Emmanuel Perrey: You started working at Lista Office LO in Geneva around 33 years ago. How did you start your career?

I studied landscape architecture and started my professional life as such. I loved what I was doing and was lucky enough to realize some exceptionally beautiful garden projects in Geneva – some of which can still be admired today. At some point, however, I felt the need for a new professional challenge, as I was becoming increasingly bored of spending my days with paper and pencil. When I was offered the opportunity to work for Lista Office LO, I didn’t hesitate.

In the beginning, again, my work consisted of drawing office layouts by hand, as there were no computer drawing programmes yet. However, when my branch manager suggested that I move to the sales department, I jumped at the chance as working with customers suited my personality much better. My drawing skills and knowledge of volumes and surfaces enabled me to realise some very exciting projects in the field of office furnishings.

How have you shaped Lista Office LO Geneva since you became director?

My training and experience as a landscape architect not only helped me to develop a keen sense of aesthetics but also solid planning skills. As a result, we were the first to integrate plants into our office concepts, which appealed to many people at the time.

The most striking aspect of my time at Lista Office LO Geneva is probably the collaboration with my team. I am now 63 years old, and you could call me equal parts patriarch and father figure to our site. I started out with three people, all of whom still work with me today, and all the others have been in my team for more than 10 years. We are like a small family. My upcoming retirement in two and a half years will therefore be not easy for me. Not only have I worked with my team for a long time, we also have a great friendship. That is something very special and I think that is what has made us so successful. I would like to warmly thank them for that.

What does personal success mean to you?

Personal success was never my goal, but the success of each of my team members is.

How does Lista Office LO Geneva differ from the other locations in Switzerland?

Most of the Lista Office LO locations focus primarily on office furnishings. In Geneva, on the other hand, we realize various other furnishing projects, including restaurants and cafeterias. Our competitive situation is also very different from the rest of Switzerland, as our main customer groups are banks, large watch companies and, above all, international organizations and NGOs. As far as the latter are concerned, we compete not only with European manufacturers, but also with major players in the industry who have signed international framework agreements. Our success therefore depends on our ability to offer a wider range of interesting, high-quality products.

What trends in office furniture do you see on the horizon?

Lista Office LO is highly innovative and has always been the innovation leader in the office furniture industry in Switzerland. We not only anticipate new trends in office furnishings but are also constantly tapping into new market segments such as the education and healthcare sectors.

In office design, „open space“ is back in fashion, although employees do not like working in large open offices. They need retreat areas to concentrate, work or hold small meetings. This has contributed significantly to the success of our exclusive partner brand Framery, which caters specifically to the needs of privacy with soundproof office and meeting booths.

And what about home office?

Many of the international organizations authorised their employees to work from home up to four days a week. Trying to bring these employees back to the old office model requires not only effort, but also some investment. Especially as many companies have now downsized office space and introduced desk-sharing models. To compensate for this, some companies have invested in attractive cafeterias with excellent chefs where employees can eat very well for little money. Others have opened their own company kindergarten.

My opinion is: if companies make their offices as homely and cozy as their own four walls, employees will be happy to come back to the office.

Emmanuel Perrey is married, has two grown-up children and a granddaughter. He shares his great passion for design with his wife, the director of a renowned school of architecture, fashion and graphic design in Geneva. Every year, they spend part of their holiday visiting design fairs and exhibitions all over Europe. When it comes to contemporary furniture design, he loves the work of Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. But he is also fascinated by the primitive artworks from around the world on display at the Musée d’ethnographie de Genève MEG, as they show how little the design of chairs, objects or costumes has evolved over the centuries...