Shay Alkalay tells of the inspiration behind the iconic Concertina Chair he and his wife, Yael Mer, designed for Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades collection, and why making people smile is key to successful design
“What separates good design from great design?” Shay Alkalay muses, his eyebrows raised as he takes a thoughtful pause. “Good design is something that fulfils a function; it does the job. But great design needs that something extra, something emotional. It does the job, but it’s something you love and it makes you happy. It’s something you want to keep.”
If anything is a testament to this idea of a long-lasting love affair with design, it’s the Concertina Chair that Shay and his wife, Yael Mer (with whom he founded the award-winning studio Raw Edges), designed in 2015 for the first collection of Louis Vuitton’s Objets Nomades range of travel inspired furniture.
Taking inspiration from the mechanism of an accordion, the chair begins in a flat form before unfolding in a fan-like motion, blossoming into a stunningly simple piece of functional furniture. Continuing the theme, the husband-and-wife team went on to apply the same principle to a table and lighting fixtures for the collection.
Imagination meets innovation
“Yael is very interested in origami, the idea that flat shapes can fold into something bigger,” says Shay.
Four years later and the Concertina chair has become recognised as an iconic piece of modern furniture, having graced many a magazine cover and picked up countless awards.
“We are fascinated by things that change size, expand or shrink, so it was really inspiring to see Louis Vuitton’s early travel pieces, like the maison’s invention of the flat-topped trunks and the trunk that folds into a bed,” Shay says. “I know Louis Vuitton is a luxury brand, and as much as we admire the luxury side of what they do, we definitely relate on a deeper level to the brand’s innovative spirit. The foundation of the company is very much innovative before it is luxurious.”