- Interior
Technology pushes all industries forwards, including furniture design. Paddy Pike welcomes this evolution with open arms and is even putting his shoulders to the wheel. His Arnardo collection came about with artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Polished steel is the primary material with which he realises design and interior architecture pieces that gain their strengths from hypermodern methodologies.
Before Paddy Pike started his eponymous studio, he acclimatised in the high-end furniture industry by gaining experience at several big names. He worked, among others, for Francis Sultana, Davidson London, and Tom Faulkner. Nevertheless, his academical journey took a different route than you might expect. Instead of choosing a more creatively tinged study such as interior design or architecture, he graduated in Mechanical Engineering from Edingburgh University. This background combined with the artistic nature of his current work is the ideal summary of his profile. At the base of his designs lies, next to his knowledge as an engineer, a continuous affinity with science. Therefore, it is not surprising that as a designer he concentrates on innovative technologies that support and enrich the design and production phases. At this moment, mainly artificial intelligence and virtual reality fill in these roles. With these tools, he modelled sensational creations that brilliantly come into their own in this collection. This is not his first moment of success, however. Multiple of his designs are represented by BOON ROOM, for example, and his work was already part of Maison & Object and PAD Paris. 
Design and interior architecture that gain their strengths from hypermodern methodologies
In order to make something meaningful, you need to understand and fathom it completely. Paddy Pike thinks the same. His passion for technology, materials, and processes, and how you can employ all three to fabricate impactful furniture and products, is irrevocably central. Concretely, his ambition is for his collections to be used, appreciated, and loved over several centuries. The presentation of Arnardo only promises good things to come. Even though he is an absolute supporter of pioneering tools, he usually starts his design phase with simple pen and paper. Once he has established a first sketch and idea, he moves on to virtual reality to give the drawing a 3D model. As soon as he is happy, artificial intelligence comes in to finalise specific finishes and textures of the design. Eventually, this virtual model is transformed into a tangible object: a crucial stage in which Pike works intensively together with his studio. When the production is complete, you are looking with your own eyes at a design that is an inspiring union of human vision and technological input. Without underestimating the value of original ideas, his portfolio fosters the reputation of artificial intelligence and the like in the design industry. 
Pike’s collection does not merely strive towards visibility for the most modern methodologies; he simultaneously articulates his admiration for Ron Arad. The industrial designer and architect is a pioneer in furniture design thanks to his approach and style. His use of futuristic shapes and the available technologies at the time raised some considerable dust. He amazed many with his complex designs, and by now he has evolved into one of the most prominent figures in modern architecture and design history. You can clearly see this in his portfolio since he has still worked on prestigious projects the last few years. The collection of Pike, therefore, is a way to bring historical design references together with modern processes that flaunt the newest possibilities. By gaining inspiration from one of his personal icons, the designer shows a similar gut to challenge the status quo. His brave method is similar but differs in the fact that he uses the newest techniques of today.
Want to read more about this impressive talent? You can read about it in the Summer 2024 edition of Imagicasa Magazine.
Images courtesy of Paddy Pike Studio
Text by Cara Jacobs