Design should raise questions and stimulate curiosity

FREDERICIA What do you find unique about Ditzel’s design?

MARIA Nanna was unafraid of ornamentation, whether it was the design idiom itself, perforations or colour composition, which I find very interesting. Her inspiration from nature was very much evident in these ornamented touches, and at a time when many others were paring back, she was not shy about adding to her designs, almost as if she couldn’t “help herself”.

F How does Ditzel’s work inspire you as a furniture designer?

M Her approach to the design process inspires me more than her actual products. For Nanna, everything was in her wheelhouse and a moldable artistic task, whether furniture, indoor spaces, textiles, everyday objects or jewellery. And her uncompromising approach to the subjective and the creative in her way of thinking is something I admire and take with me in my work.

For me, creating is a very intuitive and subjective process. Most often, I design outside the brief for this very reason. There are no restrictions or constraints; the ideas, form and materials can flow freely and transform with the project as an iterative process, where each step informs the next.For example, when I’ve collaborated with Thomas and Rasmus Graversen, I often design outside the brief and in this way, a bold product is created – a concentrate – that is me. It is brave of the manufacturer – and not very typical of our times – to listen to the designer to such an extent. It does not solely consider the existing portfolio, the behaviour of competitors in the market or high volume. Instead, it focuses on the meaningful design that embodies the designer’s vision as translated into a commercial framework. We like to think that if good design matters to us, it also matters to consumers.

F You are described, much like Ditzel, as a designer who is not held back by dos and don’ts. Can you elaborate on that?

M My creative process is intuitive, but that’s not to say that I work entirely freely because once the uncompromising artistic idea has unfolded, the ambition is often to transform the artistic thought into a functional and usable piece of furniture; this is where the work begins with the machines and skilled craftspeople to optimise and explore.

One of the best steps in the process is here, where I need to listen to the skilled and experienced craftspeople, but also sometimes push back on techniques and notions like “this is how it’s done” or “we’ve always done it this way”. This is not an end in itself, but sometimes it may be necessary to push the conventional forms and production methods – to make some mistakes – to discover new techniques or potential, thus pushing back on what’s traditional.