Material Tendencies: Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance

What makes a space comfortable for you?
There are different elements that play a role here. An empty space can be as comfortable as a warm, cozy ski hut. I love when things are coherent. The base of my work is about connecting things and creating an interaction between objects and the space that surrounds them. So when designing an object, I am always thinking about its environment, and vice versa.

If you had to work with one material for the next three years, which would you choose?
Right now I am working on a big project with stone and I am totally fascinated by the material. But if I had to choose one, it would be wood because of its sensation and the smell whilst working with it.

I started as a sculptor, mainly to widen my skills and knowledge of materials and construction processes. I think it is very important to know how things are made before creating anything. At that time, I was sculpting with metal, which is not the most warm material, so my projects were very sharp. When I started to work with wood, especially when designing furniture, I used more soft curves and angles.

Would you qualify timeless design as good design?
It is difficult to say if an object still works in a few years -- whether that means it’s still functioning or even popular. I think today many people use materials to bypass or mimic the poetry of creativity. But combining beautiful marble with beautiful copper does not instantly make a beautiful object. This is not design. Design is a balance between context, shape, function, material and its impact. For me the aim is to create something useful.