Here, we ask a designer to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 39 (Joe Vidich) and 36 (Kira de Paola)
Occupation: Designers
Hometown: New York, NY (Joe) and Oakland, CA (Kira)
Studio location: Brooklyn, NY
Describe what you make: We make contemporary furniture that engages both the user and the environment. The work is as much about the character embodied within the object as it is about the function it serves. Our current work utilizes metal as the primary material due to the dichotomies that are inherent within the medium: it is hard and soft, elastic and rigid. We enjoy exploring these contradictions.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: Our most evocative piece to date is the Tète-â-Tète from our Thin Series. It’s a conversation or partner chair that requires two people to sit simultaneously in order to remain balanced. The form of the chair is really playful and intimate, piquing the user’s curiosity with simple questions like: will this fall when I sit? We premiered the piece this year at WantedDesign, and it was fascinating to see the strong emotions it elicited.
Describe the problem your work solves: We want our work to raise new questions about form and function as they relate to the body and the environment.
Describe the project you are working on now: We’re currently wrapping up several months of refining our business goals, processes, and procedures.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: We’re developing a brand new collection, which we’re going to launch at the Architectural Digest Design Show in March (look for us in the MADE section). Right now, we’re intensely focused on innovating with some materials and techniques that we haven’t used before.
