We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Franck Divay about their original and creative Stool design work. Franck Divay is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original stool works.
Franck Divay ("FD") answered Design Interview ("DI") questions about their award-winning work Ydin Stool. Interview questions prepared by Frank Scott.
FD : The starting point for the Ydin stool creation was experimenting with the fiber-reinforced ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC). I wished to do something with this material, without really knowing what.
FD : The main goal of this exploratory approach, was to understand the technical features offered by this material, for the realization of an aesthetic and functional element. The reproducing possibility of a single piece by molding, geometrically precise and both highly resistant without any external reinforcements addition, were the two strengths highlighted. The desire also not to make a simple cast in one piece, explains the wood appearance, which is a material I particularly appreciate.
FD : As a designer and a woodworker craftsman, I have the chance to be able to make in the workshop, small series of my own designs. The Ydin stool is on sale on my own online shop and several copies have been sold worldwide. This award will serve as a reference point to further develop my business, which is still in its beginnings: canvass shops to sell my creations and solicit new companies to offer my designer's services. With this A 'Design Award, the Ydin stool became my business card.
FD : From the experimental phase until the end of the development of the stool, it has elapsed two years. I did not have full-time worked on this project. It was like a recreation among other works in progress. At this time, I did not have a shop at my disposition and therefore not yet established the inoow design's manufacturing activity.
FD : As I said just before, it was a personal project. A project in which I was seeing a lot of potential. I felt at one point, the need to create a piece that shows my skills in terms of design, development and manufacturing. That is why I see the Ydin stool Ydin as a three-dimensional business card.
FD : For now, the stool is manufactured and distributed by myself and is part of the items collection for sale on the inoow design shop. Despite everything, I remain open to each opportunity about it.
FD : I think my joinery initial training and this capacity to be able to manufacture furniture, naturally brings me to create objets in this predilection field.
FD : This is a project that was directed entirely with independence in the inoow design studio. There is just had a concrete furniture manufacturer that has been approached, at a time, to make a mold for manufacturing the concrete seat. Finally, this one has also been designed and manufactured in the workshop.
FD : What differs the Ydin stool from the furniture traditionally delivered in kit form, is that it can be mounted without using any tools or adding any hardware. In addition, the stool assembly and disassembly does not weaken it, unlike this kind of furniture using all sorts of screws.
FD : The name Ydin given to the stool, is a Finnish word meaning the spinal, the core or refers to something essential. It perfectly illustrates the 4 feet meeting in the center of the seat.
