Would you say that there is a difference in the
connection and comfort offered by handmade
products to factory-manufactured ones?
Of course. The difference is usually in the intention
of the maker. When developing a mass-manufactured
piece of furniture, the maker will be looking to optimize
many parameters, with an economical approach. This
means quality and comfort are not the priority, and the
results will show. On the other hand, handmade (or what
we would call crafted products), are made with a clear
intention to put comfort and quality at the top. For that
reason, we believe that maintaining a handmade aspect is a
luxury, but we also do our best to offer that at a fair price.
for quality and substance. We can now see that trend
weave itself into contemporary design across the board.
There is no genre defined yet for this post-industrial design
movement, but we hope to discover and contribute further
in the field by creating collections that can be recognized
as classics while evolving with the world.
How important is process in the overall narrative of a
furniture piece?
One might say that in furniture design and making,
the process shows, maybe more than, say, in the fashion
industry. The fact that furniture is lived with for a rather
long timespan makes the investment and the experience
more explicit. What a fashion piece can convey in terms of
identity is linked to the short-term and is usually achieved
with simple design gestures. In contrast, a furniture
piece will have to convey an idea that is interacted with at
a slower pace. So the whole process comes into play. Each
step of furniture design and making has to make sense
and contribute to elevate people’s lives in complex ways.
Your Instagram feed cites a lot of architectural influences
for your pieces. How easy or difficult is it to adapt and pay
homage to architecture in furniture design?
The interesting thing with architectural
movements is that they are formulaic. It results in
quite a scientific approach to furniture design, where
we deconstruct the influences that we referenced to,
zoning in on materials, shapes and intentions that
composed these architectural works. In our point of
view, the translation to furniture doesn’t need to be
literal. What we interpret has to be expressed within
the constraints of furniture design. We don’t work
with the same parameters of usage, but we might aim
for a similar impression or experience for the user.
What attracted you to the industrial aesthetic you
often employ in your pieces? Would you say that this
aesthetic is having a moment right now?
To clarify our industrial stance, it has now come
to a point with our collections where industrial is not
only an aesthetic but is now a core idea in our creative
process. We create with an industrial mind, but other
collections might not look that industrial. We believe
that the moment for reclaimed, industrial-inspired,
rugged spaces has passed, but it has left everyone in the
design and interior communities with a distinct desire
Opposite page: Akron desk chair with
Stacking high benches and cabinet
Right: Dragonfly lounge chair
“Each step of furniture design and making has to make sense
and contribute to elevate people’s lives in complex ways.”
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