. In my search I found Paolo Boffi and he was looking for a partner in 1989. We quickly understood one another’s desires and wishes. In the end, we made this deal that was an incredibly lucky deal for me. I hope for him also. I think we were very complimentary, especially in the beginning. He was the real creative mind and on my side, I brought a little bit of money and management.

[DA] Were you replacing something or were they trying something new?
[RG] Boffi was a traditional family business. The second generation had three brothers. They had problems and ended up separating. One brother bought from the others. Paolo now owned all the company but wasn’t an experienced manager. He needed someone to help him and needing some more money because he had used all of his to buy the company from his brothers. That was the main reason why he wanted a partner. Paolo proved to be exactly that, a partner. It’s not easy to find an entrepreneur that owns 100% of a family company, and is open to share it with someone else. We really had a very nice time and a lot of fun. Piero Lissoni was also a part of the partnership.

[DA] Are the three of you still doing the same things?
[RG] Yes. At the beginning, we were much younger. Piero was starting his activity as an Art Director. Piero has a unique capacity of fully understanding a company and defining a strategy and pointing you the right direction. He’s always thinking in terms of the whole company and not simply particular products. We’re not fighting one product against another anymore. We’re fighting the concept of one company voice against other company voices. Boffi’s story is about how we produce our products, conceive the collection, the marketing we use, how we distribute in our showrooms. It’s a meaningful and complex integrated message that makes sense, is successful and is liked by our customers.

[DA] I’m thinking about Steve Jobs hiring Paul Rand, the designer of the IBM corporate image. Jobs had just left Apple and was starting a new company, Next. Jobs tells Rand that he believes it takes 10 years and $100,000,000 to evolve an identity into a personality.
[RG] It’s really a long process and these companies are so complicated and sometimes rigid. A kitchen company like ours is one that is far more complicated that any other design industry. We sell products as a system to a high-end sophisticated customer who desires something tailored to their needs. We deliver an impeccable kitchen that will stand in the home for 20-25 years. You’ll have a kitchen in front of you for so long that you can get bored if it’s not exactly what you want.

It’s a business that is relatively rigid for being a retail activity. It’s not an impulse purchase. With a kitchen, it’s a long process that can last months.

[DA] It seems a very tough retail sell. Maybe harder than selling airplanes to corporations. This may not come off well in print but with the kitchen there’ a wife to incorporate into the recipe.
[RG] We see people that enjoy the process of purchasing a kitchen that they may stretch the process longer than needed. The men come back many times with their wives, it’s a joint effort for sure. It’s interesting, the more expensive and complicated, the more the husband gets into it. The men become intrigued by the technicalities.

[DA] We’re evaluating our own kitchen now. We pull our friends, or they pull us into the discussions. The kitchen is 16 years old and not engineered well enough.
[RG] You want to have access to a good product and a professional who can evaluate your needs and explain how and why the product is built the way it is. Satisfaction is extremely important. We devote a tremendous amount of money in our budget to train our people very well. We have a very nice training department in Milan near where the factory is located. It’s 1, 500 square meters where we have all sorts of products.

customer training facility

[DA] Are you talking about the Customer Training Facility?
[RG] We train our dealers to be perfectly prepared to face any kind of customer. For example, in Paris, we have a shop there. A woman walks in and asks for our most basic sink. In Paris at this shop, we are selling very elaborate kitchens. Our dealer answers her questions very nicely for one hour. She goes away and comes back one month later with an elaborate kitchen request. We discover this woman is the wife of a very important industrial owner in France. The lady went to every high-end kitchen shop in Paris and asked for a sink from everyone. She then chose the one that answered the questions best for the longest time and said that if the dealer is paying that much attention to her for a sink, she was sure they would deliver a very nice kitchen with perfect customer service.

[DA] We have Boffi in our bathroom, the process was enjoyable and we are far from bored.
[RG] Good to hear, thank you.

[DA] Do you also bring customers in?
[RG] Yes. We like to bring them to the factory. We are very open and like to show the quality of our products. You can feel it when you visit a factory, go around and see how things are done. We encourage our dealers to bring any kind of customer. It’s satisfying to say those who visit our factory, who get involved with the process, pretty much are sold on us.

