How does your culture/background affect the designs your work?
I think that your cultural/background has a great deal to do with who you are. One’s identity is a mix between background and life journey. My work is very personal and it comes from who I am and what I have learnt in my path.
Do you believe that heritage is an important part of design?
I am a true believer in tradition and history as I adore great craftsmanship. I believe that pieces that don’t tell a story, are meaningless. This, however, does not mean one should disregard new technology and materials. On the contrary: in order to come up with a good interpretation of the right now, I think it is essential that one keeps an eye on the past and the other on the future.
Is the use of natural materials important to you?
Along with weakness for tradition and history, lies my passion for natural materials. For me, they are the most beautiful materials: they have quality and breathe personality. Then again, I’m also very interested in combining natural with very hi-tech materials as the effects are often riveting.
Do you have a favourite place for inspiration for both products and materials?
The best place for inspiration is nature. However unfortunately, I do not get my escapes as often as I would like. Fortunately, inspiration is not a problem (at least not for now) as my mind is very inquisitive mind and I can be very creative even if I end up drawing in coffee shops and airports instead of facing the beautiful endless sea.
Where do you see the future of design/the beds of the future?
Mark my words, much evolution awaits these essential pieces of our lives. Considering we spend a third of our day sleeping, we will probably have to make beds much more personal and comfortable: they should be our hidden treasure that we can’t wait to get back to.
Describe the bed of your dreams?
The bed of my dreams has all he qualities that help you dream the most amazing dreams. A nurturing cocoon, a rocking ride, a velvety essence…
How did you come up with your concept for this project?
My concept was quite simple: a dream of sketches of pieces that could fill the setting for a dream.
You are an artist as well as a designer; do you think this helps you understand the craft and personal care that goes into making Hästens’ Vividus bed?
Appreciation of quality comes from a third eye; one can feel it whether one is an artist or a designer.
You have often been credited with bringing a sense of play and imagination to the rigid design world, why do you think this is so important?
Play is essential, otherwise we’d be bored to death and everything would be grey. I enjoy humour, lightness and beauty as well as irony and plain fantasy. The combination of all of these is normally fascinating to me.
Like Hästens, whose beds are always made to order, much of your work is one-offs. How does working on an individual piece compare to that of mass production?
Custom made or one-offs imply an appreciation of individuality that I find essential. People want to have special things that speak about their personalities and tastes.
Also, one-offs are important as they can transport us to experiences that can’t be applied in the very restricted world of production.
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