Peyman Kiani Falavarjani

LEGENDARY INTERVIEW

Design Legends ("DL") had the distinct honour to interview legendary designer Peyman Kiani Falavarjani ("PKF") for their original perspective and innovative approach to design as well as their creative lifestyle, we are very pleased to share our interview with our distinguished readers.

DL: Could you please tell us a bit about your design background and education?

PKF : I have been interested in buildings since I was a child, and I have loved buildings under construction and the materials used in them, so I chose the field of building design at the conservatory and then studied architecture at university, where I excelled in specialized courses. After that, I went to Malaysia and studied urban design, but due to my interest in architecture, I left urban design in the last semester and went to another university and completed my master's degree in architecture.

DL: What motivates you to design in general, why did you become a designer?

PKF : In our world, the first encounter with everything such as object, element, device, building, or anything else is to encounter its appearance, and nature has shown us how powerful it is in this. Also, if the object or building has a beautiful appearance and excellent proportions, it is likely to have good quality and performance. And finally, beauty is my first priority in choosing anything. All of this encouraged me to be an effective part of the body of the man-made design. And I hope I can do it as well as I can.

DL: Did you choose to become a designer, or you were forced to become one?

PKF : My father was an artisan and he insisted that I become an artisan, and take over the management of his factory. The day we went to enroll in the conservatory, on the way home to the conservatory, he did his best to change my mind. And I was just waiting to get to the conservatory and enroll.

DL: What do you design, what type of designs do you wish to design more of?

PKF : We work in the field of hosting spaces such as hotels, bars, restaurants, and cafes, and in this way, we design plans, interiors, exteriors, facades and landscapes, lighting, and sometimes objects. In my opinion, hotels are the most attractive design spaces.

DL: What should young designers do to become a design legend like you?

PKF : Just be aware of their surroundings. The best way to learn is to see, and the best inspiring elements are found in abundance in nature. And finally, have big dreams and walk in its path.

DL: What distinguishes between a good designer and a great designer?

PKF : The look and ideals of one person distinguish from others. A designer has to take the design to a place where he is not satisfied with seeing it. Sometimes the thriving market for ordinary work diverts people with very strong minds from their intended path.

DL: What makes a good design a really good design, how do you evaluate good design?

PKF : A good to excellent ratio depends on the details of a design. The more you study and think about work, the more accurate and detailed it becomes. The obsession that the designer spends in this field will have a great impact.

DL: What is the value of good design? Why should everyone invest in good design?

PKF : A good design, in addition to creating beauty, enhances human facilities and well-being. And it can have a profound effect on our souls, bodies and lives. A design that works well both aesthetically and functionally cannot be priced.

DL: What would you design and who would you design for if you had the time?

PKF : I am working on a complex for tourism, commercial, recreational and residential use, the concept of which was previously inspired by the effect of wind on the sands of the beach and built in the parametric style of its wind replica. I am planning this project for a sandy tourist beach, I do not know in which country it will be. Maybe the beaches of Spain or Qatar.

DL: What is the dream project you haven’t yet had time to realize?

PKF : The complex that I mentioned, wind effect, as well as a project called Bean Sprout, which is designed in a universal jumping style, following the bean sprouting movement.

DL: What is your secret recipe of success in design, what is your secret ingredient?

PKF : I am never easily satisfied. I do not present it without feeling like an exciting project. I think the distance between nice and excellent is very short and can be achieved with a little more patience.

DL: Who are some other design masters and legends you get inspired from?

PKF : Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Norman Foster

DL: What are your favorite designs by other designers, why do you like them?

PKF : Walt Disney Hall of Fame and Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center. Both have used curved lines to create intricate spaces. By being present in these spaces, human beings can have new experiences.

DL: What is your greatest design, which aspects of that design makes you think it is great?

PKF : Next project. It can be said that we, like all our projects, but with the effort we make, we use all our experience and studies to date to make the next project the best project.

DL: How could people improve themselves to be better designers, what did you do?

PKF : Travel is the best way to learn. Seeing new perspectives, new cultures, and the nature of different parts of the world, our perspectives on everything we thought before will be different.

DL: If you hadn’t become a designer, what would you have done?

PKF : I became a cinema director.

DL: How do you define design, what is design for you?

PKF : Drawing is the boundary between thought and identity, in which the audience becomes aware of both by encountering them in the first place.

DL: Who helped you to reach these heights, who was your biggest supporter?

PKF : My wife and my mother

DL: What helped you to become a great designer?

PKF : Effort and continuity.

DL: What were the obstacles you faced before becoming a design master?

PKF : Many did not understand what I was saying. Sometimes I would ask myself, 'Am I doing well?' Many of my professors did not understand my work. Today, as I review them and share them with other professors, I see that they have been great work.

DL: How do you think designers should present their work?

PKF : Ordinary people do not have the power of visualization like designers. Therefore, designers should present their work to the general public in the simplest way. In this way, many people will be attracted to the designer's thinking.

DL: What’s your next design project, what should we expect from you in future?

PKF : We are currently designing several hotels on a coral island, hoping to create beautiful spaces and great objects and lighting along the design path.

DL: What’s your ultimate goal as a designer?

