Normand Couture

Couture Jardin

Cinde W Ingram -- Casual Living, 8/1/2012 2:00:00 AM

Couture JardinQ: When did you start designing?

A: At 14, my parents moved my bedroom downstairs. The trade-off was that I could design all the built-in furniture. I wish I had a picture of it because it was very cool for the time - black with orange accents!

Q: What training did you receive?

A: I graduated in interior design in Montreal and opened a modern furniture store. Later on I had seven stores and was traveling all over the world. I got exposed to so many trends so I started to design for my own.

Q: What inspires you to design?

A: Cars, fashion, handbags, architecture. It seems like I have an insatiable appetite to create things, transform spaces and surround myself with stimulating products leading to soft brain sparks...

Q: Who are the designers who have influenced you the most?

A: There are a lot of Italian masters that influenced me as a student, such as Bellini and Colombo. Nowadays, Philippe Starck still impresses me with his energy; Richard Frinier is great and consistent.

Q: What makes a great casual furniture design?

A: Quality of materials, attention to details but above all it must create some emotion and inspire happy moments. This is what casual furniture should stand for.

Q: What materials are most satisfying for you to create designs for?

A: At the moment I'm still very much in love with quality synthetic wicker. It blends so well with my curvaceous signature pieces and there is so much more to create with it. I'm anxious to start working also with composite materials ASAP.

Q: Of which designs or accomplishments are you most proud?

A: I'm very proud of having joined the outdoor world lately. Seeing it with a new pair of eyes, it gave me the opportunity to create the WOW collection, applying what I've learned indoors for so long.

Q: When the well runs dry, how do you recharge your creative spark?

A: Boating, traveling, farniente and, for sure, reading magazines on my iPad where I also do my preliminary sketches.

Q: What do you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?

A: I came to the outdoor world by accident and I wished it had come earlier, but I'm still a young man!