When Omer Arbel started his design company Bocci almost 20 years ago, his experimental approach to manipulating glass and other materials into novel forms, and then turning these into commercial products like lighting, catapulted the Canadian architect and designer to fast success. Ever since, Arbel and his team have never stopped experimenting, constantly finding new processes and materials, and applications for them at scales from table lamps to private residences – each a numbered entity in a growing archive (hence 75.9 house in Vancouver, which we explored in 2023). Ahead of Bocci’s anniversary milestone, Wallpaper* spoke to Arbel about how his practice has – or hasn’t – changed during this time; being a ‘matchmaker’ between the company’s and external opportunities; and a surprising use for the doomed cedar trees in the Pacific Northwest.
