Energetic and animated during the 2023 Milan Design Week, the Spanish designer discusses his approach to design and process – with a conversation that jumped around almost as much as he did, swinging in the Vuelta chair!
On function
Jaime Hayon: [Designing furniture] is one of the only things I do that requires a function. I really don’t care that much about function. It has to be good, I’m an artist and I work in the platform of design. But when I do my artwork, I don’t really think about function at all. I mean, I’m not going to make a weird thing that doesn’t make sense but it’s not my first thought.”
On playfulness
You need to have fun with design and think about culture; have fun with history, with life, amuse yourself. I love to work with colour, and really understand what colour can do, what history can do, how folklore can be transformed into something amazingly theatrical and beautifully done – everything that surrounds us can be inspiration.
If you approach it in the right way, then you make this profession into something super interesting. I mean fun like playing with everything that’s all around us.
I think this profession is very boring. I paint and do a lot of other things. I’m not designing that much, I’m actually stopping a lot of production to focus more on special projects, where I create a world or interior space. And also to focus on the artwork I do. So, I do a lot of fairs, gallery shows and fine art stuff. I divide my time between oil and canvases and stretching stuff and then doing sculptures, and public art.
Our studio is a mix of art and design. We’ve got a lot of very interesting collaborations in many different places. Now we’re starting to build a big public sculpture in Korea.
![](https://www.habitusliving.com/wp-content/uploads/Wittmann_Salone-del-Mobile-2023_02-1.jpg)
On ideas
I have ideas as I explore the world. I get inspired by a lot of things, it’s part of everyday life for me. The concept is always a feeling, not a physical thing.
I remember when I designed the Vuelta chair. I was in Singapore and I tried to move the chair I was sitting in to turn to someone and it made so much noise. When I looked around everyone was moving their chairs to where they wanted so I had the idea of making a comfy chair for conversations but adding a swivel. It’s perfect, it turns, and doesn’t make any noise.
On longevity
Furniture has to be done right because it will stay around for a long time. The industry has to manage it, you have to think about everything. It’s very technical work. It can be expressive, but it’s technical as well. That’s the challenge.
![](https://www.habitusliving.com/wp-content/uploads/Wittmann_VUELTA-Modular-by-Jaime-Hayon_5458.jpg)
The Vuelta range by Jaime Hayon for Wittmann is available in Australia through Domo.