[DA] Is there a role for design to play in a challenging economy?
[RG] Certainly. Design is a software that adds tremendous obvious and not-so-obvious features to products. Design becomes part of the conversation with some products. When you talk of Apple you invariably talk about design. The design attributes can make an environmental as well as a economic statement. We all notice how more and more cities are having design fairs. No matter the economy. There must be a reason. And there’s growth and awareness now seen in many industries where only fashion and architecture held court.

[DA] How do people find Boffi? Do you feel that Boffi is well represented worldwide?
[RG] We’re in around 55 countries and export 75% of our production so we feel we’re well represented worldwide. And it’s competitive so we are always working to be better. We scrutinize where we go, what’s the best fit for us to open a showroom and assemble a Boffi team. We are working on growing in Asia now.

[DA] Design is making sense of things. Does Boffi frame concepts and products in innovative settings to capture users’ imaginations?
[RG] Most good brands try to sell emotions today. It’s not so easy to do with products like kitchens that also need to be technologically reliable. You cannot exaggerate the design approach forgetting about the rules of the kitchen. Boffi believes the presentation, the passion, the experience of the people presenting is important to adding emotion to the equation. It’s one of the ways to be different from the others. And today’s market is extremely fast. If you have a strong product in your collection, you can quickly find a strong resemblance with the competitors.

chicago showroom

[DA] I’ve been to three of your showrooms. This new Chicago store is a bit different than the others, not as much of space. Is the move an experiment in terms of market mix?
[RG] Yes. Here we are using a different formula. In general in larger cities, we have completely monobrand shops were you just sell Boffi, where we try to communicate our professional strength. In this one, it’s a very beautiful space. We share it with B&B Italia and the Maxalto line. It’s a collaboration between 2 brands at the same level that share the same values. They are complimentary products in terms of style. I’m also very good friends with the B&B owners so there’s always a special feeling. This formula can be both efficient and effective, especially when you have showrooms that are a little too big. By sharing it with another company in line with yours it can also have a very interesting co-marketing aspect that has appeal to customers.

[DA] This is a great space. In terms of the product offerings in this showroom, the amount of product on the floor is less than your other showrooms.
[RG] It’s not necessary to show a lot of products. It’s important to show products that reference what you can offer. I feel you can always bring your customer to a bigger show in New York or Italy when they want to buy a kitchen and where they can spend some time. Also, it’s a nice experience for them. We see many of our customers who enjoy visiting our other showrooms in other cities. If you’re able to maintain the same quality of offerings at diverse locations your story is much more compelling.

[DA] Kitchens are not found and sold via your Web site are they?
[RG] You can use the Web site as a brochure to look at this or that. But we really want people to come to our showrooms and be able to touch the product, talk with our people and receive a really tailor-made solution.

[DA] What does sustainability mean to you right now?
[RG] It’s a growing need that we see in everywhere. We see that the public is very interested in it. That’s why we not only want to be in line with the needs of the market, but we feel it is a very important part of our social responsibility. Our lacquer is formulated to be pollution-free. We try to recycle all of our unused materials.

[DA] You have 39 designers. What’s asked of your designers? Do they contribute toward innovation of technology or product meaning?
[RG] Designers are chosen depending on their capacity to deliver something special to Boffi. And their styles are complementary offering up the option of experiencing one complete collection or mixing pieces to make a custom product. Today, we have a core of 5-6 designers. The process of choosing designers is made with Piero Lissoni. Together we choose the designers without really a specific requirement except for their style.

[DA] Is there anything we didn’t cover that you’d like to get into our conversation?
[RG] I would invite everyone that wants to discover Boffi to come our showrooms, to come to Milan. If they want to visit the factory and our showrooms, it’s always a pleasure to have them come. We like to really show what we are. There are no secrets. It’s always an open door for everyone.

1) aprile in wood and stainless steel | piero lissoni
1) aprile in stainless steel | piero lissoni
3) cila in glass | luigi mason
4) k20 in stainless steel | norbert wangen
5) b20 bathroom cabinets | norbert wangen / index mirror | felicia ferrone
6) quadtwo | jeffrey bernett / boccia lamp | piero lissoni
7a) CTline | victor vasilev
7b) CTline | victor vasilev
8) tape shower cubicle | monica armani
9) > 11) milan showroom
12) > 13) apartment installation
14) > 16) customer training facility
17) > 20) chicago showroom

interview with designer francisco gomez paz and guiseppe butti of luceplan. design miami 2012.

