1. Where were you born and where are you from ?

Charlotte: Born in Neuilly sur Seine (Paris, France), grew up in the capital until I finished university.

Javier: Born in Toledo (Spain), grew up in a small village, Consuegra.

2. What is your first memory connected to the art world ?

Charlotte: My mum used to make us skip school once per trimester to spend a day visiting museums, going to exhibitions and to the theatre. I remember this as a very fun day, making art something even more exciting.

3. Have you always worked in the art/design field ?

Charlotte: Not at all, I started to work in the design field when we launched Simone & Marcel. Before that, I did various jobs in manufacturing (house appliances) and the food industry. 

Javier: I started working for a lighting design and manufacturing company after  university, my first full-time job. So, we can say that I have always worked in the design field, but more on the engineering side at first.

4. What led you to the design creation ?

Charlotte: When we moved to our (previous) new house in London, it wasn’t furnished, so Javier suggested we make our own furniture. He always enjoyed doing things with his hands so we set ourselves this little challenge. We figured out we enjoyed working together and I loved furniture design. Since Javier was working in a lighting company as a design engineer, we naturally decided to start our business making lamps.

5. How would you describe your creative process and it influences ?

Our designs are influenced by anything in life, an object, a moment, a person, a scenery. Sometimes, the creative process is led by a shape, but it can also be led by a mix of materials or technology we want to use. 

6. Could you describe a typical day of your work ?

Charlotte: Since my work is mainly computer-related, I can work from home and adapt my schedule according to our daughter’s needs. I work by little sessions across all the day (even on weekends and at night during the week). 

7. Why did you choose the specific materials you work with ?

Because of its local presence (sourced mainly from Spain, Portugal) but most importantly because of the natural colour and texture of each material.

8. What are the technical particularities of your creations ?

The engineering behind the lamp, strong and simple so it lasts forever and is easy to do (but the thinking to achieve this result is difficult). Invest time thinking how to do the things to then save time making the things.

9. What advices could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works ?

Don’t be afraid to create a story around the design, people like to see behind the scene. They are very curious. I believe it is as important as the design itself.

10. If your works had to belong to a design movement, in which one would you define it ?

A mix between purity (minimalism) and 70s, but mostly minimalism.

11. What designers and artists have influenced you ?

None. We admire the work of many designers, but none really initiate anything in our creative process.

12. What contemporary designers do you appreciate ?

Not very contemporary, but Antoni Gaudi

13. What contemporary artists (in any kind of art) have you been inspired by ?

N/A

14. If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be ?

Balancing simplicity and exception

Proust Questionnaire with very short answers (one or a few words) :
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust. Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde, Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)