PSFK Interview: Designer Philippe Nigro

Debuting earlier this year, Confluences, a modular seating collection by designer Philippe Nigro has been drawing a lot of attention and awards. Confluences picked up a Red Dot: “Best of the Best” award and Young & Design award at Milan. The puzzle-like seating elements made by Ligne Roset can be reconfigured in many ways. Wondering if Philippe researched the project by trying to fit sofas in a standard NYC studio apartment, we did a quick Q+A during the ICFF.

What was you motivation to design modular seating rather than a one piece sofa?

I wanted to offer a variety of compositions and a large range of sofas and love seats.

What inspired the shapes and colors?

Inspiration came from the difference of the shape of the human being and how to present different comfort solutions within the same piece. The 27 color choices within the collection give a playful aspect to Confluences.

What type of person do you think would buy Confluences?

It could be either a retail or contract piece. The type of consumers who like modern sleek design and also more conventional consumers who want to be different with an unexpected touch.

Were there any challenges in realizing the design and getting all the pieces to work together?

The shapes of each individual piece are actually pretty common. Assembling them together gives the final piece its unique configuration and style.

From your perspective how has furniture design been affected by the economy over the past year?

It is during difficult times that the greatest ideas come to existence. It stimulates creativity in order to reduce costs and create sustainable products. These types of confines often help projects.

Has that changed or influenced how you are approaching design currently? Is affordability more important? Does quality matter more? Is sustainability the way forward for everyone?

In the case of Confluences, the project matches the spirit of Ligne Roset by giving more creativity and innovation to home furnishing. Depending of the project and the company I am working with, I adapt my project to the company’s production style and the market.

What do you see over the next year to be the driving trends in design?

Flexibility and adaptation of the product to its own environment and use.