Interview with CHRISTIAN WERNER (English translation in the text below)

English translation of the interview with Christian Werner:

From the very first sketches, and as the basics of what I wanted became clear, the term 'Social Picnic' surfaced. And that, I thought, summed it up very neatly: one approaches, from any direction, a place where one can meet with others. And then from this sprang the idea to call the sofa Prado, which is Spanish for meadow.

I am often asked where a designer drew their inspiration and, to be perfectly honest, I almost never know. There are so many small details and the inspirations are so multi-faceted. I think, as a designer, the most important thing is that one goes through life with an open spirit and a childish sense of curiosity. And what is very important is that they must retain their ability to call things into question. The 'supposedly obvious' is, I think, the greatest enemy of creativity.

I began to think about things like, how do I want to sit today, how do I live -- in a family, alone, as a couple, with children -- this is more in keeping with the times and more representative of our lives today, with lots of movement, when one lives less restrictively and doesn't define oneself so rigidly.

I wanted a light settee, with no fixed elements, offering a lounge position accessible from all four directions, that is, the sofa is really designed to stand alone in the room, and to be accessible from all sides. That naturally led to the idea of having the cushions freely arranged over its surface, and the question of how we would hold them in place; we solved that problem in conjunction with Ligne Roset.

My best-known range of storage for Ligne Roset is Everywhere, which has been available, I think, for ten or twelve years now and which we have continually developed during that time. Perhaps we speak a similar language. I am very satisfied with the whole collection, it represents my soul, my life.