Armando Mora Medina

Specialized in Furniture Design.

Armando Mora Medina

About Armando Mora Medina

Armando Mora Medina is a Designer pursuing an MFA in Furniture Design at the Savannah College of Art and Design. He believes that furniture must have a fascinating conversation and interaction with its users. Born in Mexico, he earned a BFA in Architecture at the ITESM Campus Guadalajara and did an Erasmus program at the ETSAB in Barcelona. Following his studies, he co-founded a local architecture firm in his native city where he learned how to lead and manage responsibilities. Years later, he received a furniture design certificate at FIDI in Florence, which made him understand he had a big passion as a designer expanding his capabilities beyond architecture. Thus, he continued his path by leaving the firm he co-founded and started working for the renowned company AHA Universo in the areas of architecture, product, and furniture design. Due to the learning and professional path he's been through, he has explored the interaction between architecture, furniture, and humans and developed a playfully innovative design approach combined with exceptional craftsmanship skills.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Furniture Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs
  • Furniture
Walky Chair

Walky Chair

Furniture Design

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Interview with Armando Mora Medina

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
I did not always know I wanted to be a designer. I have to thank my sister for that. I began my design journey by studying architecture in Mexico, and then, together with my architect wife, we both decided to continue digging in more design realms and come to the United States to make that happen. Our design is all about expressing the joy and fun we have creating home objects with a touch of elegance, personality, and movement necessary for a well-balanced interior living.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
My design studio, Design VA, which I founded with my wife Viviane Hernandez Padilla, is mainly a home furniture atelier. Our purpose is to bring smiles and joyful moments and memories to people’s homes through statement pieces and art, each one telling a unique story that hopefully will make a difference in every one of their users.
What is "design" for you?
Design for me is an everyday activity that humans do. We do it when we wake up and chose what to wear, where to go, how to develop our week, work, and life. We design everything like our dishes and our way of presenting ourselves to the world. Design is a one of the most beautiful paths for human expression. We cannot avoid design, it is a human instinct and I love it for that reason.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
I truly enjoy design in most of its branches. I enjoy mostly furniture and fashion because of the close relationship these objects have to people and how they influence our lives. I especially love chairs and jackets.
What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
Walky chair is a chair I enjoyed designing and prototyping. I enjoy it the most from all of my designs because of the different reactions it causes on people when they see it or sit on it. Walky is a challenging chair that instantly evokes memories and a very personal dialog with its environment and people.
What was the first thing you designed for a company?
An industrial warehouse when I was part of the Parabola Estudio team.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Wood, definitely, it is a warm material that is alive, it constantly tells a story and that is something we constantly look for in our designs.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
We like to focus on having fun and evoking that emotion through piece itself. I would say we focus more on form than function at the beggining and then we push hard to make our designs work and function as any good design should do.
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
Mostly I feel happy, fulfilled, and I experience lots of joy. Tough, that is not always, I can also many other times feel uncertainty, fear, and anger when ideas just dont come or when I don’t love the outcome we are getting.
What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
Extreme joy. I don’t have children yet but I suppose it should feel close. Especially when I put my hands on building the prototypes, the feeling of transforming ink, a piece of paper, and raw materials into a flawless beautiful working design is just unique and amazing!
What makes a design successful?
A successful design is the one that excecutes exactly what its designer is looking for. It can be extremely functional and not very artistic or extremely artistic but not functional at all; if in the end, the design is accomplishing the designers intentions, and people are getting it, then I would say it is successful.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
First, I would research the designer and the design’s history/intentions. Then I would judge based on the designer’s intentions. If I am not able to find any information, I would always look for a balance between form and function.
From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
To always look for the improvement of humanity, in their way of living, but at the same time, to respect and acknowledge the huge harm we do every day to our planet and prioritize minimizing our negative footprint in our design processes and resources.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
The design field always evolves with people’s necessities, as it always should. Today, we cannot deny the newer necessities for being sustainable, for celebrating and embracing differences withing humans, and for new healthier ways to operate. The near future of design to me is to manage to keep these three in balance and make them work with each other, and include these conclusions and solutions in design.
Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
My design inspiration always comrs from my life experiences. Personally, I believe that traveling and surrounding myself with different cultures, people, and experiences is what brings the best of me to what I design.
How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
Playful and storyteller. Having fun led me into this. I always look for designing objects that would put a smile on my face and in others. My designs are clean, organic, and simple for the eye to digest. I always look for making something that will somehow change the place that it will serve aesthetically. I usually am not happy with quiet design pieces.
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
Currently I am living in Savannah, GA; but I am originally from Guadalajara, Mexico. I believe being from Mexico as it happens to all Mexicans, gives me lots of strength, and good ideas (sometimes surreal). Mexico is one of the strongest countries cultural speaking, and my wife (especially she) always includes inspiration from our beloved country to the ideas we share when we design.

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