RED DEER, A TRIBE OF MAKERS RECREATING THE ART OF DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE  

THREE ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS AND FRIENDS…

Red Deer is a tribe of makers formed by three friends who offer an accessible narrative to the world’s architecture and design needs. In a structure that is rarely seen in architecture, Red Deer reinvents the concept of a design practice, treating it much more fluidly by positioning itself firmly in the ever-growing digital sphere of the mobile office. Working as digital nomads provides the opportunity to explore and better engage with the world, constantly drawing inspiration from their international experiences along the way. From creating an experiential narrative with East London’s Martello Hall to developing the most intimate spaces for residential clients in Notting Hill, the team aims to always explore new forms of creation and share their skills and learnings with those they work with.

Lead by Lionel Real de Azúa, Ciarán O’Brien and Lucas Che Tizard, Red Deer develops spaces and visuals to express a brand or individual’s personal story, striving to always be creators of true experience by inciting emotional connection and reflection. Inspired by the trio’s personal and continued exploration of the world, the team treat each project as a blank canvas and their love for the unexpected often forms a starting point in their work, be it stumbling across a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture at an early morning market to finding the perfect colour in the background of a film still. What is most crucial to this is the emphasis on forming lasting relationships with their close network of suppliers and fabricators, who bring their vision to life.

Building upon their clients’ aspirations, memories and personal tastes, the team draws from their own design and architectural prowess to kick-start the design process, ensuring their client is part of each idea, creation and development phase. Red Deer’s passion for storytelling through architecture and design is reiterated through the strong provenance of the sourced materials specified for each project, and underpinning this passion is the understanding behind the ethos and process of making. From detailed architectural drawings to designing bespoke furniture and tiles, they put the creative vision at the centre of each project and see it through from start to finish.

According to Rem Koolhaas, 85% of buildings do not involve the input of an architect, so it’s no surprise so much of modern architecture has little or no skill, design integrity or ingenuity. Lionel, Ciarán and Lucas continually strive to change this by widening their reach. They seek out like-minded collaborators and creative practitioners to fill in the gaps in their knowledge and skill sets.

Whilst Red Deer has been creating as a collective for four years, the team maintain a childlike wonder towards the ever-evolving world of design. Lionel, Ciarán and Lucas are also heavily involved in nurturing and indeed, learning from, the next generation of designers through their teaching at the London School of Architecture, the Royal College of Art and Oxford Brookes; it is through this that they can actively be both educator and student. Their ethos is to ‘pour out, and start over’, which means a dedication to ensuring the entire design process never becomes repetitive or stale, and each venture is an opportunity for something new and exciting.

2017 will be a year of growth for Red Deer, developing and designing many new restaurants, bars and retail sites including Michelin-star chef James Ramsden’s latest venture, Magpie in London’s Mayfair. The team also seeks to extend their reach into the expanding world of boutique hotel design, whilst continuing further development of furniture and product, theatre and set design, all of which are at the forefront of their ongoing quest to better engage with the world around them.