Practically Playful

DAMN°: Your design practice is based in London as part of the OKAY Studio collective. How did that come about?

Mathias Hahn: We were a couple of friends who met at the Royal College of Art, and we were all in search of a workshop. So we teamed-up and said: Let’s rent a place where we make prototypes and have some desks. And this is now known as OKAY Studio. But we always had individual studios and practices. It is more about having good friends around you and creating an environment where you enjoy working and acheiving something in common. I think that having the workshop is very essential to my work. It depends, of course, on the project. Often, designers like to label themselves craft-based as opposed to computer-based, or the other way round. I don't care about this. I need many tools in my working process, and being able to make things is one of them.

 

DAMN°: Many of your products, like the Lantern lamp for Ligne Roset, or the Me Mirror for Asplund, can be moved, turned, and transformed. How important is that interactive and playful component in your work?

MH: I think design is very much about the reading and understanding of the objects we live with. As a designer you are always observing. You cannot escape from that, because we are constantly surrounded by products. Every product is telling you something, and the way you read it is related to your cultural background. On the Jinn Lights, for example, you find a dimmer control. Even though the set-up is not of the traditional sort, you perceive it immediately as what it is, because you are used to certain typologies. For me, it’s interesting to take these semantics and put them in a context where they become twisted. It is also important that products for daily use are easy to understand so that people find them approachable. 

 

DAMN°: Some products are even surprising, like the M11 Desk for Zeitraum that has a sliding table top. 

MH: Normally, these compact desks for domestic environments are pretty prescriptive. You have drawer compartments next to you, and a clearly defined position in the middle where you can work or write a letter. I thought it would be interesting to turn that around. The slim format of the table has the classical footprint of a writing table, but apart from that you don't recognise it. You can also use it as a kitchen table or as a side table. By sliding the top sideways, you open a slim compartment beneath the desk. It even works with a cup of coffee on top. That gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. I see this as an on-going topic in many of the projects I work on. I like to tear down all the prescriptive elements to create simple and refined objects. Reduction doesn't mean applying a certain formal style. It is more about applying a process of flexibility. Flexibility is very important, because our lives are changing constantly and items should be able to adapt. 

 

DAMN°: You also designed some items for the IKEA PS 2014 collection, among them a foldable dining table and a bench. There, flexibility becomes equivalent to saving space.

MH: My approach was also to show that space-saving items don’t neccessarily have to be small. The table and bench are both suitable for indoor and outdoor use. They are very versatile and, in case you might want to store them away or transport them, they fold. During the development process, we had a lot of discussion about the right material, and finally selected a high-pressure melamine laminate surface. This step was important for making the pieces durable and resistant, but also to give it a domestic touch and elegance that is usually lacking in this type of furniture. To get to that point, you need to build a personal relationship with the engineers. If you involve them and explain your idea to them, you end up achieving an understanding on the other side. And then they are siting in front of you with sparks in their eyes and they say: “I’ve thought about it and have found a solution.” These are the rewarding moments that take a lot of time and energy to reach.

 

DAMN°: Do you find timelessness an important criterion in furniture design?

MH: Every object has a place in time. Timelessness is an ideal that is impossible to achieve, at least if you consider people cultural beings. It is the same with movies. You would never enjoy watching the same movie each time you go to the cinema for the rest of your life. Design, too, is much more than just fulfilling the functional part. I am very interested in making objects simple. But even when they are of minimum complexity, they are complex in the way you can use or perceive them. They become relevant in the sense of having a long life, because they are able to carry a story. For example: some years ago, I bought an old leather bag from the Swiss army. At the beginning, I was intrigued by its shape. Later on, I realised how good this bag also was in functional terms. You can only discover these qualities by using an item. I find it more interesting to approach timelessness from that point of view. 

 

DAMN°: Your portfolio spans a wide range of different product typologies and materials. So are you also claiming freedom in a professional sense?

MH: I am a quite detail-oriented person and I like paying attention to small things and nuances. Maybe it’s rooted in this. But I think that it is also my personality, in a way. I’ve always conceived of myself as a designer who is able to jump between different typologies and different types of materials and products. Personally, I really like furniture, tableware, and lighting because they are naturally embedded in our daily life. But in the past I also designed car wheels, a motorcycle, a train, and bathroom fixtures. At the moment I am very much enjoying working with glass. I never thought I would collect anything in my life. But I started a collection of glassworks and had to admit to myself: Do glasses! (laughs) It is quite funny, because I lost the desire to own things for the sake of owning something. The more I do this job, the less I have the need to own something. Most of the things I own have a personal connection to me, like presents. But with glass pieces, it’s different. To justify this a bit, I call it a sample collection for my work. (laughs) But if I am honest, it is a passion, a topic from the heart. 

DAMN°: What excites you about glass?

MH: I am always intrigued by its delicacy. Glass can be very temporary. But at the same time, when it survives, it can survive centuries. If you buy antique glass and it is in good condition, you just clean the dust off and it will come back in the same way as the day it was made. I like the material a lot. The process is quite artisanal and limiting. Challenging that is very interesting. Earlier this year I presented the Louche series of opaline glassware. I collaborated with the same glass blower I had worked with before on the Preserves series in transparent glass. He had books full of examples of coloured glass. So my head started spinning over what all I could do. When I started working with opaque glass, I created these bottles and vessels with different kinds of fading. The way you can play with colour or translucency opens even more possibilities. Now I am looking at how to manage this material using a more industrial process.  ‹