Gabriel Cacon and Scott Richler, designers
Image: Gabriel Scott
Canadians Gabriel Cacon and Scott Richler launched the Gabriel Scott lighting and furniture design brand in 2012. The family business became successful quite quickly, and already in 2014 the first showroom opened in New York — in the historic building of the Brewster carriage company & Co, whose clients were American millionaire families.
The unique restored building is located in the bohemian area of Soho in lower Manhattan - a famous quarter with European architecture, many art galleries and showrooms of world-famous designers.
Tandem Gabriel Scott presented its first collection at the international exhibition of modern furniture ICFF in New York in 2013. It was a line of Dean glass tables, as well as a unique Kelly chandelier made of brass and steel blades strung like a necklace with rows of sparkling chains. Minimalistic forms and similarities with jewelry inspired designers to further develop modern design and production methods.
In the upper right corner, a chandelier from the Welles Blown Glass Pendants series, satin brass, brass fittings, LED light sources
Image: Gabriel Scott
The aesthetics of the building and its history are two factors that influenced our decision when choosing the location for the first Gabriel Scott showroom.
PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA spoke with one of the designers of the tandem about the history of the brand, the range of collections, the creative process and the evolution of their brand.
PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA: In the building of your showroom in New York in the XNUMXth century. one of the most famous carriage manufacturing enterprises in America was located there. What role does history play in your work and creativity?
Gabriel Cacon: History is extremely important for the implementation of new concepts — both individually for each of us and for the entire team. The Brewster Carriage House produced luxury carriages for prominent American families — Vanderbilt, Frick, Astor and many others. We continue the tradition of manufacturing unique luxury items. The aesthetics of the building and its history are two factors that influenced our decision when choosing the location for the first Gabriel Scott showroom.
Chandeliers from the Harlow series in the form of pendants
Image: Gabriel Scott
PM: Tell us about the beginning of your joint work.
H.K.: Scott and I grew up together in Montreal. He is married to my sister and is not only my relative legally - we are actually one family. Both studied architecture and design at university, after which Scott worked in decorative design and I in industrial design. We started by creating custom-made furniture for a number of clients. Realized how comfortable it is for us to work together, and given the level of productivity, in 2012 we combined our experience and launched Gabriel Scott.
We strive to make every new product perfect
PM: How does the creative process work in your case? Do you act on intuition or rely on market indicators?
H.K.: We constantly monitor the development of the market, carefully study the wishes of clients. We have a systematic design line of furniture and lighting items, which is based on the same manufacturing method. We start the process when we know what our customers are looking for, and we develop our collections in this direction. The implementation of the plan usually goes very harmoniously - our entire wonderful studio team takes part in it. This work takes a lot of time: we raise the bar, maintain high quality standards based on scientific research. The designer has at his disposal form, structure, materials and dimensions. Combining all the components, we strive to ensure that each new product is perfect, corresponds to our understanding of aesthetics, design philosophy and takes into account the possibilities of local production.
Lamps from the Briolette series, smoked glass
Image: Gabriel Scott
PM: What are your goals?
H.K.: We are focused on the production of an exquisite product. This is an important feature of our brand identity - something long-term and not necessarily "trendy". Scott's experience in the field of decorative design complements our creative process. Decorations are wonderful "inspirers" of design. They are timeless. Our education in the field of architecture and design also helps in the work process and has a huge impact on the launch of a new project, inspires innovative creations.
For us, the factor of timelessness is more important
PM: How do you feel about the latest design trends?
H.K.: It is very important to understand trends in the development of trends. However, design is not fashionable clothing, where trends change every season. This is confirmed by our competitors - they create a completely new line instead of the previous collection, completely new things. The trend factor is interesting, but we try not to depend on it. For us, the factor of timelessness is more important. There are collections that are interesting now, but lose their relevance over time. When you spend $ 15-20 thousand for a lighting device, it is important that it does not go out of fashion and is interesting for a long time. In addition, we monitor the market and attend trade shows. We draw inspiration from fashion, art, photography and graphic design. We are in eternal search. Modern design and high-quality implementation of the idea - all this is carefully thought out by us and differs from mass production.
Oval dining table from the Dean series, brass, marble
Image: Gabriel Scott
PM: Where do you create your projects?
H.K.: Our studio and central office are located in Montreal. We have production and transportation departments, as well as the so-called laboratory. We have a total of 30 employees. Production in Montreal and a prestigious showroom in New York is so cool! After all, it is only a 45-minute flight between the cities, which is practical and convenient.
We should not forget where we came from and present to the world what we are-that's new
PM: Tell us about the evolution of your collections.
H.K.: Our brand is young, but we are constantly progressing. The team is growing, the arsenal of tools is expanding, and our showroom in New York has become popular and successful. The approach to the design of collections has also changed. The first line consisted of various models of tables and lamps, which we created to order for hotels. In subsequent collections, we have added large chandeliers that fit perfectly both in the interior of spacious guest rooms and in the setting of chic shops. We constantly strive to add something new and unusual - this is the evolution of the brand. I hope you will see even more innovations in the near future!
Coffee table from the Dean series, smoked glass, brass
Image: Gabriel Scott
PM: And who is your client? How would you describe him?
H.K.: We have very different clients. This is the young generation, which equips new houses and apartments, investing money in something special, and established people who need an "upgrade" of interiors. We also work with the commercial chains Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman (well-known department stores in the USA that sell luxury goods and accessories. — Editor's note). We cooperate with the Four Seasons Hotel in Kuwait. For them, we produce dining and coffee tables, as well as lighting devices. We worked with Cartier: you can see our chandeliers in their showroom in Paris and in the renovated boutique in Boston. For us, this is a huge achievement — working with clients we respect (Gabriel Scott also created a collection for a well-known establishment in Milan — Bar Basso. — Editor's Note). Negroni glass lighting fixtures decorate the interior of the establishment.
Geometric shapes of coffee tables from the Dean series
Image: Gabriel Scott
PM: What advice would you give to young people just starting out in the creative industry?
H.K.: The process of globalization affects not only the economy, industry and politics, but also trends in design. The world is getting smaller. Trends begin to copy each other, focusing less and less on the diversity of cultures. Exhibitions demonstrate the unification of design, many repeated. I hope that soon we will be able to observe such changes that will lead us back to our roots. We must not forget where we came from and present something new to the world. In the future, there will definitely be a need for reorganization and a new life of cultural heritage.
Author: Olga Elchenko
