Designers Talk: home décor accessories
Go behind the scenes with noo.ma design team and get the picture of how our new home décor items are made. We asked the designers, Damian Goliński, Anna Pietkun and Zuza Muszalska, about the ins and outs of the Flec, Fala, Feys and Tako production processes, from the very first drafts to finished products. Feeling curious? Do read on!
Tell us something about the whole process. Is working on a new collection different from designing a single piece? How long does it take for an item to get from the idea stage to the production belt?
Anna Pietkun: In this particular case, the first task was to brainstorm a list of products we want to create. Flec Candle Holder was the first finished design, then we came up with ideas for the rest of home décor accessories, based on the same material: Fala Bookend and the steel frames of Tako and Feys mirrors.
Before we created the final version of Flec, there were a lot of other projects and we attempted to work with several different technologies and materials.
Zuza Muszalska: The keynote behind all those designs was to obtain the minimal form and to reduce the steel processing. The path to work it out was elimination-based and led through continuous simplification of the figures.
As a result, while maintaining the functionality, we found clean, geometrical lines, appropriate for each object. Only then we could move on to the prototyping process.
The keynote behind all those designs was to obtain the minimal form and to reduce the steel processing.
Zuza Muszalska, designer
Prototyping seems like a tedious work. Did it imply serious changes in the initial design? What were the characteristics of steel that you had to take into account?
Damian Goliński: Fortunately, it was not tedious at all! The easiest way to achieve these minimal forms was prototyping with the use of simple paper sheets. Paper is easy to bend and cut, which allowed us to instantly build a model of everything that came to our minds. Apart from that, it let us have a little bit of fun with geometry.
The essential point was to estimate the physical parameters which enhance the robustness of the pieces: the dimensions, material properties and other construction details, such as a small pin welded to the bottom of the candle holder which keeps the candle still. When it comes to the production method, it’s much simplified, too: the steel sheet is being cut with laser and then precisely bent.
The essential point was to estimate the physical parameters which enhance the robustness of the pieces: the dimensions, material properties and other construction details.
Damian Goliński, head designer
The new line of accessories is available in four new colors. Could you tell us how you developed the new palette?
Anna Pietkun: From the very beginning it was clear to us that the steel decorations will look best in pairs or in bigger sets, hence the idea of introducing the new color palette, selected specifically for this product range. From about 15 samples we chose 4 color variants: Poppy Red, Blossom Pink, Gold Green and Mellow Yellow. They are fresh, vibrant, and cheerful; each of them can be a strong visual point of the interior, but they are also intended to work well together in every combination.
