During the periodic meet-up with Satelliet Originals designers at Design District in Rotterdam’s iconic Van Nelle Fabriek, this question arises: ‘can we approach the design process for an item in the Originals collection from a different angle and perspective?’
Words were immediately put into action: for several days, Studio Satelliet and Elise Luttik worked on a new concept. In house, closely, to learn and inspire each other and spar together. The goal: a new design concept for the Originals collection. Has this been successful? A wholehearted ‘Yes’, is the answer. ‘The week flew by,’ Elise reveals enthusiastically. ‘To be able to engage in dialogue during the design process I have found immensely nice and stimulating.’
Framework and leeway
The framework: natural look, cosiness, wood, cane and upholstery. ‘Other than that, everything is open and there is a lot of leeway,’ Chris explains. ‘In this pressure cooker, it’s nice to be able to spar all the time. You are physically together, at the location where all the materials in the showroom are within reach and you are literally in the collection you are designing for. On day one, we were already further ahead than expected.’
Own process and method
Both designers have their own signature and unique way of working. ‘I myself work intuitively,’ shares Elise. ‘I fiddle with needle and thread or form clay into three-dimensional models with my hands. In this way, I make the initial idea tangible and visual. There is freedom in working with clay: you can keep on merging, adding and changing.’ Chris takes a different approach, doodling, sketching and processing his thoughts directly into the computer. ‘The challenge is in uniting two visions, which is like simultaneous chess.’
Flow
‘Because there was time, all doors opened and I became part of the team, I felt at home,’ thus Elise. ‘Working together, growing: that’s what energises me.’ ‘A two-way street,’ Chris calls it. ‘You really get to know each other, mutual trust grows and we learned from each other. You also always get to a stage in the beginning where you think you are totally on the right track and have created something cool. But then, when you let the idea rest for a while and look at it the next day with a fresh, honest eye, you realise: this is so not going to work.’ Elise: ‘That is also a moment to let go of earlier thoughts and take a different path. Sparring again, elaborating and then suddenly you are in a flow, you are unstoppable and a breakthrough follows.
Tadaa! A great result
The designers experienced that ‘eureka’ feeling at the same time. ‘This is it! We now have something that fits the zeitgeist and Satelliet in terms of shape, material and appearance.’
The design will now be submitted to the collection team. Chris: ‘Exciting, but if they get as enthusiastic as we are then we will start the production process.’ What will it look like? ‘That will remain a secret for now,’ according to Elise. ‘But we can tell you that each part will have its own identity and the whole item will have a Mid Century Design vibe.’
To be continued…