Create foundations
Patrick Norguet: Each project is set in a context. My job is to understand the company and create a basis together that we can work with. I am very happy to work with Pedrali because their roots are in the industry – that is of great importance for understanding the processes. Design is teamwork. We wanted to create a product that could be flexibly integrated into any environment. The boundaries between the contract market and designs developed for residental or hospitality spaces are becoming more fluid. "Jeff" is very practical and modular: The back cushions are available in two shapes and sizes, there are connecting hooks to detach and attach the elements and the cover is interchangeable. This means that the sofa is maximally flexible. In addition, we have also thought about logistics in the design, so that as little resources as possible are required for transport.
The voluminous shape of "Jeff" is unusual for Pedrali. Did you receive a briefing or did you have a free hand for the design?
Patrick Norguet: There was no briefing I had to fulfil, but we discussed a lot before I started drawing the first design. This exchange with the company is very important for my creative work. The idea was to provide a compact, flexible seating landscape that can be integrated into any environment. My job as a designer is to spend a lot of time with the client and analyse their needs and wishes in order to find the right solution.
You studied industrial design in Paris and also live there – how does the French design influence you?
Patrick Norguet: That's hard to say, because I work very internationally. My focus is therefore not on France. Moreover, in my opinion it is now difficult to define the French style.
Drawing is an important process for you in your creative work. How can I imagine your sketches for "Jeff"? Did you draw them freely or do you prefer to work with drawing tools?
Patrick Norguet: My hands are my tools and basically only serve to make a copy of the image I have in my head. I only start drawing when I have a vision of what I want to design. Drawing helps to find the right proportions on the one hand, and on the other hand to communicate it to the outside world. If you can't illustrate an idea, it quickly raises too many question marks.
Many of your designs are graphic and create a contrast between soft and straight lines, as you can see in the backrest and armrests of "Jeff", which stands in opposition with an organic volume. Why is contrast so important for you?
Patrick Norguet: Because life consists of contrasts, without contrasts it quickly becomes boring. Contrast is emotion. And it is also a sign of character. In design, I don't think it should be too strong – the opposite poles should be balanced like the spices in a good dish.
Pedrali is a company that focused on sustainability very early on. To what extent did you think about this aspect when designing "Jeff"?
Patrick Norguet: We already thought about sustainability when we designed it, because the sofa can be completely dismantled into its individual parts and recycled. A multiplex platform, foamed polyurethane, three-centimetre-high feet, a removable fabric cover. That's it.
What other furniture or accessories would you like to create for Pedrali?
Patrick Norguet: I do not know at the moment. I'm just enjoying the good balance between Pedrali and myself and I'm letting myself see what might come.
