Every designer aspires to create work of lasting value and quality. Rottet Studio‘s core principles are centered around achieving precisely that. Recently, DesignSpec Co-Founder Fiona Sanipelli had the pleasure of engaging in insightful conversation with Rottet’s Global Director Sandra Sharma, and Director of Marketing Kyle Rottet. They discussed the inspiration behind the studio’s design aesthetic, delved deeply into the process of creating their furniture collection, shared their vision for future projects, and expressed excitement to be featured in the upcoming DS Collection.
What was the impetus for starting the Rottet Collection, and how many years was it in development?
Sandra Sharma: Lauren and her team of architects and designers have been designing furniture for clients for almost three decades. Clients and customers often wanted to purchase additional furniture items from hotel projects she had designed, but they weren’t available. Lauren eventually decided to start a line to meet the demand for Rottet design pieces.
Your product line is a beautiful mixture of sophisticated and avant-garde design. What were the core aesthetic principles or concepts you adhered to when designing the collection?
Kyle Rottet: Our goal is to create elegant, sophisticated, and durable products that can be passed down from generation to generation. More often, in today’s world, people are throwing products away. They’ll use them until they reach a breaking point, and throw them into landfills. We’re proud to say that our products are made to last.
Sandra Sharma: Our designs incorporate the use of light, particularly through reflection and refraction, similar to the Light and Space Movement of the ’60s and ’70s. Back then, artists used unique materials to influence light and the perception of volume. Larry Bell, for example, stopped painting what he called “illustrations of volume” and instead focused on creating the volumes themselves. Rottet has taken this further by creating functional art pieces like the Dichroic Table and the Ovo Mirrors.
Our goal is to create elegant, sophisticated, and durable products that can be passed down from generation to generation.
– Kyle Rottet –
It’s refreshing to see the unique furniture that is presented in your collection. Some of the pieces there are pretty sculptural, like Terror of the Sea by Livio Saganic. Can you tell me a little more about that?
Sandra Sharma: Saganic was a contemporary of Louis Bourgeois (1911-2011), who was prolific at the time. He has a vast barn studio in New Jersey with an impressive collection of items. The studio houses three stone sculptures and several three-dimensional wall pieces. The space must be experienced in person, as the movement brings to life the philosophy of his design.
Is there another product from your collection that has special significance?
Sandra Sharma: The Float C Table has great customization options with the ability to choose from any Pantone color for the tabletop. We’ve recently established a partnership with a new glass manufacturer located just outside of Venice and Padua, making it possible for designers to get the exact color they envision for this piece.
Kyle Rotter: The Float Collection is all extremely significant. Each piece is designed to look like an art sculpture while also functioning as practical furniture. We did a very interesting experiment with placing the Wood Float Lounge Chair in Central Park. Most individuals who passed by would question whether they could sit in the chair, which was our intention. Eventually, people started standing on it, and there was even a young ballerina who danced on it. The entire concept behind the Float Collection was for it to be so architectural and artistic that people wouldn’t realize it was functional furniture.
The entire concept behind the Float Collection was for it to be so architectural and artistic that people wouldn’t realize it was functional furniture.
– Kyle Rotter –
Now that you have developed your product line, do you incorporate the pieces into your projects or primarily keep them in the marketplace?
Kyle Rottet: We always aim to incorporate the functionality of our products into the projects. For instance, our Powerful Tables are stylish pieces that can be placed anywhere. They provide the convenience of hidden power outlets without the clutter of power cords hanging everywhere. While we didn’t design them with a specific project in mind, they are suitable for commercial and hospitality applications. Additionally, they are great for home use, as everyone needs to charge their phone all the time.
Several years ago, we designed the Artis Chair for Artis Capital Management. The functionality of the swivel chair has proven to be so great that we have used it in numerous projects. To expand on its success, we created the Artis Ottoman to complement it and make it even more welcoming.
Sandra Sharma: Many designers using DesignSpec will find the Artis Chair fascinating because it occupies less floor space than a typical armchair without looking or feeling small.
Could you tell us a little bit about how your pieces are fabricated?
Sandra Sharma: Lauren has favorite makers all over the world. We have spent the last two years traveling quite a bit and finding new makers, especially in Europe. Some of our pieces are made in Vietnam, Mexico, and even Los Angeles. One of our embroiderers has a rich history, being founded during the court of Napoleon and later acquired by Chanel in 2015. We have been fortunate to find many exciting and exclusive manufacturers.
The detailing on your furniture is incredibly precise, almost machine-like. How do you achieve this type of perfection? Is there a review process that happens before orders are shipped out to ensure the highest quality?
Sandra Sharma: The initial design and prototyping process is arduous. We review prototypes with every manufacturer, which typically results in multiple iterations before they are finally approved to be manufactured for our clients.
DS Collection & Rottet
How can the DS Collection help you achieve your goal of getting more exposure for the Rottet Collection?
Sandra Sharma: We’re excited about the prospect of marketing the Rottet Collection to everybody who uses DesignSpec. With DS Collection, we aim to streamline the specification process for both our designers and other design professionals. It is important to us that specific pieces from the Rottet Collection are highlighted and that users have access to the latest versions of the products. We are thrilled at the prospect of designers outside of Rottet being able to easily specify the products they like from our collection.
Are there any upcoming products or collaborations you are particularly excited about?
Sandra Sharma: We are actively cultivating partnerships with artists like Suzanne Tick and Livio Saganic. We plan to develop more collaborations and provide designers with the opportunity to work on commissioned pieces by a thoughtfully curated group of international artists, serving the needs of both our trade clients and our projects. By investing time in locating and nurturing this group of artists, we are focusing on saving time for designers and enabling them to direct their efforts towards creative design rather than dealing with the challenges of sourcing and logistics.
Where do you think the future of product design is headed? What innovations or changes do you anticipate?
Sandra Sharma: There is a growing trend towards fewer temporary and disposable products. People are shifting towards investing in higher quality, non-mass-produced items. This change is not only beneficial for the environment but also for consumers who are tired of constantly replacing poor-quality items. In the long run, continuously replacing products is more expensive. There is a noticeable craving for unique items with a rich backstory in product design.
DesignSpec is proud to partner with Rottet Studio on our upcoming product catalog, DS Collection. The collection will feature products available for purchase as-is, with the option for some items to transform into something else. DS Collection empowers users to customize and blend elements to create their own unique designs.
