“I always like to try to understand how things relate to the person,” he says. “Is it inviting? Is it threatening? All these questions. And from there, how do the different elements of that product relate to each other?”

Anastassiades’ work permeates existence in its utility and functional virtuosity, as well as in its poetic and enigmatic presence. “In the end, what really counts is the feeling you get. What makes it attractive, desirable, captivating, pleasing to the eye, alive, and present. For me, this is more important than any recipe. What I seek is genuineness. And in the end, that is what makes it desirable,” he adds.

A native of Cyprus, Anastassiades trained as a civil engineer at Imperial College London before turning his studies to industrial design at the Royal College of Art. He founded his studio in 1994, and launched his eponymous brand in 2007. In the following years, he developed an intense relationship with the suppliers and artisans who produce his designs. This formula worked so well that brands such as FLOS, Puiforcat, Lobmeyr, and Svenskt Tenn—a Swedish design institution—have sought opportunities to work with him.

In collaborating with Herman Miller, Anastassiades found a partner that is not only driven by the production of pieces of lasting quality, but is also capable of applying the same rigor to projects that demand impeccable execution. “What makes an object survive time?” he asks himself. “Can an object become more beautiful over time?” These are questions that Anastassiades’ work continues to explore.

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