Atelier-oï

Name and surname? Aurel Aebi (1966), Patrick Reymond (1962) and Armand Louis (1966).
Nickname/stage name? atelier oï
Nationality? Swiss
Place of birth? La Neuveville
Place of living/company headquarters? La Neuveville
Age (of the company)? 31
Your studies? The three founders are architects, designers and boat constructors, all members of the Swiss Federation of Architects FAS, and directed the Swiss federal prize of design as President of the Federal Commission for Design between 2008 and 2016. Educated at the architecture school founded by Alberto Sartoris in Switzerland, the founders further received honorary doctorates from the institution.
A brief introduction of yourself as designers/crafters/artists: Derived from the Russian word “troïka” (a team of three), atelier oï was founded in 1991 in La Neuveville, Switzerland, by Aurel Aebi, Armand Louis, and Patrick Reymond. With a team spirit and an intimate relationship with materials, atelier oï
has been striving to break down the barriers between genres and foster transdisciplinary creativity for about 30 years.
Artistic specialization: architecture, design and scenography.

At what age did you start being designers/crafters/artists? Between 25 and 29.
How do you begin one of your works? The founders have a strong interest in nature
and natural materials, and their expertise in transforming them enables them to realize
projects that are both emotional and tailor-made.
Does anyone else help you create your works, or do you do everything by yourself? The atelier oï
is a transdisciplinary team composed of close to 40 people.
How do you choose the name of your works? atelier oï is often inspired
by nature and natural phenomena.
In your projects, what does your design dialogue with? I.E. painting, sculpture, graphic design, digital…? The variety of our work is large,
and we are working with several artisans and craftspeople of all types.
How would you place your works in a house/office/hotel? In a space of
Nothingness.
Do you have any of your works at home? Nothing.
If you had the chance to place one of your pieces in a public or private place/home/location, what would it be? In a Japanese tea house.

What is the most beautiful house you have ever seen? Uncle Tom’s cabin.
A work created by another designer that you would have liked to do? The design of the Jaguar E-Type.
A designer you wish could create one of your pieces? Shigeru Uchida.
If you weren’t a designer, what would you do? Jazzmen.
What designer (even from the past) would you like to know? Issey Miyake.
An anecdote with Rossana that you will never forget? The next one.
Your favourite city? Tokyo.
A trip that you would like to take? To Hell.
A trip you would never take? To Heaven.