24 Hours With… ARGOT

Irish-born, Eimear Ryan-Rateau, has been fine-tuning Argot's vision for more sustainable design since 2018. With inspiration ranging from ancient Greek vessels to futuristic Bauhaus architecture and organic shapes that exist in nature, the Paris-based studio creates minimalist, timeless pieces, 3D printed from predominantly recycled materials. So if you're looking for interior updates that will elevate your home and last a lifetime, ARGOT is your go-to. Here, Eimear shares a glimpse into her day-to-day and tells us more about the progressive technology behind the brand...

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"A gallery I passed on the way to work."

“Arriving at the studio on bike.”

"Breakfast!"

Morning

What time do you wake up and where?
I wake up at 7am in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.

What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
My husband kindly brings me coffee in bed.

Where are you usually based?
I’m usually based in Paris.

What does your average day look like?
Our atelier is 10km away so I cycle with my electric bike through Paris. I usually stop for a croissant along the way and if I can make time I will eat it at a cafe while looking at emails on my phone. I get to the studio around 9.30 and we usually have a mini meeting with the team and start with the more practical tasks of the day. We have lunch together at 1pm and in the afternoons we try to focus on more creative tasks, shooting pieces or working on new collections etc.. I leave the atelier around 7/8pm and cycle back, either we cook dinner or see friends and eat dinner out, we live right beside a nice park called Buttes Chaumont and like to go for a lap around it after dinner before bed around midnight.

Do you have any morning rituals?
Sometimes I go for a quick walk around Buttes Chaumont beside our apartment and stop at the bakery on the way back.

Where is your office located and how do you get there?
Thé studio is southeast of Paris and I go there on electric bicycle.

"In the studio."

"Books I found at a secondhand bookshop."

Daytime

How would you describe what you do?
I’m an object and furniture designer and mainly through the medium of 3D printing.

How has your background influenced who you are today?
I didn’t go to design school but instead did several design internships, an apprenticeship with an architect in Florence and thanks to that landed my first job as an interior designer in Paris. After 4 years there I began Argot on the side as I really wanted to exercise my own aesthetic. My father is a woodworker and when I designed my first collection of furniture, he made it for me in oak, which is still very special to me.

How did your design career begin?
I think when I started with argot I was really dreaming about an overall intention for a space, the ambiance it creates and what kind of objects and furniture would be at home there. Even though we primarily design objects today, it’s still with a complete argot universe in mind. I feel like this very much determines how we design. We make everything ourselves in the atelier in Paris using sustainable materials, this is really thanks to the technology of 3D printing and argot wouldn't exist today as it is without it.

How do you get into a creative headspace?
I need to be in a daydreaming state, which can be difficult when you have a very solid to-do list in front of you and so I try hard to make time for this. Travel, taking trains for example, is a time when I can easily feel creative.

What do you do to take a break from work?
I have a few, fortunately :) One of my favourites is stepping out of the studio to respond to long voice notes from my best friends and sister. I also love to raid local second hand book stores to find inspiration.

"One of my fav bookstores."

"The cheese shop near me."

"Bistro near home."

Evening

What’s on your bookshelf right now?
Everything Sally Rooney and of course the aforementioned design/ art books.

What do you usually do for dinner?
We eat dinner usually around 8.30/9pm. When we cook, our closest store is a little market with a fresh veg, cheese and wine. I love it that they only have a very small selection, whatever is fresh and in season and so it simplifies the dinner menu decisions. When we don't cook we eat out either close by in Jourdain or with friends in another part of Paris.

What time do you go to bed?
At midnight.

Last thing you do before you sleep?
I read a couple of pages and fall asleep really quickly.

Do you have any evening rituals?
I have a nice calming oil that I spray on my pillow that's really relaxing and makes you sleepy.

What do you dream about?
Right now I'm dreaming about my upcoming trip to South Korea in a few days, I am giving a talk at a design fair and having a little Argot pop-up too. I can't wait to see a lot of friends too.

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