Based in Valencia, the city that aspires to become the Spanish capital of design with its Feria Internacional del Mueble international furniture fair, and with a multidisciplinary philosophy of work they represent well what is happening at the moment to the new generations of designers forced to tackle an increasingly hybrid and mixed design. Like a group of orchestra players, the multi-talented members of the CuldeSac team compose the final melody of the design by combining their different competencies.

D. CuldeSac. What's behind this name?

R. The literal meaning of the expression "cul de sac" is "bottom of the sack", but it also indicates a "dead-end street". It is a French term borrowed by English and that we learnt in London. It attracted us because of its sound and ambiguous meaning, because, when you think you are in a situation with no way out, it is right there, at the dead end, that you find the most unimaginable solutions. When we were looking for premises for our studio, we found by pure coincidence a suitable one actually in a cul de sac and we immediately decided that this would be the name of our group. In the end we did not take that studio, but the name remains.

D. Who is part of the studio?

R. Thirteen people now make up the studio, but at the beginning there were just three of us: Alberto Martinez, Pilar Roger and Pepe Garcia. It was 2002 and the idea was to build a space for ideas, abandoning the traditional concept of a design studio. A permeable and open place, where people with different backgrounds and origins could contribute together on common projects, not necessarily just design, but also communication, architecture, graphics and so on.

D. What is your main characteristic?

R. Our hallmark is a working method made of lengthy discussions and lots of self-criticism. But there is another definition that fits like a glove: we are human experience and sensitivity applied to innovation, because what distinguishes us is the emotional involvement that we put into everything we do. For us, the human relations and reactions that a project generates, with the client, with the user and amongst ourselves, are fundamental. To understand our philosophy it is also necessary to understand the concept of the creative space that we wanted to create, not a mere workplace, but a place for dialogue where different ideas, opinions and abilities meet. We like to think we are consultants, in the sense of being strategy and solutions counsellors for the companies that turn to us. In the studio we handle industrial design, architecture, graphics, communication, web design, the production of catalogues and we offer an innovative service that we have named Experience, in other words we give the client the possibility of hands-on experience of the various phases of the project with the feeling of taking an active part in the creative process.

Another new aspect is the hospitality offered to those who have an idea to develop that we find interesting, so that the studio really is a place for the exchange of ideas.

D. Is there a goal you want to reach? A challenge?

R. We aspire to doing things better and better and to distinguishing with less effort what is truly fundamental. The challenge is to manage to express ourselves increasingly effectively using the minimum possible and continuing to work with companies that are not larger but more attentive to human relations.

D. When you design to you have any particular mania? What can you not do without?

R. We know that the secret of our success is the critical analysis of the project by all members of the group. The frenetic rhythms of work sometimes lead us to leave out this phase of work, but it remains our obsession. We could not do without it, because it is our strength.

D. What do you prefer working on?

R. What we design is not important. It is other factors that count: the client's attitude, the feeling that is sparked, the energy and the desire to work that the project transmits. The client is an important driver for us. What we like is surprising the client by breaking out of standards and stereotypes. At the moment we are looking for a boatbuilder with whom we can propose the development of a new concept of naval interior design.

D. What mark would you like to leave?

R. We always want to be a step ahead of the times, to provide and feel emotion. We would like to be remembered for our positive and human attitude, even if we are convinced that it is more likely that people will remember us for the designs they have had the chance to see personally.

D. You have just been in Torino to receive the prestigious Compasso D'Oro prize. Do you know the city? Have you been able to visit it? Did anything in particular strike you?

R. The truth is that ours was an express trip from Caselle airport to Venaria and then back home. So apart from the royal palace where the award ceremony was held and the airport, unfortunately we did not have the time to see anything in the city. That's a pity!

Link:
www.culdesac.es
The XXI Compasso D'Oro in Torino