Cristian Valdes

Architect, Designer - Chili
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Chilean Architect Cristian Valdes is as well known today as a designer as he is as an architect.

In parallel with its main activity of Architecture; he dabbled in furniture design in the late 1970s. For him, the only fundamental difference between design and architecture is a question of scale. Drawing a chair can be an exercise in architecture, and architecture can also be approached by experimenting with the material in a workshop and not just from a drawing board.

Architecture and furniture design are born out of an intention to create something new, what matters is the origin of that intention, not its dimensions. The process that interests him is defining this intention and knowing where it comes from, with what and why.

As well in his daily life as in each of his works, his simplicity is remarkable. His ability to grasp the origin of things in order to express them directly in his work is one of the characteristics that mark his approach to architecture and design. He does not lose sight of the essential and proscribes all unnecessary or futile forms. He is aware of the meaning of things and does nothing that does not have a specific and useful purpose.

In 1977, he created the Valdés chair, which is certainly the most beautiful icon of Chilean design and a benchmark at the international level. Over time the collection has expanded to include several armchairs and a sofa and has been exported around the world. The Museum of Natural History in Paris and the Museum of Modern Art in New York have acquired many pieces.