As a new entry for Francesc Rifé’s beautiful universe of gestures and forms, RI HOUSE celebrates his more than 25 years dedicated to industrial and interior design. We learn who he is by reading his lines, finding the balance between the poles of extreme sensitivity and the most rigid and inflexible aesthetic postures.
IT HAS BEEN MORE THAN HALF A LIFE DEDICATED TO DESIGN, HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOUR LINES HAVE EVOLVED?
I would say more in-depth rather than in shape because we have never followed trends. Through time and growth, we have gained the know-how and this has allowed us to design more polished products.
CAN DESIGN CHANGE THE WORLD?
I feel when a city or country improves in terms of design its inhabitants improve with it as well. And as a designer, you look for nothing more than to improve people’s lives.
YOUR WORK IS ALSO KNOWN FOR ITS SIMPLICITY
The problem with overly expressive designs is that they prevent us from seeing their actual function. I prefer to give uniqueness to the piece through details and materials.
WHAT IS YOUR GOAL WITH A PROJECT LIKE RI HOUSE?
We want to give greater affection and diffusion to the designs that make up the studio’s life. Having an online store—rihouse.shop—brings us closer to everyone. But I also believe in the marriage between the online and the physical world, in the sensory. That’s why we opened a new space in Barcelona. A place in which to experience the scale, the touch, the form and the meaning of our work.
