Well crafted objects against throwawayism

 

For me, industrial design is a collaborative effort to create better products which are considering needs and constraints from multiple stakeholders. 
A good product is characterised foremost by its longevity and joy of use; ideally the user is building a relationship with the product, maintaining it and using it for decades, maybe even passing it on to someone else. Surrounding ourselves with well-crafted products in a timeless design is adding quality of life on a daily basis, saving time and minimizing the hassle of constantly replacing stuff. It is more environmentally friendly than mass consumption and gives the opportunity to surround oneself with one’s own collage of objects over time.

Personally, I see luxury in simple, well thought through designs with beautiful proportions, quality materials and precise details. With my own collection I want to produce such designs. Timeless and elegant on the one hand but also sustainable and easy to maintain and renew in the long run. I pay attention to every detail of the manufacturing process and care about pure, natural materials, simple connections and easy refurbishing. At the end of life the products can be recycled without any loss or natural materials can biodegrade or be used for energy  production.

When designing products, I start working with my hands, building full scale models from cardboard or paper. I believe that the three-dimensional experience still can’t be replaced by virtual reality and that a mock-up is essential to judge proportions accurately for an industrial designer. Sometimes many different variants need to be tested before proceeding with one design, sometimes my work remains in the drawer for several years before I continue working on the product. But if I still like the design, it might be a hint that the product could join the collection of projects that are out on the market for the long run, hopefully bringing joy to the people who decided to purchase them and accompanying them for decades.