THOMAS: Many design critics say you are the most important furniture designer in business today. LIAIGRE: Well, in any case, the most copied.
What do you think of that? I think it’s good, because it pushes me forward, speeds up my evolution of design.
What are your inspirations? Simple, handcrafted wooden furniture, like what the Shakers did, or monks. That’s always in the back of my head: furniture that has survived and that we can live with.
Why has your minimalist style taken hold? Because of the madness outside the house. The more simple our surroundings, the less encumbered we are to think. Today, life is perpetually aggressive. We need to find peace in our homes.
The most famous Liaigre design is a sharp-angled wooden stool shaped like an hourglass. How did you come up with it? I attended a dinner at [sculptor Alberto] Giacometti’s studio one evening, and they spoke of Brancusi. I said I didn’t know who he was, and Giacometti said, “Tomorrow you will visit the studio of Brancusi with his widow.” I did, and I was knocked out. So about 10 years ago, I designed a stool that’s inspired by Brancusi. It’s raw wood, cut from a trunk of a tree, like Brancusi used to do.
You are also known for your use of a dark African wood called wenge. I was among the first to use wenge. Now everyone does. But I used it because back then it cost nothing at all–it was used for railroad ties–and it has a beautiful color when it was varnished. Now it’s the most expensive wood you can use, because it’s nearly extinct. Now I use mostly European wood, because it’s cultivated. In Africa, it’s not.
In your view, what is design? It’s absolutely not “design.” It needs to be a place to live. That’s why I don’t like [French contemporary furniture designer Philippe] Starck. Because he does “design.” He doesn’t care if we are comfortable in the surrounding. His work is all about showing off; he puts his ego into his design. He doesn’t think about the needs of the client. And you always need to think of the client.
So where is design going now? I don’t know. To me, design is like painting: you always have the same personality. I don’t try to follow a fashion. I’ll just keep doing what I’m doing, and that’s that.
