Q & A with Patrick Reymond

Partnership is imperative for Swiss designer Patrick Reymond, who runs the design studio Atelier Oï with longtime collaborators Aurel Aebi and Armand Louis. Working out of a repurposed motel—the cleverly dubbed “Moïtel”—in La Neuveville, Switzerland, that is part studio, exhibition space, and materials lab, the talented team has created pieces for brands from Ikea to Foscarini, and sets scenographic installations for expositions around the world.

Ideal working environment:The Moïtel. We designed the building to fit our work philosophy and methodology.Lucky break: The day I met my partners. We were the only three left at the end of an architectural competition, and we won. We complement and balance each other, and I probably wouldn’t be in this line of work if I weren’t part of this team.Dream commission: A collaboration with a creator of dreams, like Tim Burton or Steven Spielberg.Heroes: Family and friends. They put up with us even though the job often comes first, and it wouldn’t be possible without their support.Antiheroes: Arrogant upwardly mobile people.Irritating buzzword:The recession.Highest compliment: That what we do is useful and makes people happy.A book:The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas.A film:The Three Musketeers.An album: The music of the film The Three Musketeers. For all three what we find inspiring is the friendship in action: “All for one, and one for all.”“Eureka!” moment:They are always there on different levels when working in a team. An inspirational idea while working alone may not be worth much. When you work in a team, holes get blown in bad ideas very quickly, and this leads you to solutions that may not have been expected.Worst-ever idea:To wait for a lucky break.Best advice: To learn from others and, above all, unlearn what we think we already know.When not designing: Spending time with family and friends.Best seat in the house:Playing with the kids on the carpet in their bedroom.Wish I had: More time.Looking forward to:Learning new things from future projects and meetings.