Lionel Scharly

Specialized in Design.

Lionel Scharly

About Lionel Scharly

Scharly is a French Designer/Architect living & working in New York City, graduated by Arts Decoratifs, and obtained an Advanced Master Degree "Graduated with Honors" by the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts de Paris (CGE). He engages his career in Industrial design & Architecture and built up Scharly Designer Studio in 2007. He focus his projects to the Major and prestigious Brands & Institutions in design & architecture: Dior, Estée Lauder, Vichy, Coca-Cola, Anitibes Cityhall, Paris Cityhall, French Foreign Ministry, French Consulate in USA, Peugeot, Michelin, L'Oreal, Veuve Clicquot. He expresses his creativity to design new lifestyle to ecofriendly modular construction solutions, from Townhouse to Building, and develops Smart Street Furniture for the City 2.0. His projects get design-patents, are worldwilde exhibited and awards-wining. He is a member of the Le Lieu du Design & APCI in France & member of the American Institute of Architects "AIA New York Chapter - Design Excellence".

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

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Interview with Lionel Scharly

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 always want to be a designer/architect. Coming from am Architectural family, it was quite tough to follow them if you don't want to stay a follower.. But because from my childhood I always conceived things, I have decided during a discussion with my GrandPa 'Architect' to to take the way by the design.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
SCHARLY DESIGNER STUDIO was create in 2007, after have been for several years International Design Manager in big design firms. I have decided to fight a cause, the plastics, I have participate to an International Competition and have been awarded. I have established a close relationship with the European Plastics valley of Oyonnax and built up the Studio in Paris. We were hosted in the PARIS Design Cluster 'Republique Innovation' and have done research and development for 7 years to develop and patented the first eco friendly plastic chairs. In 2011 we hove open our satellite Design + Architecture in New York City and are based today in Brooklyn.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
In Design, definitely the plastics, ecofriendly of course.. designed with Autodesk tools, and 3D printed In Architecture, the wood, still designed on Autodesk, and Manufacture with CNC Technology
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
We are in a new revolution, technologically, economically, that where the design is acting..
When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
The last on was WANTED DESIGN / NYCXDESIGN in Industry City/Brooklyn and the next one will be in the MOOD museum in Netherlands, if I'm not wrong. I can design the future, but not predict it! ;-)
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?
Contemporary, I spent several year working and thinking to design simple things. And because I have studied Magritte at the Beaux-Arts of Paris, I always design things that you don't think to see. This is not a chair 'it's an ecofriendly plastic chair', this not a building 'it's a new community space', etc.. But most of all my legacy is the GreenTech.
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?
I live and work in New York City 'Sugar Hill/Harlem' Cultural heritage is very strong in my neighborhood, if I design like their Jazz, I can be a proud creative.. Designing in USA is very interesting and competitive. It's like breaking concrete. You always start from scratch.. This country and this City is definitely not finished..
How do you work with companies?
We collaborate on a brief, bidding, etc.. with some problematic or not. Some time they let us do what we want, and then we review, or make!
What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
They have to like their style, approach of the design, and their legacy.
What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
My palets sofa, My Chess Game, My Frankfort Factory, My Wall Bear, My Olfactive Lamp 'PaerTr'
Can you describe a day in your life?
Train, Design Studio, coffee, design projects.....................................Train, lookup, night conferences, home, design readings, internet surfing, get a sleep in the sofa..
From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
It's a leap of faith..! If you don't want to do it, leave it!
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
I just switch to IPencil, it works better with full battery, and after you can transfer to Autodesk design solutions..
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
Designing have priority on everything, my son 7 years always remember me ' don't forget dad you have to feed me, you have always to design' ;-)
What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
Where does the plastics, the 3D printing and construction industries are going.
What was your most important job experience?
Affordance, the studio have give birth to the first Smart Street Furniture, we have experimented it in the Paris's Parks and Recreations. It was was very interesting, but very tough, you have to control and manage a lot of things, the furniture itself, it's social new position, acceptance from the citizen, agression, press realease, material sustainability in a public area, new technology, curiosity, critics, damages, etc.. etc..
Who are some of your clients?
Veuve Clicquot, MOET & CHANDON, Jean Rousseau Atelier, Eclectic Contract Furniture, NYCEDC, Neholis wind turbines, Developers, Private clients..
What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
It's not really the type of design work, but the type of relationship we have with the client.

Extended Interview with Lionel Scharly

Could you please tell us about your experience as a designer, artist, architect or creator?
Scharly is an award-winning Designer/Architect living & working in New York City. He has an Advanced Master 'with honors' in Computational Design & Architecture of Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris and University of Pantheon/La Sorbonne Paris IV. During 7 years in Paris he was a Lecturer and Professor of University .
How did you become a designer?
Award-Winning in Design and Architecture for his innovations, he has developed and patented new technology to give birth to the first eco-friendly and bio-plastic materials 'C2C' for the rotocasting process to create a new design and aesthetic for this Green manufacturing & prototyping solutions. He focus his projects in Contemporary Architecture for Urban Design, Commercials, Retails and Residentials projects as: Dior, Estée Lauder, Vichy, L'Oreal, Veuve Clicquot, MOET & CHANDON, Mairie de Paris 'Parks & Recreations', Antibes-Juan les Pins 'BroadWalk', Quai d'Orsay - Ministry of French Foreign Affairs, Built/NYC "NYCEDC", Jean Rousseau Atelier / Madison Avenue, New York.. He expresses his creativity in computational design & architecture in Volumetric, Surfacic and Parametric design to give to his new projects a new lifestyle and using LEED and BIM construction solutions. He also gives birth to the 1st Smart Street Furniture 'Affordance' MUI experimented in 2012 in Paris's Parks and Recreation, and design innovative Wind-Turbines for the Smartcities.
What are your priorities, technique and style when designing?
It's a discussion between my GrandPa 'Architect' and me, and yes I feel it and took the decision.
Which emotions do you feel when designing?
Furnitures and buildings, I'd like to design more wind turbines, and find new design solutions for the Cities in this industry.
What are your advices to designers who are at the beginning of their career?
We cannot really evaluate a good design by ourself, the public do it!
You are truly successful as a designer, what do you suggest to fellow designers, artists and architects?
The value of a good design is to go forward in the future, everyone should go in the future, some don't, ask them why?
How do you keep up with latest design trends? To what extent do design trends matter?
If it's a dream project, I would take the time to realize it, don't lost of view that I'm living in USA, the country where you realize your dream, and it's an industry here..! ;-)
What is your biggest design work?
It's not to talk about our former Paris neighbor in Fbg du Temple, and he's not my favorite design master, sorry Phillipe, but Starck as done a really good and innovative job in the plastic industry.
Who is your favourite designer?
I have a lot of controversy on it, but I like my Frankfort Factory. The aspects is its worldwide story. We've made the world turn twice together for exhibitions, and it was featured at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010. Better City, Better life.

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