Timeless, material focused and serene
Pavlo Schtakleff
Who is he?
Pavlo Schtakleff is the co-founder and creative director of Sé, a European luxury furniture company which he started 12 years ago. His aim is to create unique pieces that have a timeless quality, where material research is as important as the design. Serious furniture, but with a great sense of joy and something that makes you want to immerse yourself in that environment.
Tell us some of your works, and name the one you are most proud of?
I don’t have a favorite piece, although there are certain pieces from each collection, such as Temptation Table, Arpa Chair, Loyalty Cabinet and the Moirai Chandelier, which have been technically extremely complex to produce. There’s a huge amount of satisfaction in being able to bring such pieces to life. I’m most proud that we never wavered from our founding principles and people see the qualities; timelessness, materiality and beauty in our pieces that we set out to create over a decade ago.
Are you currently involved with any projects?
We have just had an amazing launch with our new Chinese Partner House of Wang in their Beijing boutique and Design Shanghai, so helping to develop the Chinese market with them is very much at the heart of our 2021 activity. Otherwise we will be launching new lighting and two new sofa designs at the beginning of next year. Also Sé Collaborations, a project bringing together material specialists to create limited edition pieces, which was postponed this year, will also launch in 2021.
What’s your design style?
Timeless, material focused and serene.
Where are you most creative?
On the road, visiting manufacturers, designers and meeting the inspirational people serendipity sends your way when travelling.
What does your home mean to you?
Immersing myself in the world of my sons.
What do you collect?
I don’t collect objects but finding new materials and tracking down the talented people who can make the absolute most of them is something that I’ve always enjoyed. My office is filled with material experiments.
Where would you like to go most in Shanghai?
Everywhere, I have only visited Shanghai for a trade show, and I am desperate to go back and take in as much of the city as possible.
What will be the next big design trend?
Our homes have become a place to cocoon so balancing elegance with comfort is even more important. I think people want to feel more anchored to something more enduring and also connect with the natural world so tactile materials, particularly those which are a bit earthy such as wood, will come to the fore.