Mar 14, 2013

above> synapse

DesignApplause is talking to Argentinian designer Francisco Gomez Paz and US CEO of Luceplan, Giuseppe Butti, in the Miami Luminaire Design Lab Showroom. We’re all here for Design Miami 2012 and these men are here to introduce Francisco’s new light ‘Synapse’ to the US. It’s all part of Luminaire’s annual presentation of new production introductions during DesignMiami.

[DesignApplause] What brings the both of you here here?
[Francisco Gomez Paz] We’re here because Luminaire wishes to introduce a new product that I designed for Luceplan, the Synapse light. A system that works with LED light. It’s basically a divider of spaces. You can join it in different ways to create different configurations. Energy dividers for the space.

[DA] Is this a new product for 2012?
[FGP] We’re ready to put it on the market and we’re showing it here for the first time in America.

[DA] Francisco, tell us a little about you and where’s your design office located and what’s your office like?
[FGP] I’m Argentinian, born in Argentina. I studied in Argentina, but moved to Italy 14 years ago to study the Master in Design at Domus Academy. After a bit of working experience, I opened my office. Now I’m working with several companies.

[DA] The LED technology is causing quite a stir in the U.S. We’re starting to do away with the incandescent light bulb. In Europe, you have a bit of a head start on this.
[Giuseppe Butti] Yes. Europe banned the incandescent bulbs a year ago. The move is coming to the U.S. as well. The prime mover is the West coast with all their energy codes. The LED really started nudging out the halogen and incandescent bulb a few years ago with Title 20 or Title 24. This past year we saw a big trend toward the new light sources, like LEDs for commercial spaces, replacing florescent light sources. At residential levels, incandescent is still the most popular light source that people prefer.

[DA] People are hoarding incandescent light bulbs now.
[GB] I know. But the residential sector is starting to understand the LED a little bit better. The more it evolves toward a warmer light, away from the blue LED lights we used to see in the beginning, the more people are getting comfortable with adding new light sources in their homes.

[DA] I know the earlier LEDs were very unpredictable and unreliable. How long ago were you able to begin to invest in making quality lights?
[GB] I think that Luceplan, was one of the first companies to start experimenting in 2003-2004 with LED lights. We came out with the first LED product in 2006 called “Mix.” Since then, the entire industry has seen a big evolution. And our company now belongs to Philips which is one of the key producers of LED in the world. All our designers, like Francisco, take advantage of the R&D Development that we have. Every year we the LED technology allows us to do more than before. This is the big thing. It’s very important.
[Francisco Gomez Paz] In terms of design, I think it’s a big opportunity to try to find new languages. Then we can change all the earlier rules concerning sources of light. In my opinion, it’s a very nice opportunity to find new types of lights.

[DA] What are some of the differences from a design point of view that LED brings to you?
[FGP] There are huge differences. One is the light, the lamp, is a really tiny electronic element, not electric element, and is very small. 4×4 millimeters. It’s allowing us to put it in different types of situations that wasn’t possible before using the E27 lightbulb. It’s really amazing in terms of design. Luceplan encourages me to experiment to find new objects and new technology. Predictably there are many companies simply copying what was done before. That’s a big missed opportunity for many. Our decision is to try to imagine new frontiers of light.

[DA] How was the light conceived? Who approached who?
[FGP] This is an idea that came to me because one of the sources of inspiration a designer and an architect can have is to understand the human being. How you live and change. Of course, in the last 20 years, you have smaller houses and you remove walls because you need bigger spaces, for example it’s really common to mix the kitchen with the living room to share activities. But you still need in some cases sort of divider or filter. Hence the starting point for this idea. I tried to create a new way to divide spaces using light, LED light. I then simplified the idea using just one shape, a module, that could be configured in many interesting ways.

[DA] What are the materials used?
[FGP] Polycarbonate.

synapse

[DA] Looking at what you have on the wall, how many modules are up there?
[FGP] I know this may sound silly, I designed the assembly, but from here I can’t tell. I have to get closer to see a few seams then I can tell you.

[DA] How heavy is a module?
[FGP] They’re really light. We designed it wanting a lightweight solution and we used the minimum amount of plastic possible. Just two very light pieces of plastic that are welded together.

