Designer Biographies [Website Content]
ÖRN DUVALD
ÖRN DUVALD is a cross-disciplinary design studio, founded in 2012 by Icelander Pétur Örn Eyjólfsson, and Dane Søren Oskar Duvald. Together they explore the crossroads of architecture, art and design, with craftsmanship and tactility as core values.
The pair self-identify as introverts, which finds its own way into their work. “We’re quiet people and it shows in our designs, which aren’t that loud,” muses Søren. “Often our process starts small — with a material, or a detail — and from these elements, we start to draw the object.”
ÖRN DUVALD’s aim is to create products that are artistic yet timeless; classic but functional. While their approach is minimalist, they are endlessly detail-driven, and their work is first and foremost motivated by inquisitiveness. “Our end goal is based on curiosity,” explains Pétur. “It's always stunning to see something unfold, just by working step-by-step, layer by layer.”
Both prefer to create collaboratively and agree their work is stronger for it. “The ping-pong aspect of working together is important for our practice. When we’re creating something, we talk a lot about the feeling of it. The fact there are two of us and we speak to each other will have an effect on the final piece.”
STUDIO KAKSIKKO
Studio Kaksikko is composed of Salla Luhtasela and Wesley Walters — kaksi meaning duo in Finnish. The Helsinki-based pair consider themselves formgivers before designers and specialise in ceramic tableware and wooden furniture. They share an appetite for understated, functional design that highlights the virtues of a material.
Salla and Wesley met during a ceramics class while studying at Helsinki’s Aalto University, immediately drawn to each other’s aesthetic. Their work references a constellation of Nordic and Japanese influences, thanks to their eclectic backgrounds. Salla grew up in a small town 40 minutes outside of Helsinki, next to a lake and surrounded by forest. Wesley hails from California’s mountainous north but spent five years in Japan, before finding his way to Finland.
For Salla, her speciality in Aalto was an obvious choice, given her training as a confectioner: “Ceramics felt familiar straight away, because the movement with your hands is so similar to that of baking.” Wesley studied East Asian Languages at UC-Berkeley before working as a Japanese interpreter on film sets. Following his travels and a masters in Tama Art University in Tokyo, he forewent plans to go to architecture school and set off for Finland for his second masters in furniture design.
Their work at once spans backward in history and forward in style; pieces are handmade using traditional techniques but appear contemporary in their detailing. The duo’s appreciation for craft and minimalism translate into an impeccable eye for form and a reverence for the utilitarian objects of everyday life — Like the seat of their Perch Stool, which references the weather-worn door handles of Helsinki’s old residential buildings.
VILLE AUVINEN
Based on the island of Lauttasaari in Helsinki, Ville Auvinen is a cabinet maker and a furniture designer with an inescapable taste for sculptural expression.
While he retains a perpetual focus on Scandinavian craftsmanship and functionality, Ville enjoys exploring new fields of possibility; especially those which combine his woodworking skill, design expertise and passion for sculpture. “I like to merge art and design, because it means the art in your home isn’t just something you look at, but something you use. And perhaps you feel more connected to a sculptural piece because it has a function.
When embarking on a new project, Ville likes to begin a project quite cerebrally at first. “My notebook has a lot of writing because often I don’t start with sketching and drawing — I prefer to get my ideas down with words. So I will write about the background of the product; my inspiration and the relevant thoughts and ideas. Only then will I go to the workshop, and start to think about scale models and building a prototype.”
Ville holds fast to his philosophy of aesthetics which edicts that an object should not be dictated by the industrial production techniques as much as the designer’s desired atmosphere. “If you let industrial practices dictate a design, they can become really simplistic. As I make the pieces myself and have the skill to work with wood, I know what’s possible. Each piece innately has a soul, which needs to be a predominant feature of the final product.”
TROELS FLENSTED
Troels Flensted is a designer fascinated by materials and colour. He created his experimental studio in 2015, where material behaviour is explored, and production processes are challenged.
Based just outside of Copenhagen, Troels Flensted creates pieces that sit at the intersection of sculpture and function; they’re designed to evoke the question; how was this made? “It’s very important to me that my work sparks people’s curiosity — both about the production and the material. This is how we learn, develop and understand our material culture and identity — and connect to the things we surround ourselves with.”
