We sat down with Commune Design and discussed our 10-year design collaboration, exploring our shared ethos, standout projects, and the creative process behind our forthcoming Muffin collection which is set to launch in September.
1. Hi, Roman and Steven! Can you believe that we are celebrating 10 years since our first collaboration? In terms of design, what common ground do you find with George Smith?
There is a Charles Eames quote; “The details are not the details. They make the design.” Both of our studios aim to produce serious work, solve problems for clients and make things of quality that stand the test of time. Our companies each have a love of history, commitment to detail and appreciation of the craftspeople who make things. It’s a common ground we both have in ethos and approach.
2. The Turkish sofa has proven to be one of our best-selling products to date. Why do you think that is?
The Turkish Collection represents a certain sense of ease that we’re always after — it’s cosy, and comfortable, it’s incredibly versatile in terms of its styling, it’s handsome dressed up in mohair or dressed down in linen…it’s absolutely timeless. People respond to its relaxed attitude and elegant proportions.
Park Slope Apartment Turkish Sofa
3. Looking back on our 10 years of collaboration, have there been any projects that were particularly memorable or significant?
Our Turkish collection definitely became a standout right from the start. It really captured the essence of blending Californian casual and the classic English attitude. We have used it in so many of our own projects, clients love it, and it takes on the individual spirit of each project.
4. We are very excited for the launch of the new pieces. Were there any design influences or references that inspired the creation of the Muffin collection?
The Muffin Collection was born from a desire to blend rounded Art Deco and streamlined shapes with a more current profile. We were inspired by Jean-Michel Frank and Jean Royere, as well as American furniture of the 1940s. The Muffin collection is meant to have a spirit of playful elegance, yet you can find its DNA somewhere between our Turkish and Channeled collections; it’s something that was always waiting to be explored.
5. What spaces do you envision the Muffin collection sitting in, and do you have any styling tips for our readers?
We think the Muffin collection is very versatile, and would look amazing juxtaposed in pure modernist architecture, as well as being completely suitable in more traditional spaces. It’s perfectly comfortable and at home in a California bungalow or in a London townhouse. It can live in harmony mixed with both contemporary furnishings as well as vintage antiques of all periods and styles. We’re so eager to see how people use it and, more importantly, how they live with it. We also think it’s going to look great in patterned fabrics.
6. How does the Muffin collection strike a balance between functionality and visual appeal?
Form and function are paramount, regardless of which one follows the other. The great thing about the Muffin collection is the contradictions if you can call them that: it’s visually voluminous but dimensionally speaking it’s very standard, the proportions are playful and exaggerated but they hug you just right.
7. In what ways does sustainability inform your design ethos, and how do you integrate it into your projects?
Locality is a big one for us. If we’re working on a project in Japan, we’re working with artists and artisans in Japan. If we’re working on a project here at home, we’re tapping into the incredible circle of collaborators, new and old, that we’ve built up over 20 years of doing this. We believe in introducing our clients to high quality, well-crafted furnishings that are timeless and will become part of their lives for the long haul, even becoming heirlooms. We don’t believe in “fast” anything…furniture, fashion etc…to us what’s trendy will most likely become landfill. We also source a lot of vintage, we work with naturally felled wood and so on. These things add up to our definition of sustainability.
8. What trends or innovations do you foresee shaping the future of interior design and how will you evolve to stay at the forefront of this?
For us, it’s about continuing to build our world and our vocabulary. Collections like Muffin is where we get to innovate and bring to life the pieces that are missing in our projects and that will become classics.
9. Lastly, could you tell us what interior projects we can expect from Commune in the near future?
We are working on several residential projects from a couple of beach houses in California to a chalet in Switzerland. We are also working on a refresh of the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, which we originally designed 15 years ago and which has become a bit of a classic around here. We are lucky to always have a large variety of projects in the studio, from an extensive re-imagining of a tennis club in Dallas, Texas, to a Japanese restaurant and record bar in Nashville, to a goat house and chicken coop for a client in Los Angeles. It’s never a dull moment around here!