[DA] You had an idea. You go to Luceplan. Then you begin to collaborate with their engineers.
[FGP] Yes. I have a very good six-year relationship with Luceplan. We started with the Hope chandelier and we put to market in 2009 in Europe and 2010 here. It’s now a best seller at Luceplan and has allowed us to have a really good trusting relationship. I work almost in-house with the Luceplan engineers plus it spills over to my studio and workshop. Prototypes can be made at Luceplan or my office. A very open dialogue. That’s something really special of a relationship with Italian companies. That there’s such a close dialogue with a design company. A very open and free one.

[DA] We’re very fortunate having both the designer and the US CEO here. A business question: What percentage of your products are in the US and around the world?
[GB] The U.S. represents about 15% of total sales of Luceplan.

[DA] How long have you been in the U.S.?
[GB] Seven years in the US Before that I worked for 5 years for Luceplan in Milan as a sales and marketing director. We’ve been in the US since 1994, and it’s a long-term commitment. We are based in New York and New Jersey. We have a showroom in Soho. We have warehouses and corporate offices just outside of the city. However, the majority of the markets are the European markets. The most important markets are Germany, Italy, Scandinavia.

[DA] Luceplan is positioned as both contract and residential?
[GB] Yes, absolutely. The Luceplan line is for both markets. I would say that overall, we have about 65-70% is contract and the rest is residential. I must say that this percentage, which is quite unusual for Luceplan, is mainly due to the fact that the distribution of high-end lighting or high-end furniture stores in the US is not so wide. It’s not easy to find retail stores that can sell high-end products. This is a bit of a limit of the U.S. distribution. Certainly in the U.S. we are mainly contract oriented as far as retail.

[DA] Which are some of the U.S. cities you feel have a lot of potential?
[GB] The Northeast certainly. It’s one of our biggest markets. So is Miami. Mainly because there are a lot of South Americans and Europeans here that have bought apartments and houses and are almost residents here. The South American and European culture is very strong in Miami. The Northeast, Miami and then Canada. Southern California is another key market.

[DA] Francisco, do you just design lighting? It seems that there are so many architects doing products and vice versa.
[FGP] I do all kinds of products, not just lighting. My clients are mainly in Italy. I have a new client in America. As a designer, I’m very holistic in using different kinds of materials and means of creation for objects.

[DA] You’re strictly a product designer, not an architect? It seems in Europe there are many architects doing products and vice versa.
[FGP] I’m not an architect, even if I came from a family of them. Sometimes I’ll do some things for myself, but no I’m not. I think the same philosophies share something that is difficult to divide.

[DA] Where did you go to school?
[FGP] At the “Universidad Nacional de Cordoba” in Argentina, that is one of the oldest university of Argentina. After that I achieved a master at Domus Accademy in Milan.

[DA] What do you think of Design Miami?
[FGP] You have two different things going on in the city. The art show and the design show. The design show has matured and grown in importance attracting more people to talk about design.
[GB] Luceplan presented ‘Hope’ at Luminaire in 2010 and it was a big success. We’re presenting again tonight, introducing Synops to North America and hoping for the same kind of success.

hope

[DA] Francisco, do you do limited edition pieces for the design galleries? or are you just concentrated on production?
[FGP] For now I concentrate just on production.

[DA] What does that mean ‘now?’
[FGP] My interest in the past was doing high production pieces because of the investment that went into the objects. There was more opportunity to experiment. Today’s technology is making it possible to experiment with small production with very good quality and that will encourage designers to participate because of the allure the freedom to experiment.

[DA] Tell us about your design principles? Do green and sustainable go into it?
[FGP] We can talk a long time about this. I don’t think you can put an eco label to design because I believe that it’s something that has always been in the philosophy of design. It’s impossible not think pollution and energy consumption. My philosophy is best described knowing the shape never starts in the beginning. I always try to start from a white paper free of preconceptions of ideas or shapes. For me, a shape is already an idea that is closed. My process is long, it involves philosophy, technology and the freedom to change the pre-existing. In the end of this process the shape almost magically appears.

[DA] Giuseppe, are you selling online?
[GB] We do online sales because in the US it’s very difficult not to do them. But it’s not the majority of our sales. The majority is the contract business or with architects on projects. Hospitality. Commercial. Residential. We have a network of retail stores like Luminaire and many others, but selective. Online is for us about 10% of our sales.

