Cyril Forster

What are the main tasks that make up your daily work routine?

In my day-to-day at work, I make detailed CAD designs in close cooperation with the project team. 

What has been the strongest influence on your perspective of design/interior architecture/architecture? Why?

While on a family trip in Emilia-Romagna, I happened upon a work by the Italian architect Carlo Scarpa for the first time: the Gavina Showroom in Bologna. The shop’s exterior makes it immediately clear that the shop, a place that exhibits designer furniture, is itself a design piece. The concrete facade, superimposed on the building’s original facade, features a large, double-circle window on its left side and, shirking perfect symmetry, a single circular window on its right side that only suggests a comparison with the other. A large entryway in the center is defined by vertical and horizontal lines carved precisely into the facade. The shop’s interior is open and combines gilded plaster, cobalt-blue stucco, wood with metal inserts and concrete. It even has a small, tiered fountain with different heights, reflecting light through the space. Scarpa’s focus on very specific materials, combinations and details is something I always keep in mind when approaching a project. 

How do you relax after a long day at work?

My favourite thing to do is jog to Horw – between 5 and 10 km – while I listen to a podcast or music. 

What makes a place a home for you?

To me, a home is a place with personality. I have a deep appreciation for furniture and objects that have been used and show the corresponding signs of use. They give a home a feeling of being lived in. At the same time, I believe the presence of a personal style is very important. In a certain way, a home should be a mirror of whoever lives there, not just a generic place.  

What song have you been listening to for years that never gets old?

«Good Vibrations» by The Beach Boys. It’s a real pick-me-up song.