As a child, Troels was a natural problem solver. “I’ve always been interested in materials and how they behave. As a kid, whenever I didn’t understand why something was made badly, I would wonder how it could be improved, and seek solutions to everyday problems — such as a bad cheese cutter.”
His fervour for investigation has meant Troels often approaches design in unexpected ways; “Being more experimental can be a good and a bad thing — you come from a different perspective when you’re not an expert, and you ask stupid questions. I often try things that other people never would, because at first it might sound like the craziest idea. But I really find joy in the process, and can draw in experts when I need to.”
THEODÓRA ALFREÐSDÓTTIR
Theodóra Alfreðsdóttir is an Icelandic product designer who creates conceptual objects which are heavily influenced by their relation to the physical world. Her narrative-led approach exemplifies how everyday objects should inhabit our space, by encouraging a full-circle approach to conscientious consumption.
Although originally from Reykjavik, Theodóra is now based in London. She works from a small white-brick studio in Hackney, with walls covered by coloured Post-Its and a floor-to-ceiling yellow curtain that conceals various boxes of tools, projects and works-in-progress.
Theodóra often explores how an object can document its own manufacturing process and in turn, communicate its former life. This transparency is of utmost significance in her work; “I start with a material or with a concept — but all of it is quite process driven. For me, it’s important that people understand what process objects need to go through to become what they are in front of you.”
“One of the problems we are facing today is this overabundance of everything, which means it’s a big responsibility to make something; you must have a reason to do it. I’m trying to find out how people can connect to their objects to slow down fast consumerism. For example, we’ve become quite aware of what we eat but not aware of what we eat on — surely it’s just as important to know where our plates and cups come from.”
Theodóra subscribes to Barthes' Death of the Author school of thought, in that an author's intentions and background should not hold any special weight. “A theme in everything I do is how to remove myself from it, so I’m not the author anymore. This was our goal with Subterranean Formations” — A research-led project in collaboration with Daniel Durnin, which conducted ceramic experiments where objects were burned underground. “The finished object was informed by tools, process and soil, rather than by our design.”
CAIA LEIFSDOTTER
Caia Leifsdotter is a Swedish artist living in Copenhagen whose body of work spans from furniture and interiors to bespoke sculptural artwork — always with a preference for pieces that transcend categorisation.
Her creative approach never fails to take the historical and architectural framework into consideration, but Caia’s specialty is creating balanced spaces through high contrast — juxtaposing traditional interiors with contemporary flair, or vice versa.
She grew up on the west coast of Sweden, as part of a long lineage of creators and artists. “My grandma was a painter and my father is an interior architect, who comes from five generations of furniture makers — so I’ve been by the carpenter’s bench since I was a small kid. I had dreams of being a glass blower and then an artist. When my friends went shopping for clothes, I went to flea markets and antique stores; my primary interest was always in redecorating my room.”
Before starting a new project, Caia must ascertain a clear vision of the piece. Gesturing to a wall in her workspace full of sketches, overlaid with transparent paper and notes, she explains; “My process sometimes begins with a passing thought, but I draw a lot. Usually, there are ten thousand small sketches for one idea.”
Natural materials feature heavily her interiors projects which are all locally made and handcrafted. “As much as possible, it’s real stone, massive steel and pure oak — not the veneers. Because these are things which become more beautiful as you use them. After growing up surrounded by huge Swedish Forests, I have a great fascination for natural materials — despite also enjoying working with plastic fantastic for the mirrors.”
Caia’s mesmerising Psychedelic Mirrors are some of her most recognisable pieces. While minimalist in design, they capture the magic of acrylic by highlighting its uncontrollable reflections. The mirrors provide a new dimension to any space they occupy through their changeable, watery perspectives.
“The concept came to me while I was still very young. I took my mum’s old vinyl records and melted them to make sculptures. And the mirrors are made in a similar way. It’s a very delicate process to keep the shine without creating wrinkles. In the beginning, like everything I do, there were a lot of disasters — but it turned out beautifully.”
Her bespoke pieces err towards the ‘bombastic’, as she puts it, ‘leaning towards what some might consider kitsch’. However, they unanimously convey a unique personality, which has taken the client’s space into account. “I like to create the unexpected; pieces that are a bit too much. The idea for the mirrors returned to me as an adult because an interior client requested a large piece for his home in a conserved building, which had restrictions. So I suggested this very modern-looking artwork as a juxtaposition to the feel of the room.”