DESIGNER

Welling/Ludvik

Hee Welling and Gudmundur Ludvik are the design team behind the Pato Collection, which

was launched in 2013 and has since been expanded with a wide range of variants that

accommodate many different needs from residential to corporate to hospitality and more.

Q&A with Welling/Ludvik about the Pato Collection.

1. What is your design philosophy?

Keep it simple – that is our mantra. We always aim to optimise

our design to its clearest, most useful, production friendly and

simple shape. By dismissing all unnecessary items and details,

we find the true essence of the design, which we believe creates

the best, most honest and long-lasting product.

2. What makes your designs special?

The goal for each piece of furniture is for, it to be simple,

comfortable and functional with well-balanced proportions. Our

designs are based on pure functionality and aesthetics and are a

result of thorough research and testing to find the best solution

for any given situation.

3. How do you ensure a connection between Fredericia’s

design DNA and your own?

We share a close affinity with Fredericia’s design principles

of beauty, simplicity and expert craftsmanship, so our product

designs are all about being true to our own values.

4. What was the inspiration behind Pato?

We are inspired by many things - new materials, productions

techniques, sustainability and the world around us - what works,

what doesn’t work and what can be made better. With Pato, we

wanted to create the optimal chair, suitable for every situation

- anywhere. A chair with a simple expression, but with the best

possible comfort, produced by using the best materials, the

most efficient production techniques, together with the best

Scandinavian sub-suppliers.

5. How long was the process from your first idea to the

final product?

The first version of the Pato chair took around three years to

develop, from the first idea until the product launch. Due to the

success of the first chair, Pato has turned into a larger series of

furniture, so it has been an on-going process since 2010, and the

family is still growing.

6