We believe in Colombia, we create for the world

Behind each design piece there is a legacy of Colombian hands that translate art and science into furniture of high aesthetic level. Our products are not only manufactured in Colombia but also designed in the country.

This blog is a conversation with design - or rather, with the creative process of the authors of our pieces. In each part of the process there is a conscious, human designer, who thinks about the purpose of a piece, a table, a chair. It is an inspired, intuitive, passionate, logical creator, who sits down in front of a piece of paper and faces the challenge of getting started.

We spoke with one of the designers who are part of our house, a product creator for The Blue House. Daniela Duarte , a Furniture and Textile Designer who graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia, who works for the design firm 5 Sólidos in Medellín.

From his perspective on the world of design, he spoke about the creative process, its challenges, the connection he finds in different disciplines, making visible the story behind our products.

INSPIRATION AND CHALLENGE

For Daniela, the biggest challenge is the range of possibilities when it comes to designing and finding the perfect moment for inspiration. For her, there is no precise moment; it can be something very ephemeral that comes at 12 at night or at 3 in the afternoon while in the office, it can come while scribbling down some ideas on a piece of paper or sitting in a park surrounded by nature. The important thing is not to close yourself off so that inspiration is not lost; you always have to nourish it in different ways, and she does this through drawing. “I am inspired by works of abstract art when I have to design a product in an abstract way.” What one day she sees as insignificant scratches, another day, looking at them with different eyes, they become a product, a completely different object.

THE CREATIVE PROCESS

According to Daniela, the creative process does not have a step by step that designers follow to the letter, but yes, regardless of the discipline, be it architecture, fashion design, graphic design, or any other, there is a common objective and it is to know who you are designing for, why you are designing, what emotions you want to create and the way in which people interact with the product, for her this is what will give meaning to the creative process.

Daniela's first step is not necessarily to have all the previous questions resolved. She often starts by sketching ideas on paper and looking at references, not only to find inspiration for the appearance of the product, but also to know what is on the market and what she can offer that sets her apart from the rest.

After being inspired by works of art, especially sculptures, he begins to scratch on paper, mixing ideas and concepts that he liked from other drawings, to finally create a product. He always draws the product and the details that he wants to be in 3D and not the other way around so as not to limit himself. “Freehand drawing is very valuable, you have to lose the fear of scratching things that in the end will not be used.”

Once you have visualized something that you feel will work in a store or space, you begin to build it in 3D, always starting with ergonomics. “I start with generic measurements, for example, when designing a chair I think about how high it should be, how high the backrest is, how much the angle should be to recline, so I have to understand the context of where the chair is going,” explains Daniela.

Understanding the space greatly changes the measurements of a product, so first you define very basic shapes and then you begin to detail them, make the technical plan and finally the prototype that you consider essential, when this is approved it can be produced.

THE WORLD OF DESIGN AND TRENDS

For Daniela, the world of design is connected in every possible way. What is seen in architecture and fashion is then reflected in furniture. “You have to be open to all types of design in order to be inspired and see the trends in the market. There is a website that I like to look at, called WGSN, which talks a lot about trends, even trends that have not yet arrived, that are going to happen. Everything I see in fashion is 100% reflected in furniture. They talk about colours, textures, materials. You have to keep your eyes open,” she says.

Daniela explains trends as the inclination of a group of people towards something specific, a pattern, a material, a color, in general a design, and that these exist in all disciplines. “As designers, it is important to be up to date, to know what is happening in the industry, but if this is necessary, it is even more important not to follow the trend for the sake of it. Many times, following the trend is erasing that line of differentiation between companies, a client values ​​a brand because it has a seal.”

Daniela advises that you have to be strategic and follow the trend if it fits the style of the brand, but giving it added value based on what you already are as a designer or as a company. It is important to understand that trends are fleeting, especially for emerging brands, it is necessary to be careful when to follow a trend or simply let it pass and know how to adapt it to the essence of the brand.

HOW TO CREATE WHEN EVERYTHING SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN INVENTED

“Sometimes it can be discouraging in the visual or aesthetic part, sometimes you design without seeing a reference and then you go to Pinterest and you see it there. The important thing is then to go beyond what the product is going to be in its physical aspect, it is to create a little more awareness, to take the user into account, not only to think if it is in trend, it is also to think about the emotion you want to generate, to transmit something” suggests Daniela.

Giving value to a product through a story creates a connection with the user, finding new ways of doing things with people in mind to make their lives easier. It is not about making a design more complex with innovative materials; sometimes, Daniela finds innovation in simplicity.

DESIGN AND FUNCTION

These are two concepts that are connected. Daniela is passionate about the subject, as well as her interest in how people's psychological attitude changes as a result of a design. “Jared Spool says: Good design, when it's done well, becomes invisible. He relates it to an air conditioner, for example, in a hotel where the air conditioning is not working well, that's when you notice the air conditioning. Sadly, when a product is not well designed, that's when you notice its design,” says Daniela. If a chair in a restaurant makes you uncomfortable, or an armchair that is disproportionately high makes you feel tired, you have a greater connection with the product in an unfortunate way. The challenge is to create a product that, even if it is very well designed, does not become invisible, that's where the aesthetic part comes in. Daniela talks about how Donald Norman presents it in levels, where it is essential that both, function and aesthetics coexist to have a memorable experience. One of the levels talks about aesthetics. When you have two products that work exactly the same, but one is aesthetic and the other is not, psychologically you will prefer to use the aesthetic one. Another level is about functionality, once the product is aesthetic, it must work, it is like a checklist.

How do you know if the piece you are creating works, is aesthetic and commercial at the same time? For Daniela, it is a team effort; the designer does not have the last word on the perfect formula of aesthetics, function and the fact that it is a commercial piece. “In the creation of a piece, multiple people participate, and with their opinion they help make an aesthetic and functional design truly commercial. Many times it is also trial and error, it is putting it on the market and waiting for the reaction of the clients to know how it can be improved, what needs to be changed, etc. It is about interaction” says Daniela.