RETHINKING THE FAMILIAR.
THE STORY BEHIND THE BRAND.
The One Off® is a Paris-based design studio founded by designer Diane B. de La Serve. Its story began with a very personal design problem: finding objects for animals that could genuinely belong within a considered interior.
Rather than accepting the visual codes traditionally associated with pet furniture, Diane began questioning the objects themselves — their form, their function and the way they inhabit a space. What started with the cat tree became a broader exploration of design: how can a familiar object be reconsidered so that its function remains essential, without necessarily defining its appearance?
The first The One Off® collection is the expression of that research — sculptural, functional objects conceived for animals and the spaces we share with them.
“I am interested in objects that fulfil a function without being defined by it.”
A NEW LANGUAGE OF FORM.
At The One Off®, function is the starting point, not the final expression of an object. Each piece is developed by questioning familiar typologies and reconsidering them through proportion, material, structure and use.
Minimalist or sculptural, the objects are designed to have a presence of their own: to belong naturally within an interior before immediately revealing what they are for. The first collection applies this approach to living with animals, transforming familiar necessities into objects that create a new relationship between function, space and form.
Crafted in collaboration with renowned partners such as Victoria Artis Art Foundry and Coulon Tapissier, the collections celebrate excellence in French manufacturing and sustainable craftsmanship. Whether in brass, oak or wool felt, materials are sourced with care and made to last.
FROM PARIS LOFT TO DESIGN STATEMENT.
The One Off® began with an observation made at home. Living with animals introduced objects into the interior whose visual language felt entirely disconnected from the furniture, art and architecture around them. Rather than trying to make those existing objects more decorative, Diane chose to rethink them from the ground up. The cat tree became the first subject of this exploration: an object whose function could be preserved while its identity was transformed.
From this first question emerged The One Off® — and a design approach that now extends beyond a single typology.
OUR VALUES.
Craftsmanship & French savoir-faire
The One Off® works with selected craftspeople and specialist workshops to give each object the precision, material quality and finish its design requires. French savoir-faire is not treated as an ornament or a claim in itself, but as a means of achieving the right balance between form, material and execution.
Design with purpose
Function is never incidental. Each object begins with an observation, a need or a use. The design process seeks to answer it without allowing function alone to determine the visual identity of the piece. The result is an object that remains purposeful while gaining an independent sculptural presence.
Sustainability, always
We favour thoughtful production, durable materials and considered quantities. Many pieces are made to order, allowing production to follow demand while supporting a more deliberate relationship with objects and the people who make them.
Empathy as a design principle
Design begins with observation. Understanding how people, animals and objects coexist within a space allows us to question established solutions and imagine different ones. Empathy is therefore not an added value to the design process. It is one of its starting points.
A VISION BEHIND OBJECTS.
The One Off® is more than a collection of objects for animals. It is a space for exploring how familiar objects, uses and rituals can be reconsidered through design.
The first collection, born from living with animals, is the starting point of this vision — not its boundary.
Future objects, editions and collaborations will continue to explore the relationship between form, function, material and the way we live.
“Because animals have always been muses — silent companions of creation, poetry and peace.
What began as a personal need has become a wider design language — one that gives familiar objects the possibility of becoming something else.
The One Off® is conceived as an evolving creative studio, where each collection begins with a question and each object proposes an answer.
Want to know more?
Discover the collection, explore the objects or get in touch with The One Off®.