RUTA from Andreu World
For those not familiar with PearsonLloyd, a quick look at the work section on their website reveals an impressive portfolio of work that’s sure to attract even the least artistically-concerned individual. From furniture and consumer products to aviation, hospitality and healthcare, their designs reflect a thinking framework and in-depth research that comes uniquely only to Tom Lloyd and Luke Pearson. Their reputation in the product design community has attracted some of the biggest names in various industries such as Walter Knoll, Teknion, Lufthansa and Intercontinental Hotels.
The office furniture industry offered the design duo their first design commission. In the 21 years since it’s opening, they’ve carved a reputation for designing some of the most notable products in the contract furniture industry – Homer for Walter Knoll, Cobi for Steelcase, PARCS for Bene, Zones for Teknion and more recently Ruta for Andreu World. According to PearsonLloyd, “The studio works in an anthropological manner, analyzing the way people act in shared-office environments and uses this research to develop intelligent products that reflect the shifts in contemporary working life.”
The studio has always focused on identifying the shifting patterns in behaviour and lifestyle in the current generation, and have sought to understand these trends. Their designs are reflective of this, delivering aesthetic and functional values that fit well into the space and the purpose they’re designed for. The PARCS line is one example of this process, resulting in a furniture collection that inspired novel modes of working. Zones from Teknion, a multiple award-winning collection, is based on their idea of informal productivity – an alternative to the traditional office, providing users with the freedom to work in different settings. In line with contemporary trends, PearsonLloyd drew upon wood’s inherent warmth and a play of colour, pattern and texture as a counter to the cool, hard surfaces of technology.
Zones by Teknion
When Spanish manufacturer Andreu World announced they’d be using NeoCon 2018 to showcase their latest collection, Ruta – the latest furniture range designed by PearsonLloyd, we saw an opportunity to meet up with Luke and Tom and chat on what they do best. Fortunately, that chance arrived much earlier, when we bumped into them at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel. Here’s a bit from our conversation.
How have your designs changed over the years?
TL: Twenty years ago, a typical commission involved designing a specific piece of furniture and we were happy to do this. Today, whilst we still delight in designing individual objects, we are equally keen on understanding the context within which the object sits. This starts on a high or macro level of society, and the big changes we are experiencing today across all aspects of life. We are committed to understanding how design affects people’s experience of the world we live in. Today, these conversations are the foundations of our work and everything we do. How a project can create a positive impact on the strategic goals of the client is equally important. The context of a market, new technologies, cultural trends – all of these have an impact on this conversation.
LP: I think some of our ambitions today are pretty much the same as we dreamt back then. We were always interested in how different cultures and disciplines overlap in our work and consequently influence the place we try to inhabit. At the same time, the way we approach a brief and respond to the problem has changed in order to meet the demands of a world that is experiencing rapid and often unexpected change.