'The body doesn't change': Patrick Jouin gets comfortable

Patrick Jouin is in loquacious form. But he always is. Maybe it’s because the Paris-based, Compasso-d’Oro-winning designer, whose studio has been working across industrial-design, interior-architecture and exhibition projects for over a quarter of a century, has, at any one time, multiple irons in the fire. One high-profile project currently underway is Grand Paris Express, which has seen Jouin and his team deliver furniture, signage and passenger information systems for almost 70 new stations set to open in the Paris metropolitan area between now and 2030.

I caught up with Jouin shortly after this year’s Milan Design Week to discuss, among other things, his new Opale armchair for Pedrali – a companion piece to his best-selling Ester chair for the Italian manufacturer, launched over 10 years ago now and a firm favourite internationally for specification in high-end hospitality spaces.

What is Opale? Why did you design it?

Well, it’s 10 years since I designed the Ester for Pedrali – whose name comes from The Dorchester in London, as the armchair was originally created for Alain Ducasse’s Michelin-starred restaurant there. It was all about elegance, ergonomics and functionality, and you can now find Ester everywhere. It’s been a real success.

But Pedrali wanted me to explore the typology further and create something even more comfortable. An even higher quality, visibly incorporating wood into a sculptural design. It took me three years, in total. A real labour of love. We went through many, many iterations.

What were the challenges that you faced in the design process then?

Giuseppe Pedrali [CEO and Operations Director at Pedrali] loved my sketches, but every time we tried to transform the sketch into something bigger in 1:1 scale, we were touching on problems of fabrication. So, I had to rework, to really go into the DNA of this little sketch and try to transform it.

I love this process, but it’s not easy. You have to hone. It’s like painting; you have to let it dry and come back later to look at it again, and to do a touch-up. But the beauty of working with Pedrali is that they fully support the process. They see value in the dialogue. There’s no shame or embarrassment.

What one feature of Opale’s would you like to highlight?

I’m always thinking about the usage of products. And was struck by the fact that when a waiter pulls a chair out for you or helps you sit in to the table, there’s no proper place for them to put their hands. And sometimes it’s uncomfortable as they’re too close to the customer. So I integrated a handle into Opale’s backrest seamlessly, which makes the armchair much easier to manoeuvre.

My highlight would be the junction at the back of the chair, where the legs, armrests and backrest meet. Beautifully considered.

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Is it a case of leveraging the visual performance of a design to communicate an elevated experience of comfort to come, when the user actually sits down? A kind of visual contract or promise, if you will.

Well, it’s a bit like a pop song, where you’ve only got a minute, or even a few seconds, to convince the audience that it’s something special. With Opale, you look at it and you immediately understand.

Patrick, how has your perspective on chair design changed in the past 10 years?

We’re always experimenting. Doing our own research to see how we can do things better. I’ve moved away from plastic as much as possible, of course. And the next challenge is foam. But nothing is glued in Opale, so everything can be disassembled at end of life.

And from looking back to looking forward: do you think the chair as the recognisable design typology we know today, will change radically?

Well, in the 1960s, designers invented new ways of sitting, but this was more political than anything else. To be honest, I think radicality appears when there are big shifts in society. And, yes, we’re going through a big shift right now. But, at the same time, the shape of the body doesn’t change. There was an exhibition in Paris a few years ago on the Egyptian tomb and it included a chair that was thousands of years old but looked like it had been taken from a shop. It was amazing. Wood, painted black. It was like a Bauhaus chair. So what have we been doing?

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