An Abundant Life - Designers Dream

Robert Arpin is one of those designers whose work not only surprises and delights, but it makes you think, it brings you into another world and it gives you something deeper to think about somewhere between a vision and a dream. I met Robert at a gallery show of a friend in Manhattan, and when I was introduced to him, I told him I'd be happy to visit his studio for a possible blog post. The first time I saw his work was a few weeks later, and I knew that I would like what I saw because I had liked Robert when I met him, but I had thought his work would be more along the lines of something that was similar to things I had seen before. Instead I found myself excited and amazed by his originality and the artistic eye behind each piece. His work is exquisite and it tells stories. There are worlds within worlds and images layered over images, concentric lines and planes and geometry, a mathematician's dream and pure beauty for any eye that beholds it.

Robert has been designing for twenty years, and he has won the acclaim of people within the design world and outside of it, being awarded and lauded and published and having been given the encouragement of some very well known people in the industry. And he is always creating and thinking, revising and refurbishing, coming up with new designs and better ways of creating the pieces, different types of materials and upholstery, and new stories to tell. These are pieces that work as three dimensional art, on their own individually, and in groups and installations that have a conversation and enliven a space with their stories.

A strong part of Robert's design aesthetic has to do with using sustainable materials that are easy to locally source and that could also be reclaimed, recycled or made out of inexpensive and durable wood such as plywood. He has been using Marimekko fabric in his renditions because he loves the juxtaposition of the fabric with his designs, and the designs of those fabrics compliment his work perfectly. But he is also open to using other fabrics and we have even discussed the possibility of his working with Artists whose work could be transferred onto fabric. Robert's creativity and vision are always moving in new directions, refining and adding to the experience of his work so that the viewer and the maker become a part of the story he is telling.

Robert's work is so extraordinary that it evokes archetypal myths and legends while being comfortable and functional as well as having the integrity of a museum piece. It is remarkable to find someone whose designs are so inspired while also being well thought out and planned. There are designers and pieces that fit into one or the other of the many categories but it is extremely rare to find someone who is able to cross through and encompass every aspect of great design. His work is functional, beautiful, sustainable, logical, inspiring and worthy of standing alone as an art piece or group installation. Visiting Robert's world is pure joy, and his pieces can transform a space and a home, and in the process begin to help us tell new stories.

The Extraordinary World
Of Robert Arpin
Photographs Courtesy Of Robert Arpin
http://parlourusa.com

A Selection Of Individual Pieces

That Tell Stories Within Collections

And Installations

Blessings,

Jannie Susan