Behind the DS-707

De Sede’s iconic modular seating collection

Canadian-born, London-based designer Philippe Malouin describes his creative process, which champions discovery and experimentation along the way—often resulting in deceptively simple objects: “I think we need to make some kind of discovery. I design at the end of the creative process rather than at the beginning. The process sometimes dictates shape, and then refinement happens after.” “My usual approach to designing something is to think of a characteristic that will render the item different than the others. But then it is about making sure that the product is as simple as possible (simple in production, assembly and aesthetics).”