At home with…
In just a few weeks, our way of perceiving normality has changed in the blink of an eye, transforming our homes into spontaneous offices, gyms and classrooms for the little ones. We have rediscovered the pleasure of cooking at home. We have brought forgotten hobbies back, rescued those pending books from the shelf and listened to Spotify in a loop.
With the permission of our friends and colleagues, we sneak into their houses. The designers from Yonoh, estudi{H}ac, Note, Luca Nichetto and Ionna Vautrin explain to us what are they doing these days and we meet they in their most intimate and personal facet.
Alex and Clara from Yonoh
Simplicity is the personal hallmark of the Valencian studio, just as they are in person. Their love for organic and natural forms is visible in their designs, in which noble materials predominate, so it is not surprising that once they can leave their homes Alex will go “to the mountains” and Clara wants “to smell the sea and put my feet in the sand”. Meanwhile, Alex enjoys his small garden where he plays sports and Clara takes the fresh air from the terrace of her new residence, to which, little by little, she is adding small personal touches so that it becomes a “a real home”. From their respective homes, they continue working on the ongoing projects that they working at before the quarantine and thinking how the near future will be like and how to improve it through their designs.
In both cases, the kitchen has become the centre of their respective homes, in which they cook recipes, such as Alex‘s Spanish sauce Ajoaceite or the “traditional recipes” that Clara elaborates for her familiy.
After reading the Trilogy of the “Ciudad Blanca” (“White City”), Clara devours “La Saga de los Longevos” (“The Saga of Longevity”) by the same Spanish author, Eva García Saenz de Urturi. When she needs a moment for herself, she takes refuge in her bedroom to read or listen to White Lies, Editors or Interpol.
Alex recommends “Original Sin” by P.D. James. He usually reads it in the armchair that can be found on his living room, his actual hub for calm and solitude, from where he also listens to a varied repertoire of jazz, rap or rock music. In general, he has found out that he feels very comfortable in his house and truly meet his needs. “I have a small garden that already used to enjoy before the lockdown, but we are having great times right now!”
Ionna Vautrin
The French designer is as cheerful as she is sensitive. Her designs, characterized by curved shapes and bright colours, are part of very poetic and happy imaginary world. She decided to spend these days of self-isolation at her small Parisian studio, which serves as a home, workshop and office, since she confesses that she“takes advantage of the incredible silence that Paris offers us at this time!”
She shares her time with her cat, but she doesn’t feel lonely because “I spend a lot of time on the phone, in video conferences or chatting with my neighbours”. And when she is not working on her professional projects, Ionna learns a little more about gardening to put it in practice once she can escape to her Normandy country home. Other books that she recommends to us are “Impossible Objects” by Jacques Carelman and the feminist manifesto “King Kong Theory” by Virginie Despentes.
In those moments she needs to disconnect and move little, she listen to Hamlet Minassian and his 80s Armenian pop, while for quiet moments she enjoys Agnes Obel.
Cooking is Ionna‘s youthful vocation. She loves cooking. A few years ago, she even took a course to learn some professional techniques. Despite the fact that her kitchen is small and is not well equipped, Ionna has incorporated Italian carbonara pasta into her cookbook because “in France we have completely degraded the original recipe!”
Jose Manuel Ferrero from estudi{H}ac
Jose Manuel has moved his atelier to his residence in Valencia city, which has become his operation hub from where he supervises his actual projects with the elegance, discretion and creativity that characterises the designer.
During the past weeks, his dining table has been filled with samples of materials and finishes, sketches of new projects… all mixed with a world of toys, stories, children’s books… “A creative house during all hours of the day!”, as he explains to us.
The family residence was recently renovated, creating an open plant home in which all common areas merge into one. This concept has allowed them to create a flexible and multidisciplinary space. Depending on the time of day it is a school, a workshop, a playground or even a restaurant where you can taste Jose Manuel‘s star recipe, oven baked seabass.
Human, The Killers, George Erza, MissCafeina, Cigarretes after sex … are some of the musical groups that plays at home, together “with the two playful kids sound environment”. To enjoy moments of solitude, he goes to the bedroom where he takes the opportunity to read “Switch to flight mode” (“Pásate al modo avión”) by Phil González or “Warhol on Basquiat”.
After visiting his hometown, Onteniente, Jose Manuel will fly to the Riviera Maya to supervise the hotel project he is working on and get lost there some days to enjoy nature in its purest form.
Kristoffer and Malin from Note Design Studio
The Swedish studio Note is a Stockholm-based studio of design working within the fields of architecture, interiors, products, graphic design and design strategy. Their work, recognized worldwide, attempt to identify what is unique about a project and then emphasize that uniqueness. Just like its members, with different personalities and ways of living the lockdown from their homes, with humour and optimism.
Kristoffer defines himself as introverted (and we can say that he has a great sense of humour), so these days of social distancing he is enjoying his favourite place, his home, where he works until late at night, as was usual before the confinement. His iPad accompanies him everywhere, its his work tool during the lockdown and spends most of his time in front of it “either on video calls or doodling ideas”. Malin is joyful and affable, so it’s not surprising that the arrival of spring in Stockholm has encouraged her to work from the balcony of her apartment with her sketchbook while enjoying the fresh air and the sun.
Both agree that the chairs they have at home are not suitable for work, so they would include an office chair as an improvement for their Home Office.
The designers find their disconnection space outdoors, Malin from the balcony of her apartment while Kristoffer takes small walks near his family house, because “we have an open floor plan in our apartment where all functions are blended. There is basically no where to hide” especially when you have small kids. Although he tries to blend into the environment to go unnoticed.
Kristoffer tells us that he is a terrible cook, so he enjoys looking over the chefs shoulder and “keeping him/her happy by making sure their glass is never empty”. Malin is extremely proud of her Dumplings and perhaps she could prepare the dinner. And at the end of the evening, the designer offers himself to wash the dishes.
Kristoffer‘s morning routine includes a coffee while listening to Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund. He recommends “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn because of its “lovely language and a beautiful tone”.
According to the moment of the days Malin’s song list varies. When she answered us was listening to Goldlink, FKA Twigs and Vendredi Sur Mer. She is reading psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s “Thinking, Fast and Slow” an “interesting book about human behaviour and psychology”.
As soon as they can, they will come to visit us in Yecla, Spain, to see the prototypes of our latest collaboration that we will present shortly.
Luca Nichetto lives life as passionately as he enjoys his job. His personal vision of design is influenced by Scandinavian and Italian cultures, just as his heart is divided between Sweden and Italy. These days he is living them half and a half between his house and his studio, where he has been spending his working hours by himself, as Nichetto’s team works remotely.
Despite living in Sweden, where social distancing is a cultural norm, there have still been restrictions that have affected his life. “Being Italian, I decided to self-isolate myself and my family and for my team to work remotely”.
“I used to travel a lot like a yo-yo before, so it is a new experience for me to stay in one place for two months straight”. Undoubtedly, as soon as he could, he would fly to Italy.
He is enjoying this time with his wife and kids. After watching Pipi Longstocking in the mornings, he practices a new “sport” that consists in throwing pineapples into a pond as well as baking cookies while the Goran Bregović version of “Bella Ciao” plays in a loop, the soundtrack that her daughter Liv has chosen for these days.
He is reading “Sweetness of Life” by Françoise Héritier, a very appropriate reading for the moments we are it is about slowing down and rediscovering what is around us. In addition, the Studio has even designed a new cookie cutter shape that we will be releasing for everyone to be able to download and 3D print soon.
