Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 38
Occupation: Architect and designer. Founder of a multidisciplinary studio.
Instagram: @roula.salamoun
Hometown: Beirut.
Studio location: Beirut.
Describe what you make: Objects, buildings, and what can be experienced between the two scales: furniture, interiors, and site-specific art installations. I’m very much inspired by nature, landscape, and material experimentation.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: While with every new work comes original ideas and concepts, these are often connected to a general subject of interest or a previous project. I’ve come to realize my practice has evolved organically. That somewhat came retroactively while looking at different pieces and projects, and noting that they started to constitute a body of work.
The ideas I generate on a project will often lead me to explore new paths. When I design something new, an idea will come up on how to develop the next concept. Sometimes it’s a particular encounter that will move you through the next project. I’d like to think that these special encounters or moments in life are significant signs that we’re moving in the right direction…! No project is more important than the other as they all played a key role in shaping where my practice stands today and I’m absolutely grateful for the opportunities that have been presented to me.
Describe the problem your work solves: Coming from a background in architecture, I’m sort of a problem solver, especially when it comes to designing and making things. I love to get into the details of making: How can we construct an object, a furniture piece, or a building in the best possible way? I love to think of spaces, users, and the experience one gets when they are in a space or encounters a product or installation we designed. What are we creating through our practice? How do our products affect the spaces they sit in? What feelings do they contribute to creating?
Describe the project you’re working on now: Developing an apartment in Dubai and two apartments in Beirut, one of which is under construction. I’m also following up the construction of a food packaging facility we’ve designed for Crown Flour Mills in Beirut. In terms of product design, I’m currently expanding the Archipelago and Strata collections that were recently launched at Paris Design Week. I’m also working on a new project that fuses the concepts developed in my product lines with architecture and where I’m exploring blurring the boundaries between the two disciplines.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: My work will be showcased at Dubai Design Week (Nov. 8-13) with House of Today. New product launches are also in the pipeline!
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Coffee, snacks, and music on certain days. Most importantly, friends coming over for a chat or brainstorm session. The coffee bar in the kitchenette at the studio is where we hang out, and can also be used as an impromptu workspace when needed.
What you do when you’re not working: Nature is a source of relaxation and inspiration. I also enjoy spending time in the city—touring the latest exhibitions, walking, and stopping by for a coffee on the seafront. I love to be outdoors spending time with family and friends.
Sources of creative envy: Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Le Corbusier, Helmut Newton, Marina Abramović, Tadao Ando, Yayoi Kusama, and so many more!
The distraction you want to eliminate: Instagram. As much as it’s a powerful communication tool, it’s also a powerful distraction!
Concrete or marble? Concrete, and more recently marble as I’ve started exploring a new sustainable way of using it through the Strata tables collection.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse with a garden and high-rise with a terrace.
Remember or forget? Forget what needs to be forgotten, remember everything else.
Aliens or ghosts? Not sure about this one… Aliens.
Dark or light? Natural light, always!
