In conversation with the pioneers who bring design stories alive
Welcome to Future Talks by RTF, where we engage in enlightening conversations with design visionaries.
Today, we are thrilled to have Paolo Lucidi, co-founder of LucidiPevere Design Studio, as our esteemed guest. In this candid interview, Paolo shares insights into the studio’s unique approach, the evolution of their journey, and their stance on design trends.
Join us as we explore the world of LucidiPevere Design Studio, where every creation tells a compelling story of materials, technologies, or archetypes.
RTF: Hi Paolo, We are glad to have you as a guest on Future Talks by RTF. Thanks for joining us. Tell us about LucidiPevere Design Studio. What sets it apart from others?
Paolo: We are a small studio set in north of Italy and we work expecially on furniture, outdoor, lighting and product design. As we are so small we consider ourselves as a workshop of design and we like to work on our products from the early sketch to the final communication in first person! For this reason we can menage only a few projects per year. We are not formalists and we always look to tell a story with them; a story of materials, technologies or archetypes. We both do everything, sketches, 3d models, rendering, presentations, etc. but we always share ideas before going on with development.
RTF: Tell us about your professional journey and how LucidiPevere Design came to the fore.
Paolo: We have recently changed our typical journey. Before the pandemic we both were always in studio starting from the breakfast, till evening (close to dinner). But during the “lockdown” we started to appreciate the possibility to work also closer to our families at home so we can say that at the moment there isn’t a typical journey, every day is different, we can be both in studio or not, we are free to decide how and when to follow creativity and inspiration. This is very important to refresh our minds.
We came to the fore with Aplomb, a pendant concrete lamp designed for Foscarini in 2010. It’s been a success from many points of views: the collection has grew during the last ten years adding new elements and it’s still a best seller, it won a lot of prizes, it’s been published by many magazine having a huge media coverage.
RTF: What is your opinion on trends in design? Do designers shape trends or do the trends shape the approach of designers?
Paolo: We hate trends and we try to get out of them as much as possible. We prefer to shape trends for sure! When possible (sometimes companies give us so many constraints) we like to follow unconventional directions in order to be the first doing something new. For example some years ago we worked on a tile collection called Cava for a Spanish company. We are not decorators so we couldn’t design patterns or something like that but we preferred to reverse this typical approach to surfaces starting from the grout instead of the tile.
Unlike most collections of tile industry, Cava finds its strength in graphic patterns of incisions, instead of surface decoration. The collection is composed of a wide range of sizes that can or cannot be recorded with the water jet technology. Combining recorded and flat surfaces endless compositions are born. It is not until the installation of the chosen color joint is completed, that the collection takes sense: real leaks and mixed engravings are confused resulting in the final decoration.
RTF: What has been the most rewarding project? What made it so?
Paolo: Fortunately we have many examples: Aplomb and Bahia in lighting, Darwin, Plana, LP in seatings, Paipaï, Brioni and Yak in uphostery etc. Sometimes something magic happens, maybe it was the right moment for that material, maybe the final price was perfect for the market, maybe there wasn’t anything else similar on the market… we think there are many reasons but originality should be always present in our projects.
RTF: What is your idea of finding one’s design voice in a world full of ideas?
Paolo: There is a lot of trash design in the world and some ideas are really “light”. The world needs good design. We consider ourselves perfectionists and we develope our design very close to production, doing many formal or technical tests. It is not easy to preserve a strong personal identity, probably we follow a kind of instinct driven by a rigorous method.
RTF: How do you look at the work beyond designing for young architects and designers, such as the likes of involvement in publishing, handling media and building an online presence?
Paolo: It is the contemporary way to communicate in many different field. Why not? the problem is when the goal is not the product but the post about it.
RTF: What approach would you advise young design professionals to have to excel in the field? And what are some things to be wary of?
Paolo: Tools are changing, everything is easier to do, AI is becoming a daily reality and things move faster and faster. But all these tools should follow our design thinking. It must not be driven by these tools, otherwise we would design empty objects. Our advise is to learn a lot, to be informed about new materials and technologies, to know design history in order to understand better what’s new and what’s not. It’s very important to have a solid background before sketching.
RTF: How do you keep yourself creatively bolstered to be progressive and true to your approach towards designs?
Paolo: This is difficult to say, because as you get older in this field as you become more and more conservative. One way is to constantly switch from one field to another, moving from the “known” to the “unknown” zone. This activity keeps our minds fresher and more open. In fact unknown sectors force us to learn but also to imagine new ways without preconceptions.
RTF: How do you gauge a new landscape in furniture design?
Paolo: Design is changing a lot since the last decade, melting in our opinion too much with art and fashion. We don’t feel so comfortable in this new word made of objects where functionality is loosing it’s importance and objectivity is leaving room to subjectivity. There is an approach of “fast design” made of objects easy to design and produce, trendy but short lasting. We both come from a technical approach, when design masters like Magistretti, Castiglioni, Zanuso, expressed their strong design thinking through their objects. Each one was a story and we would like to inspire the new generation of designers in that way. Our philosophy is “less but better”.
RTF: Where does one find you when you’re not working?
Luca: in my garden, with my bicycle among nature or visiting places I’ve never seen.
Paolo: Nowadays, I’m really busy. I have three boys and I’m involved in a sport club by accident, so I have little time for myself. When it happens I travel and spend time with friends.
Thank you so much for doing this interview with us. It has been a pleasure getting to know about you and your work. We’re sure that your insights will be highly valuable to our audience which includes architects and design students. We look forward to publishing this interview on our website soon.
