FURNITURE DESIGNERS: OUR PURPOSE IS TO LEAVE THE WORLD BETTER THAN WE FOUND IT

Luke Pearson and Tom Lloyd, co-founders of the famous London-based design studio Pearson Lloyd, who visited Lithuania, came to the opening of the new office of Ergolain, a furniture and interior solutions company. This stay is not accidental, both companies are happy with the result of a successful partnership. World-renowned furniture designers, who have won numerous design awards and created several innovative products, presented a sustainable collection of soft, organically shaped sofas, poufs, screens and tables at the opening event of the office, and shared insights on the design of offices and objects, as well as the most prominent global trends.

Design studio “Pearson Lloyd” celebrates its 25th year of operation this year. Since the beginning of their creative activity, designers who have focused on sustainability have collaborated with manufacturers or brands to create products that solve today’s challenges and improve everyday life. “Our studio has always been interested in the production of durable products. We have always aimed to create efficiently, long-lasting, minimalist and only what is needed. It is important for us to make sure that customers can use things for as long as possible. Design is rapidly improving, culture and demand are changing,” T. Lloyd summarizes the philosophy of his agency.

Although disposable or short-use items are more often avoided today, consumption remains the main driver of the economy, so the creators of sustainable items often get questions about whether it pays off in terms of business. Mr. Peason agrees that this economic dilemma of making things that are short-lived but keep returning customers, or making things that are environmentally friendly and long-lasting, is an ongoing one, but he believes that those who choose sustainable solutions are more likely to win.

“From the customer’s perspective, by investing in sustainable solutions and potentially paying more at the same time, customers win because they’re likely to have to replace that item less often.” They are expensive, but they are cheap in the long run. I think we need to produce and sell less, but those things have to last longer and it is important to change the attitude towards the purchase of an item, agreeing to pay more, but enjoy the product longer,” the designer urges to look to the future.

Furniture designers: “To leave the world not the same, but a better one”

As the ideas of sustainability become more and more established in the world, many areas are looking for more environmentally friendly solutions, turning to the circular or sharing economy. These changes also affect the design. The founders of Pearson Lloyd agree that it is important to find ways to balance our needs with life on Earth.

It is true that when creating sustainable products, not only ecological solutions are important, but also aesthetics. As T. Lloyd notes, it is important for the customer that the products are attractive to the eye and comfortable. However, it is possible to balance this with maximum sustainability. “Pearson Lloyd” in cooperation with furniture manufacturers from Poland “Profim” has created a stylish modular furniture collection of soft organic forms “Revo”. These modern products are presented by the company implementing furniture projects “Ergolain” in its new office in Vilnius.

Furniture designers have created a unique soft-back system “REVO”

“We aimed to create a structure that is lightweight and sustainable, using recycled expanded polypropylene (REPP) instead of the wood products commonly used to make upholstery frames, almost halving the weight of the product. Also, replacing the base construction with recycled expanded polypropylene maximizes the potential reuse of base materials. The customer receives a high quality product. All components of this furniture can be separated into constituent materials and returned to the production cycle. Everything can be easily disassembled in less than 10 minutes, all you have to do is unscrew the legs with a screwdriver”, says T. Lloyd about the already admired piece. He is convinced that the ability to give things a new life is important and sorting should only be the last step.

The pieces of the collection can be reused for new products, so, as L. Peason notes, this furniture is an example of a circular economy. In addition, the furniture opens up many possibilities for different variations, the elements of the collection allow to create 96 different modular configurations, providing great flexibility and adaptability to different spaces.

Design in the carousel of change

Both design professionals agree that they, as creators, must adapt to the dynamic world order. According to T. Lloyd, we have been living in a time of uncertainty and fragility for some time, which inevitably affects design and, for example, the work environment. Modern offices are affected not only by ecological problems, but also by surviving a pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and Brexit.

As T. Lloyd explains, all this prompts the question of why we need offices and why should people return to them? “We hear discussions about hybrid telecommuting – some companies are fine with it, others want employees to be in the office all the time. But there is no single solution that makes us productive and works for everyone. The design must react quickly and adapt to changing conditions. Offices become collaborative spaces, and work that requires concentration can be done anywhere,” explains the designer.

In the photo: “Revo” soft-back system in “Ergolain office”, photo by N. Tukaj

Designer L. Pearson agrees that the return to the office depends very much on the nature of the work itself. For example, it was important for creative people to meet colleagues as soon as possible and to be able to exchange ideas. According to him, rapidly developing technologies have given a lot of flexibility, all information can often be accessed on your phone, so the office, which for a long time was the only place where all tasks could be done, has lost this function and today is more of a space that can gather like-minded people.

It is precisely because of this, as the designers emphasize, that it is important to create attractive collaboration spaces and separate areas where tasks requiring concentration can be performed when planning modern offices.

In the photo: “Revo” soft-back system in “Ergolain office”, photo by N. Tukaj