It's easy to shock with technology and innovation, says Michael Anastassiades, but the real challenge for designers is creating objects that stay relevant over time.
Anastassiades ? who is Designer of the Year at the Maison&Objet furniture fair in Paris this week ? has built his business around producing lighting designs he believes will become timeless.
Michael Anastassiades is one of the world's most highly respected lighting designers
Speaking to Dezeen at his studio in north London, he explained that, despite being a designer, he is against consumerism. He believes new objects should only be made if they are going to last a long time.
"What is the need for constant change, as if we don't have enough"" he said.
"Nothing in this world is new" "Being a designer and being against consumerism in that way, it's a bit of a paradox," he continued. "Our culture tries to encourage this change, this ephemerality, this newness, whatever."
"But it's all fake, it's all artificial."
Michael Anastassiades is presenting his Mobile Chandelier series at Maison&Objet 2020. Photo is by Osma Harvilahti
Anastassiades believes that no new design can be truly unique, that all ideas are recycled from somewhere.
"Nothing in this world is new, not even ideas; everything has been done before historically," he told Dezeen.
"We have evolved as human beings, but the notion of creativity hasn't really evolved over thousands...