PKF : I have always wanted people who are involved in our projects to have different experiences. And our works should be considered by future generations and preserved as heritage works. And finally, receive the Pritzker Prize.

DL: What people expect from an esteemed designer such as yourself?

PKF : I think designers always have fans who are waiting to see the creation of a new masterpiece from their favorite designer, so we must do our best to improve the quality of our work every day.

DL: How does design help create a better society?

PKF : A design is a combination of proportions, colors, geometric volumes, and form. When used well, it creates an effect that will have a direct positive effect on the conscious, subconscious, and the human spirit. So it can create a community with energetic, happy, positive, and healthy people.

DL: What are you currently working on that you are especially excited about?

PKF : We are designing a hall concert.

DL: Which design projects gave you the most satisfaction, why?

PKF : Roble Restaurant & Cafe Project. All the elements used in it are custom and handmade, and we also became very well known through this project.

DL: What would you like to see changed in design industry in the coming years?

PKF : Make more use of natural forms and assimilate buildings with the nature around them.

DL: Where do you think the design field is headed next?

PKF : I really have no idea. I just hope technology does not dominate the design.

DL: How long does it take you to finalize a design project?

PKF : It depends on the scale of the project and its style. If we consider a restaurant & cafe with an area of 500 square meters, about 40 days. But if we consider a complete hotel with an area of 40,000 square meters, between 6 and 15 months.

DL: When you have a new design project, where do you start?

PKF : From related studies. We listen to the demands of the employer, consider the use of the project, and focus on its climatic, cultural, sociological, psychological, and anthropological studies.

DL: What is your life motto as a designer?

PKF : Be idealistic in life.

DL: Do you think design sets the trends or trends set the designs?

PKF : In my opinion, trends are caused by a cross-sectional wave in time, which is derived from style or design thinking.

DL: What is the role of technology when you design?

PKF : It is very effective. The higher the manufacturing technology, the less limitation the designer has to offer a design.

DL: What kind of design software and equipment do you use in your work?

PKF : 3Dmax, corona, vray, rhino, grasshopper, AutoCAD, photoshop

DL: What is the role of the color, materials and ambient in design?

PKF : After formulating the space, the right color and material can create the feeling that the designer intends for the audience's experience. The less artificial elements are used, the longer the design will last.

DL: What do you wish people to ask about your design?

PKF : I always like people to be fascinated by my designs and to be asked how such thoughts work in a person's head.

DL: When you see a new great design or product what comes into your mind?

PKF : I admire her/his designer and try to find her/his website or page and see all her/his flaws.

DL: Who is your ideal design partner? Do you believe in co-design?

PKF : My wife, who of course is also an architect. Definitely, using different thoughts and skills in any work will lead to a brighter result. I always believe in teamwork and I have achieved great results in this field.

DL: Which people you interacted had the most influence on your design?

PKF : Sanja Puri

DL: Which books you read had the most effect on your design?

PKF : Combining elements and architecture of universal jumping

DL: How did you develop your skills as a master designer?

PKF : By seeing and searching. I always get the most impact from going deeper into the details in nature.

DL: Irrelative of time and space, who you would want to meet, talk and discuss with?

PKF : Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid.

DL: How do you feel about all the awards and recognition you had, is it hard to be famous?

PKF : I feel very good. Awards encourage me to keep going and try to do better every day. It is very enjoyable to be famous. I dreamed of becoming famous as a child.

DL: What is your favorite color, place, food, season, thing and brand?

PKF : I cannot choose the color. I really love all colors. I love Barbie. I would love to see America. I love spring. And love the car. And of all the cars, I like Rolls-Royce the most. I think Rolls-Royce is more of a school of thought and an idea than a car.

DL: Please tell us a little memoir, a funny thing you had experienced as a designer?

PKF : In one of the projects, we designed a series of frames with silk fabrics for the wall. Since it has the best variety in the design and color of women's scarves, we decided to use silk scarves. The day we told the employer that he had to come with us to buy a scarf, he was very surprised and thought that I wanted to buy a silk scarf for my wife. When he found out that it was in the wall of his own restaurant, he told us that he was very surprised. For almost 4 years now, silk scarves have been displayed at the entrance of the restaurant and no one knows what they are.

DL: What makes your day great as a designer, how do you motivate yourself?

PKF : By dreaming about my goals when I wake up before I get out of bed. And a lukewarm shower, light exercises, and meditation.

DL: When you were a little child, was it obvious that you would become a great designer?

PKF : Well, nothing is obvious in childhood, but since elementary school, I have been very interested in drawing geometric shapes and stationery, and I have enjoyed working with pencils and pencils. After receiving my first prize, my mother said that as a child, a family friend who had seen my drawings told my mother that this child had a good design talent.

DL: What do you think about future; what do you see will happen in thousand years from now?

PKF : I have no idea about the future too far away. But I think virtual reality technology is very advanced, and anyone anywhere can create the space they want, in fact, see it that way. For example, if you go to a hotel and you want the design of the hotel to be classic or modern, it will be exactly what you want.

DL: Please tell us anything you wish your fans to know about you, your design and anything else?

PKF : I would love to know that all the things we do are with love and the main condition for working with us is that they love design. We love our work and we enjoy it every day.