Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 34
Occupation: Creative director.
Instagram: @xavier_lorand____
Hometown: Veracruz.
Studio location: Mexico City.
Describe what you make: I design furniture, objects and experiences. I love to research new materials, manufacturing processes, and topics of my own interest like music, architecture, and art. These concepts are normally the guidelines of my work and help me generate ideas that can create a conversation based on perception and emotion, ideas that will materialize.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: The dearest so far is Salt & Wind for MASA Galeria now exhibit at the Rockefeller Center.
Describe the problem your work solves: For my collectible design I’m not too sure, but it gives me a peace of mind. As for my other projects, it’s a constant dance between the studio and solving the needs of our clients.
Describe the project you are working on now: I’m working on a few new pieces of my latest collection where I use an algorithm that translates the variables that we find in sounds so we can cherish the behavior of sound waves. It’s a journey throughout shape, redefining sound values until harmony and balance are found—values which we later carved on wood.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: An installation made out of wicker which is about four meters [13 feet] tall that’s going to be on a boutique shop at the Los Cabos Airport, hopefully launching in September.
What you absolutely must have in your studio: A good cup of coffee.
What you do when you’re not working: I love to keep active. I enjoy going on long walks, sometimes for hours until my feet start to hurt. I like to stumble upon new food places on these walks. In Mexico City it’s like a extreme sport—it’s always a gamble. Talking to strangers is also one of the things I enjoy the most. A good conversation can come from the person you least expect.
Sources of creative envy: Umberto Boccioni, Zaha Hadid, Tony Cragg, Antoni Gaudí.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Social media.
Concrete or marble? Marble. Nature knows best.
High-rise or townhouse? Townhouse. I’m scared of earthquakes.
Remember or forget? Remember always. It leads to learning and true healing.
Aliens or ghosts? Both, waiting for me at a bar with a cold pint of stout.
Dark or light? I enjoy sunny days but I’m also really active at night, so definitely a bit of both.
