How Frank Chou Designed Louis Vuitton's Futuristic New Furniture
In the world of design, an elite Justice League is turning 10. Its members are contributors to Objets Nomades, Louis Vuitton’s ongoing collection of travel-inspired objects and furniture, and this milestone year they are joined by one of the youngest recruits yet, Frank Chou, 35.
The debut of his sleek armchair and sofa for the leather goods leviathan at Milan Design Week trumpeted the arrival of a major new voice on the scene. Fittingly for a line rooted in travel, the Beijing-based designer did not conceive his pieces by looking at the furnishings of predecessors like India Mahdavi and Patricia Urquiola.
Instead he trained his eye on the fields of Yunnan, China, and the canyons of Arizona’s Antelope Valley, translating their organic layers into creases of leather and canvas in vibrant hues. The effect is arresting, a melding of the natural and the artificial. “When you look at this long curve,” he says of his sofa, “you get a feeling for the passing of time.” It’s true in this specific instance—the work’s length practically makes it a sundial—and in the grand scheme of things. Great design, Chou knows, shouldn’t aspire to be merely functional in the present but to last throughout the arc of history.
How do you prepare to be creative?
I don’t need to prepare. From the beginning of my life, I have received information from the world every second of the day. It really helps me be creative, but sometimes it’s really too much. I want to find an off switch.
How do you procrastinate?
I watch the news. It’s important, but I don’t know how to escape it. The truth is, I tell my assistant to call me. Nonstop. It’s the only way I can come back to work.
What is one element that is necessary to your process?
I need a space that really belongs to me, where I feel safe. When I’m taking a shower, that’s the perfect time.
Who’s your favorite collaborator?
Louis Vuitton and Objets Nomades are very special because they’re in the middle of two industries. Designers chase timelessness. Fashion is very fast. Our collaboration reflects this balance. The value of our design is that it looks toward the future.
What have you learned from failure?
To be humble is very important. Only this way can you really understand people, who they are and what they need.
It’s said that genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration. What’s the ratio for you?
I would like to give inspiration one more percentage point. Just one more. Without that you’re really working too hard. But the effort is worth it, because it leads you in the correct direction.
This story appears in the October 2022 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
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