It is the quotidian objects that surround us, the door handle, the kettle, the couch, the desk, that find our way into our daily rhythm, and help to cultivate our sense of home. It is easy to forget, but everything we touch, lay down on, rest a glass on, has been shaped with intention. Made for many, but melting into our own lives, sense of comfort, security, and self.

In simply unzipping a couch cushion we are reminded of silver linings, in every sense of the term. The duality of design, to create something that delights us that we find beauty in, but serves a purpose in its creation. Design and designers at their best, help bring this message of hope to us, that there is beauty and purpose in everything and everyone.

Celebrating this spark FLAUNT had the opportunity to speak with three luminaries of the design world—Spanish Architect, Industrial Designer, and Cassina Art Director, Patricia Urquiola; French Industrial Designer and Architect, Philippe Starck; and Italian Designer and Architect, Gaetano Pesce—to discuss moonlight inspiration, harmony, and growth in their storied careers.

Patricia Urquiola

What is one of your favorite memories from the late 1990s? (the era of Flaunt's conception)

I am not deeply tethered to specific time periods; I find myself consistently focused on the future and inherently curious about unfolding events. Perhaps, from the late 90s I remember the expectation of 2000s I felt when it truly seemed like a crucial shift was on the horizon. I graduated from Politecnico di Milano in 1989, so in the late 90s I was just starting my career. My first job was at De Padova, in the showroom and shortly after in the technical office with Vico Magistretti. My favorite memories are tied to Maddalena and him – we were a small group of designers, very close and essential.

What do you love about magazines?

When I was young, magazines were a gateway to worlds I couldn't physically explore at the time. They were a source of inspiration, research and a connection to a broader world.  During this pandemic, I had a chance to slow down and reassess, and consequently read more magazines…Engaging with a magazine is for me a unique analog experience, to immerse in words and images without digital interruptions. It's a reflective and tactile journey, much like enjoying a piece of furniture.

How do you relate to the phrase 'every cloud has a silver lining'?

I think the things that move your career are the bad moments, a holdup, a delay, the moment when you don’t get what you want, when there is a problem in a project. Those are the things that make you grow the most. As the Art Director of Cassina, I have a complex job that involves many areas, from production to research, communication, and so on. Every time I describe my collaboration with Cassina, I’m proud to say that I’ve worked with people who never say “no” and always strive to, indeed, find the silver lining in order to improve and make things better.

Philippe Starck

What is one of your favorite memories from the late 1990s? (the era of Flaunt's conception)

I was born with a kind of Alzheimer’s and I have no memories. I always have a little regret about someone who looks to the past. I am convinced that we should never look back, except to verify something that has already been acquired, and on which we could continue to build because for me, Human must participate in our permanent change and evolution.

What do you love about magazines?

I am a daydreamer, I live on top of the mountains of Sintra in Portugal, in the middle of the mud, in the middle of the forest, in the middle of the sand. I never go to cocktails, never go to restaurants, or to watch movies. My only inspiration is literature. It is my only hobby when I am not working, because I consider it the best way to enrich the human spirit.

How do you relate to the phrase 'every cloud has a silver lining'?

‍Rather than happiness, I deeply believe in harmony. Harmony is something very broad, but at the same time very precise. It can be a ray of sunshine, a certain temperature, a beautiful sound, an inner mood, which gives the perception of harmony. And I think the deep perception of harmony is what people call happiness. I do find harmony once work is finished and that I go to bed [in] my bed Volage EX-S Night. I say to my wife, “Let’s go to work” [before I go to sleep] because I enter the world of dreams with a form of apprehension. I am going to places I have never seen in my life. I see concepts I have never seen before. I breathe air that doesn’t exist. I see inventions that don’t exist. I come out of my nights exhausted and finally, I seriously wonder if my real life is day or night.

Gaetano Pesce

Where have you been finding inspiration lately?

‍[I find inspiration] everywhere. Inspiration last night was at 3:50. I woke up. I had an idea. I ran to my table to write it down because I was scared to lose it. So, this was last night. Sometimes it comes in the airplane because I’m there thinking about myself etc and so I have ideas in the airplane. Sometimes on the street looking at people. Sometimes where I work. A week ago I had an idea for a very innovative object, which is a lamp, but with a kind of form that is totally incomprehensible. And I like that, because the first step of the future, usually, is to be unrecognizable.

‍How do you think about form and function as it relates to your work?

It is very important. I will tell you with a reference to history. Art was always practical. I always use the portrait as an example. If a portrait did not resemble the person it was not functional. Usually, a painter represents a person, using his or her capacity to reproduce the subject as if it were a photograph. This is the practical side of art. If the painter was an artist, then it was also art. This is what I am trying to say with design today. First thing, I am concerned with making something that can be used. If it is a chair it must be comfortable to sit in. If it is a lamp it must light the space well. After that, with the lamp I try to say that the light is opening to the future. Or the chair is an expression of a kind of affection, or a political meaning.

There is quite a bit of discourse nowadays about presence. How do you balance staying present with thinking about or creating for the future?

A very important activity for the human being, the best that we can do, is thinking. As soon as we become silent and think, we have ideas. And the ideas sometimes transform the present, they bring the future into the present. That has happened to me at certain times, yes. I’m very happy when I can see the future becoming present and useful. Not only an idea in the stratosphere but something in reality. And that is the best we can do. (Think of the future as a friend because that is the way to be open-minded. If you don’t like the future you are an old man even if you are young. So pay attention to this kind of thing.)