Patrick Jouin x Pedrali: ‘I like to work with companies that actually produce’

What’s the present you’re supposed to give someone on their tenth wedding anniversary? I think it’s meant to be something made of tin or aluminium. Hmm. Not so sexy. Bring on the diamonds. 

But aluminium might be somewhat apposite in the case of the Paris-based, Compasso d’Oro-winning designer Patrick Jouin, whose authenticity of approach and modesty of personality has resulted in a decade of distinctive furniture designs for premium Italian manufacturer Pedrali. His ‘Ester’ armchair you’ve probably sat on at least once, if you’re into fine dining. Originally designed for star chef Alain Ducasse’s restaurant at The Dorchester in London, it's been specified for a slew of restaurants, hotels and boutiques internationally. 

I spoke to Patrick Jouin down the line recently, curious about what such a long-term collaboration with a producer looks and feels like. ‘I have a tendency in my quest to do something new to make it too complex. [Pedrali] helped me to try to come with a proposal that focuses on the idea, without too much around it.’ 

In design, when you are young, just leaving school, you hope that you’ll one day work for any company, designing the simplest of things. This would make you the happiest designer on Earth. You see the success of Charles Eames, Achille Castiglioni and Philippe Starck, and you hope you get the chance, too. 

So, you search, trying to find the right companies. It’s not a love relationship, it’s not a marriage, but you do need to find the right people. Sometimes you think you want to work for a company; then you meet them and realise that you definitely don’t! Life is like this. It’s the spirit of the company and of the people that counts.

I like to work with companies that actually produce. When you open the door behind their office, you have machines, you have knowledge, you have craftsmanship, you have the know-how, you have the wish to use all these techniques and possibilities. It gives me a big smile. I need someone in front of me who isn’t talking about aesthetics, but, instead, how to transform a dream, a drawing into a reality. 

This kind of dialogue, this kind of vibration, will end up giving a much better product. And it will give me more ideas. And this is what it’s like with Pedrali. There are not so many players in our industry who have such a beautifully organised industry, and with a very strong ambition. I also think the secret of Italian design is that it’s often still family-owned. Both Monica and Giuseppe Pedrali are very positive. It’s something I need. Personally, psychologically, I don’t like aggression. My brain stops immediately when someone is harsh with me. It leaves me speechless and I just want to leave. When I have positivity, it doesn’t mean my project will work out, but I can come back with a new one. I am insecure. I’ve always been insecure. When people are nice to me, I’m a better designer. 

A lot. I’ve learned how to simplify. I have a tendency in my quest to do something new to make it too complex. They helped me to try to come with a proposal that focuses on the idea, without too much around it. 

With ‘Ester’ (Jouin’s armchair, originally designed for star chef Alain Ducasse’s restaurant at The Dorchester Hotel, London), the problem was about the fabric, which is like precise tailoring. Every time we changed the material, it was a new challenge. It has a real impact on the shape. I learned that when you design a chair that has ‘hard’ lines, it’s like designing a shirt. 

But later I learned a lot about wood and the industrial process of transforming wood into a chair. Pedrali are masters in the materials they use. They’re clever with what they use and where. When we worked together on the ‘Héra’ chair, we were really conscious of the quantity of materials we were using. We wanted to use less and avoid waste. This was a four-year project in the end. 

It’s not easy. I mean, a relationship like this is linked to commercial success. If a product doesn’t sell, there’s a point at which you can’t continue. And this is normal. You give your best as a designer, but sometimes the planets aren’t aligned. With Pedrali, we were fortunate enough to have commercial successes. 

But it’s about the time you spend with your client, the open dialogue. It’s the small conversations sometimes that you have, in a restaurant, drinking a coffee together, looking at something together. It’s an organic process. Sometimes it’s based on a wish I have to design something in particular, like the ‘Elliot’ table, but the ‘Social’ sofa and the ‘Reva’ collection – these were ideas that initially came from Pedrali. They truly understand the tendencies out there. 

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