David Raymond on materials and design practice : DesignWanted

In recent years, a new wave of design studios has emerged at the nexus of collectible design, material research and brand writing. This new wave of design studios is moving beyond the binary oppositions of industrial production and conceptual practice to reclaim the object as both a cultural artifact and an economic strategy. In this context, the practice of Objects Raymond Raymond (LESORR) is particularly interesting for its focus on raw materials and its position between collectible design, product design and custom design.

Founded in early 2023 by David Raymond, LESORR is a design studio and research-based practice working in limited collectible pieces, commercially available products and bespoke commissions. Regardless of scale or context, each project is guided by a deep respect for materials, shaping a design language centered on their physical presence and expressive potential.

The Side Table by LESORR – Les Objets Raymond Raymond © Samuel Pasquier

The Bookshelf by LESORR – Les Objets Raymond Raymond © Samuel Pasquier

Reverse shelf by LESORR – Les Objets Raymond Raymond © Samuel Pasquier

The Side Table by LESORR – Les Objets Raymond Raymond © Samuel Pasquier

Rounded Edges by LESORR – Les Objets Raymond Raymond © Samuel Pasquier

Located at the crossroads between art and design, LESORR perceives the two practices as closely related, but functionally distinct. While the creative process may begin with an emotional trigger or an abstract form, the final product is inevitably expected to have an organic function.

The everyday environment is a constant source of inspiration, not as an arena for clear political statements, but as an area of ​​forms, measures and material contrasts to be carefully studied and reinterpreted in the context of design.

LESORR was founded at a time when design culture was deeply entangled with digital images and rapid consumption. What was the founding need behind the studio?

David Raymond:

“Mostly, it was about creating opportunities for myself and working with my hands. I’ve never really been a fan of the ‘render prototype’. Although it’s a quick way to get a good feel for the design, it’s not the same as seeing the piece live. I like tangible and physical pieces, and LESORR was a way to express myself through a physical medium.”

The name Les Objets Raymond Raymond suggests repetition and emphasis. In a cultural landscape where writing is both hyper-visible and constantly diluted by collective production, is this repetition a political gesture? How do you situate the idea of ​​authorship in contemporary systems of branding, identity, and cultural capital?

David Raymond:

“The repetition comes from my experience: Raymond Raymond is my grandfather’s name. But it also serves the purpose of his brand by imposing itself. I think it’s important to have a strong identity and a recognizable name in a graphics-driven world and so Les Objets Raymond Raymond, or its acronym, serves its purpose, LESORR.”

Your project emphasizes “respect for raw materials”. Practically, what does this mean in modern production systems?

David Raymond:

“For me, it’s a way of respecting materials for what they are and what comes with it. I like to see the way a material reacts to interaction: softwood will dent and scratch like the wood floor of an old house, or aluminum will see a patina develop from the way we use it and touch it, the things we put it on. I respect and love evo.”

LESORR operates in collectibles, commercial products and custom projects. How do you navigate the balance between experimentation and financial viability?

David Raymond:

“It’s definitely hard to balance. I feel like I’ve been experimenting with commercial projects lately. When I first started out, I was much more focused on an experimental approach. Now, I try to incorporate a little experimentation into most of my projects – whether it’s in assembly or construction or finishing materials. I’m trying to slow things down and get back into new experimentation.

Many emerging studios are struggling to define a sustainable business model. How did you structure LESORR in its initial phase?

David Raymond:

“LESORR had broad ambitions at first. Admittedly, they were perhaps too wide. I narrowed it down to what I was sure I wanted: an independent studio that works at its own pace while respecting its own identity. I definitely have development ideas from the beginnings of LESORR that I want to incorporate eventually, but I’m in no rush. I want to improve what has been started before introducing new aspects of LESORR.”

Collaboration is often framed as a creative value, but it is also embedded in economic hierarchies and power dynamics. When entering into a collaboration – whether with artisans, galleries or industrial brands – how do you negotiate issues of authorship, visibility of the work and ethical responsibility? Can collaboration itself be considered a political act in today’s design economy?

David Raymond:

“I always try to be reasonable and fair when I collaborate. Most collaborations are ultimately about benefiting from each other’s audience, knowledge, constructive abilities, the list goes on. A good collaboration is one that benefits both sides equally. Bearing this in mind, of course, collaboration can be a political act: what it means to collaborate with who you are and.”

Your work is at the threshold between art and design. How do you place yourself on this spectrum?

David Raymond:

“I like to see the two as interrelated. They operate in narrow worlds, and both art and design objects can share similar qualities. The main difference is that design has a functionality beyond its aesthetic or conceptual value. At the end of the day, a design object must serve a specific purpose. My creative process almost always begins with a feeling or a general form that I want to emulate in art.”

The new design scene often emphasizes collectability and limited editions. How do you place LESORR in this movement?

David Raymond:

” While some of my pieces are limited edition, I feel like the concept itself comes with brand status and LESORR just isn’t there yet. As mentioned before, limited or collectible design the pieces are very close to art objects. Apart from LESORR’s more experimental pieces, my designs have an aspect of scalability and reproducibility.”

You often cite the everyday environment as a source of inspiration. At a time when the ‘ordinary’ is shaped by infrastructure, inequality and global supply chains, how do you approach observation as more than aesthetic export?

David Raymond:

“I know that the”usualIt is never neutral, but my approach is not to decode or comment on the political systems behind it. My observation tends to work at the level of form, proportion, material behavior and spatial intensity.

I am interested in how elements of everyday life can be reshaped through design – not as a political statement, but as a change of perception. For me, the work doesn’t need to have an explicit stance. it functions as an interpretation and reshaping of what already surrounds us.”

Looking ahead, what ambitions define the next phase of LESORR?

David Raymond:

“More thought behind a slower process, which hopefully leads to more refined objects.”