[DA] Do you have any stand-alone Luceplan retail stores in any city?
[GB] We have one in New York. In the heart of Soho. It’s our flagship store. So far this is the only one. It’s been open since 2007. Prior to that we had another showroom that was less a retail store, but more a showroom still in the Soho neighborhood on Houston Street and then we moved the our current location on Green Street.

giuseppe and francisco

[DA] How successful is it? Everyone I talk to in your business niche, the jury’s out for many. How is it working for you?
[GB] It’s good. It’s working. It’s still our number-one retail store in terms of sales. Certainly, with the New York costs, you have to see it as an overall advertising touchpoint for Luceplan worldwide. A lot of people from all over the world pass through Soho which is great for our brand image.

Another thing, our store in New York is more than a retail store, it’s also a showroom. We use that space to present to architects and designers. We organize events. For us, it works both ways. It’s yes on one side, a retail store so you can come in and buy a fixture. On the other side, it’s a moment that we use to present, in an ideal situation, a light fixture to an architect. You walk into stores where it’s difficult to figure out what that fixture can really give you. In our store, we pretend to say we have ideal vignettes and situations for our fixtures. We are happy with our store.

[DA] What’s Luceplan’s philosophy? Do you have an in-house design group?
[GB] Two of the founders are Paolo Rizzatto and Alberto Meda. They founded the company and are still designing for us. We also go to Francisco and many others from France, Italy, the US and all over the world. The important thing for us is that we receive a lot of proposals for new products and then it goes through a selection. If we think it is in line with the overall general philosophy, we are certainly open to new ideas and new products. We like to always been innovative not only with the materials, but also in the idea.

[DA] What is your background? Are you a businessman or are you a creative?
[GB] I’m strictly a business person. But I love design. I’ll let you alone with Francisco now.

[DA] Francisco, is there anything else you want to say that we have touched?
[FGP] I’d like to emphasize a really good relationship with Luceplan because we share many philosophies, and important ingredient. We like to do innovative things, but not just to do them. Design is an amazing tool to make a little progression to the world. Even in small pieces. Innovation always puts new value into our lives. That’s the role of design. You try to understand everything. Technology. Human beings. You try to do that little innovation step-by-step. That way we continue to innovate. This sharing of philosophy, the beautiful relationship we have with Luceplan…we’ve discussed many times where this world is going and how we can give to this world new objects that solve problems and that improve our lives in little steps.

apero

[DA] Early-on in my interviews I used the label ‘design-driven’ objects. I felt compelled to use this label every time interviewing non-designers. A non-designer response almost always was ‘function-driven’ along with a well-thought out explanation.
[FGP] I would say idea-driven. An idea includes functions, materials and human beings. When philosophy is true to design, it transforms into something that is solid and original. What moves me are the ideas and then everything comes.

[DA] Your work is very clean. The architect Jon Ronan who’s work is also clean describes his work as ‘essential’ where he subtracts until he gets to the piece that is essential, that when you take that piece away the idea is broken. Can you describe your aesthetic?
[FGP] I cannot put myself in one aesthetic movement. Ideas can be expressed in completely different ways. There are things that are minimal and things that deserve more complexity.

I mean, it’s not something that I think of when I’m doing a project. If you see some of my designs, you will see lots of complexity but also at the same time, simplicity. My thinking is not so simple. Sometimes I love complexity. Nature is full of complexity. A tree is full of art and intelligence. I enjoy the intelligence of something and work with it. I don’t have any kind of preconception. If you take everything from a tree, what will you have? A tree is really complex. Even when it’s blooming, it’s full of flowers. Not just one. I love the freedom of nature, to be simple or complex. Depends on what you are trying to do.
[ francisco gomez paz ] [ luceplan ] [ luminaire ]

1/4> synapse | fgp | 2011
5/11> hope | fgp | | luceplan | 2010
12> nothing | fgp | luceplan | 2012
13> comodoro | fgp | danese | 2008
14> solar bottle | alberto meda and fgp | 2007
15> omero | fgp | driade |2006
16> ovidio | fgp | danese | 2005
17/18> apero | fgp | sumampa | 2004
19> otto watt | alberto meda | luceplan | 2011
20> petale | odile dec1 | luceplan | 2011
21> honeycomb | | habits studio | luceplan |2011
22> archetype | good morning technologies | luceplan | 2010
23> any | habits studio | luceplan | 2010