CLAD PEOPLE
PROJECT
Little Pine, Los Angeles, US
Comfort is not always photogenic Moby musician and restaurateur moulded plastic, which photographed
whose vegan restaurant Little Pine
nicely but wasn’t designed for humans.
is approaching its first anniversary – has told CLAD that too many
“Literally sleeping in a dumpster would have been more comfortable.”
architects and designers ignore the needs
The design of Los Angeles eatery
of the people who will use their buildings.
Little Pine – which Moby designed with
In an exclusive interview about Little
local architects Studio Husto to present
Pine and his design philosophy, Moby
veganism in a compelling way – is intended
criticised designers “who think about
to evoke a “simple and unpretentious
stuff that can be photographed well, but
mid-century Scandinavian ski house”.
who never actually plan on spending time in the spaces they create.” “I have an issue with architects and
Largely inexpensive and “nice but very, very basic materials” were selected and laid out in a semiotic way to create a
designers who think about how the
space where people can feel comfortable.
space is going to look when it’s on an
Describing the design approach, Moby
architecture website, rather than how it’s
said: “Humans like certain basic things.
going to feel for the people who either live
We like light and we like comfort and
there, work there or patronise it,” he said.
we like safety. And I think a lot of good
“Sometimes certain things like comfort
design can be really compelling as design,
are not that photogenic, and if you’ve ever
but also meet the basic needs of the
tried to live in a photogenic space that isn’t
people who are inhabiting the space.
comfortable, it can be really upsetting.
“The criteria by which design should
“I had a couple of nights in Madrid
be judged is ‘does it make people
staying in a hotel room that Zaha Hadid
happy?’ You have to consider their
Architects had designed. It looked
practical and emotional needs.”
amazing, but was the least comfortable
Moby, an animal rights activist and
space I’ve ever inhabited. There was
vegan for over two decades, donates all
nothing soft in there. Everything was
of Little Pine’s profits to animal welfare organisations, and the building’s design was developed to offer “progressive people
22 CLADGLOBAL.COM
Moby believes public spaces
a beautifully designed vegan restaurant
should be designed to make
that is probably more consistent with
people feel happy and comfortable
their principles than Burger King”.
CLAD mag 2016 ISSUE 3
PHOTOS: LITTLE PINE
M
usician and restaurateur Moby –