Meeting of Minds

In the following conversation, the designers discuss their varying approaches towards design, and reflect on how the field is progressing in the 2020s.

How did you first become interested in design?

Stine Gam: We are both educated as architects, but our education was very different. I’m from Denmark, and my university was very connected to the workshop and craft, whereas Enrico studied in Italy, and the Italian way is a bit more intellectual. I’m more of a Scandinavian functionalist and materialist; Enrico is very much into the storytelling and conceptual part.

Elissa Ossino: My mother was a big lover of design, and we lived in a house full of very modern furniture when I was young. It was quite strange, because we lived in Sicily, and all my friends’ houses were very classical, with antique furniture. But I was born with this very contemporary furniture, which was really the beginning.

Christophe Delcourt: It’s been quite a journey, and there were a lot of hiccups before I found my way. I originally studied agriculture, and then tried to become an actor, but what interested me most in that was the scenography. I started making my own objects out of very inexpensive materials, and then I put my designs in the trunk of my car, drove to Paris and exhibited at the Maison&Objet trade fair.

How would you describe your design philosophy?

Enrico Fratesi:Our products are quite simple and functional: the human body is at their centre, and the material is expressed in a very honest way. We prefer more natural materials in our work, because a connection to nature is a very important part of Scandinavian design.

Elisa: I really love abstraction. I try to use very simple and pure shapes which have a strong character.

Christophe: I never studied design, so I consider myself to be a sculptor or an artist – not in a pretentious way, but there’s something instinctive about the way I work with material. In France, there is also a tradition of blending things. We aren’t afraid to mix things from different periods.

How do you balance responding to current trends and maintaining a timeless aesthetic in your work?

Enrico: “Gentleness” has been one of our principles from the start. We haven’t been very connected to trends; we’re more connected to Scandinavian history.

Elisa: I always have an eye for current trends. We live in a complex world where there are a lot of influences everywhere, from cinema to theatre, art, music and so on. It’s natural to take the influence of what surrounds you and bring it into a project. But I also like to create products that are timeless, because I like the idea that they will be eternal, which is very important from a circular economy point of view.

Christophe: First of all, I don’t look at what others do [laughs]. The great advantage of being a more senior designer is that I’m no longer worried my designs will be too much. When I entered the design scene 30 years ago, my designs were more minimalist, but today I think that in order to talk to people’s hearts, my pieces need to be more sculptural, more expressive and seductive. Furniture has to grab your attention for you to spend 30 years with it.

What role do you think traditional craftsmanship plays in the world of design today, and how do you think this will evolve moving forward?

Stine: Craftsmanship takes a lot of time, and time is one of the most valuable things we have, right? So many things are created quickly today, so if you can express in a product that someone has spent a lot of time making it, then I think that’s a value in itself.

Elisa: There is a lot of attention at the moment on craftsmanship. I think this renewed interest is a reaction to the cold world of technology – there is a necessity to go back to more handmade works and recuperate these traditions, because we cannot lose this incredible, historical part of our work.

How do you see new technologies impacting the future of furniture design?

Elisa: In general, what I see at the moment is a difficulty in distinguishing what is real from what is not real. We have a lot of new technologies, so it is possible to copy the image or appearance of one material and then reproduce it on another. This creates a big mess, and I think we will have even more confusion in the future between reality and imitation. My point of view is that we need to have more humanistic design, because we are a little bit distant from materials and objects, which creates a feeling of loss.

Christophe: The customer is not interested in seeing the evolution of technology in a piece of furniture. In the 1960s and the 70s, there was this dream to have technology all over the place, but today technology is always hidden. You want to take advantage of it, but you don’t want to see it.

Do you think the concept of luxury is changing in the 2020s? What does “luxury” mean to you now, and how does your idea of luxury influence your designs?

Enrico: There was a time when luxury furniture was really meant to send a very clear message of richness. I think we are living in a moment now where there’s a new, understated luxury, which is more about informality than about showing off.

Elisa: For me, it is more luxurious to have an object or a product that uses beautiful natural materials and handmade processes than a product which uses velvet and gold. I think luxury is changing in this direction.

Christophe: Luxury, to me, means paying respect to your clients. Brands used to be able to hide behind their names, but today they can no longer do that. Client expectations are much higher, so you really have to come with quality.