L’OBJET celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year, and to commemorate the special occasion, Founder and Creative Director Elad Yifrach designed a special collection: Sous le Ciel. Debuting at Maison & Objet earlier this year, it is now on sale on www.l-objet.com. We caught up with Yifrach to hear about his design approach and the inspiration behind Sous le Ciel.
WW: Your collection is inspired by the Year of the Horse. What does the horse symbol represent for L’OBJET?
Sous le Ciel
ELAD YIFRACH: The horse symbolizes personal drive, passion, and an appetite for freedom. It’s elegant, yet powerful presence is something we strive for at L’OBJET.
WW: You say your design sense is inspired by the Mediterranean, where you are from. What specifically draws you to that aesthetic?
Sous le Ciel
EY: The ancient and relaxed lifestyle. There is such a great balance of earth and sea. The Mediterranean region is full of history and so many cultures that I keep discovering new things and places every time. It’s like falling in love over and over again.
WW: What did you choose to emphasize for the 10th anniversary collection?
Sous le Ciel
EY: I chose the Chinese Han Dynasty (250 B.C) as my main inspiration for the 10th anniversary collection. It was the greatest dynasty in imperial China with the great artistic expression and innovation, which was life changing. Paper and glaze were invented during that time, as well as silk weaving. These techniques are still very much a part of our lives and I wanted to honor them in my own way.
For L’OBJET’s 10th anniversary, I wanted to go back to our philosophy of “old world technique meets modern sensibility” and find the origins of where these techniques came from. The Han Dynasty was vast in both size and economic power but above all, marked the greatest period of artistic expression and innovation. I was inspired by the pure shapes, intricate textures, and design elements that are so simple and modern, yet require absolute perfection. I wanted to push myself, a,nd the artisans I work with to another level of complexity and excellence to mark a new decade.
Sous le Ciel
WW: You used to be an interior designer. What made you shift to luxury tabletop products?
EY: I had a lot of ideas about product that I wanted to get for my various design projects and had a difficult time finding them in the market. My mentor at the time pushed me to try and design a few pieces and see what happens. I never studied product or industrial design – it was a new, unknown venture that started as an experiment. There was void in the market for objects that are both functional and beautiful with depth of texture and movement.
Elad Yifrach
WW: The Han dinnerware collection is beautiful. Who do you see eating off these gorgeous plates?
EY: Anyone, really. The way I designed the collection, it has an ancient Asian flair that is very modern and clean and lends itself to any type of food. The pure shapes are a great background to the main subject – the food.
