admin1037Interview for DI: (design interview) – by Franck Scott on May 15, 2023.
We had the distinct pleasure to interview award winning designer Olivier Felix Isselin about their original and creative Overflow Spa design work. Olivier Felix Isselin is an award-winning industrial designer, that makes our world a better place with their original overflow spa works.
DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
OFI : The goal was to create an overflow spa with an immediately recognizable design that plays with gravity, like a sculpture. Its elegant silhouette, curved edges, and capsule-like shapes give it a light and joyful appearance: a deliberate space age look that recalls a time of freedom and carelessness. To achieve this appearance, the spa had to be entirely made of marine stainless steel. This material has aesthetic, hygienic, and ecological qualities as it is 100% recyclable with a neutral impact on the environment and unparalleled durability.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
OFI : I was interested in the spa because I don’t like what’s out there. Most of the products in this segment compete on the basis of ugliness: it’s a true tuning contest. However, wellness is also about beauty!
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
OFI : Now we need to find a bright future for this spa and find the right distributors and prescribers around the world.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
OFI : Between my first sketch and the finalization of the product, about a year had passed.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
OFI : Space Oddity is a personal project that I wish to develop.
DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
OFI : The realization of this spa is entirely carried out in the workshops of CDE, the French leader in the construction of storage tanks. I do not wish for any other manufacturer for my spas. It is sold under my own brand of stainless steel pools and spas: Linoxydable. However, I am looking for distributors internationally.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
OFI : I assume and claim a space age style for this project… so, of course, creators such as Verner Panton, Eero Saarinen, the Castiglioni brothers, Eero Aarnio, etc. have influenced me.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
OFI : Space Oddity positions itself in the luxury market.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
OFI : Its aesthetics.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
OFI : The first step is to jot down an idea on paper… Sketches and various notes… then I work with a 3D design software.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
OFI : It seems to defy gravity.
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
OFI : I am working with an industrial partner, CDE, the French leader in the construction of storage tanks, for this project. For equipment: my partner OZONEX for ozone water treatment and spa regulation, and the company REGUL for level management.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
OFI : The visible formal aspect didn’t pose too much of a problem for me. I immediately knew where I wanted to go. However, the highly minimalistic rendering of this spa ultimately required a particularly complex technical design.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
OFI : Every creator wants success for their creations, but I am not very good at marketing them. Moreover, I lack the means to go further and meet the right distributors and prescribers. Winning an A’Design award will surely allow this spa to take off in the international market. It will find its place in beautiful locations.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
OFI : The design process for the Space Oddity spa was exactly the same as for all my other creations. I just tried to improve the realistic 3D presentation of the project.
