As described by Arnaud, their design philosophy is to stand for something rather than be against something else. This is because, as Arnaud sees it, “if you stand against something, you become hardened and unwilling to change; whereas if you stand for something, you want to see it through and thus become open to modifications that are not to be interpreted as compromise but
strength."
How does that translate into practice? It translates into purposeful design and community support.
Purposeful Design
Their purposeful design has evolved out of a blend of Arnaud’s northern French roots and Aki’s Japanese background. “Everything is informed by nature,” says Arnaud. “Nature is perfect and cannot be improved upon. What we do can and should be improved upon.” For this reason, the couple seeks to incorporate subtle references to nature in the interiors and objects they create.
But it is also about context. This is why they are open to working either with industrially made or hand-crafted materials. In the right context, each has something to offer and each can bring about a better, longer lasting result. Not bound by a specific ideology or practice, the two are open to new ways of thinking and doing. But listening to Arnaud speak about design in general – using as examples advances made in speakers, phones, and lighting – the rule should be simpler is always better. It is better from a design perspective and better from an ecological standpoint: scarce materials need not be depleted, and older products can be repurposed to meet the need of fellow beings who may not have the means to buy newer versions. It sounded like an A+A version of Occam’s razor: “the simplest explanation is usually the best one.”
Process & Community Support
This philosophy also informs their practice. Aki
and Arnaud see design as the act of sharing: sharing ideas, sharing practice and knowledge, and, above all, sharing what they produce with
users. Following upon the earlier notion of standing for something rather than against something or someone, this framework engages community.
Not being bound by an ideology or constrained by absolutes (“we can’t use plastics”), Aki and Arnaud are open to hearing possible solutions from their partners – many of whom, though experts in their field, have never confronted the challenge of a particular design. How about if we try this, or this, or this? Working together new ideas are formed inside particular industrial, temporal, and economic contexts. Aki and Arnaud see these moments as creating harmonies that mimic nature insofar as they constantly evolve and gradually immerse the user in the present moment.
They also see this notion of sharing as moving the society forward. As partners learn new things when applying their older techniques in newer environments, they can bring those lessons back into their own environments to quite possibly improve their craft traditions. This equally ensures that craft traditions remains relevant, and that future practitioners are not just well-prepared but open to engaging across disciplines. In short, designers create through dialogue.
We don’t want people to simply look at the form of our products, says Aki. We want them to sit in them, even in galleries. We want them to be comfortable in and with them.
40