Remember this underwear shaped coffee table - PANTS?

Photo from Melia

I had the chance to interview the designer, Lucy behind LUNA, Mmmmm chair as well as GINO. She is the designer in Melia, the company behind the coffee table.

Her partner John-Paul designed the PANTS and the ORGASM table.

Here is the interview!

1) Can you give me a brief introduction of yourself, how did you and your partner actually started out? and maybe a short history of the company?

Melia was conceived in 1999 by my partner, John-Paul Melia and me, Lucy Tatam. John-Paul was an apprectice-trained joiner and I had always had an interest in modern design and sculpture. We wanted to create beautiful handmade furniture, in complex sculptural forms. So we started designing and experimenting until we were ready to launch our debut range at the ’Mode’ contemporary home show, in 2001. Later that year, we were thrilled to be selected for the ’Bright New Things Awards’ presented by Living Etc. magazine at the prestigious 100% Design Show.

Ebony Orgasm Coffee Table

2) I see you have very radical and powerful product names. like Pants, and your latest, the orgasm. where did you get the inspiration from? what kind of impact do you sought to create in the coffee table market?

We like to have fun with our furniture, and not to take it too seriously. After all, in the grand scheme of life, it is only furniture! There is a danger is becoming over pretentious about art and design, about which point it then loses its purpose, which is ultimately to bring pleasure. We try to create things that are totally original, easy to live with, and hopefully continue to make you smile for a long time to come!

3) As a designer, what do you think is the most important factor in designing? Any factors that you think ppl always overlook?

Have a sincere respect for other designers, past and present. But don’t try to emulate them or be influenced by trends. We avoid visiting design shows, as we get fed up with looking at row upon row of the same products rehashed in slightly different forms. “This year, everyone must use glass… polished steel… all sinks must be round and made of natural stone etc etc”. We take our inspiration from nature and daily life, and we are highly critical of our own work. Most of our designs go in the bin - we won’t make anything unless the design really strikes us, and then we will pin the sketch up on the wall and if we still really LOVE it after a few weeks, then it gets the green light!

Grey Orgasm Coffee Table

4) The Coffee Table Afficionado seeks to offers advice for people looking for coffee tales. Do you have any advices or tips to share with people looking for one?

Ebay and Etsy.com are both great online resources. There are also a growing number of blogs featuring good design, such as retrotogo.com and switchedonset.com. Coffee tables work well as a focal point for your room. I often recommend dressing a room as you might dress yourself, using cheaper neutral items to form your foundations, and then decorating with some striking, high-quality accessories - such a fantastic coffee table, a beautiful ornament, and a beautiful original painting.

5) You have so many designs in your website. Which one is your favourite product and why?

I have always loved PANTS and I thought it could not get any better… until John-Paul designed the ORGASM… wow!! It looks incredible. I also love the fluid lines of the i DRAWERS, with the floating centre drawer and the sense of space beneath.

The Orgasm Coffee Table from Far

6) Do you have any unusual or interesting/funny experience with your customers? Anything you want to share with us?

Hmmm. we are very discreet!

7) I understand there’s this section called bespoke joinery on your website. Can you tell us more about what is it exactly and what can it do to benefit people?

We can make almost anything and everything - if a client, or their architect, has a design that they want to make, we can create it for them. Or they can tell us their requirements, and we will develop a design to suit their needs. Size is not an issue - we have worked on everything from small shelving units to whole bedroom suites and wall-to-wall shop fittings. The materials are not limited only to wood - we work with glass, steel, leather…

8 ) Last of all, do you have anything else you want to share with our readers at the coffee table aficionado blog?

Be happy, be free and remember… Love is all you need!

That’s the end of the interview.

Your Thoughts

So what do you think? interesting design in a interesting company?

I think they are really innovative and fun.

Even though its only an email interview, I can feel Lucy is a very fun person to do business with and I’m sure you wouldn’t be disappointed with her products either.

Do visit Melia for more EXCITING products.

All the best to Lucy and her partner and thanks a lot for her time for the answers.

Technorati Tags: lucy tatam, melia, orgasm coffee table, pants coffee table

Popularity: 54% [?]

I was very fortunate and glad to do an interview with Rafael Simoes Miranda, a very talented designer currently living in Italy.

Designer Rafael Simoes Miranda

He is the creator of the DOCA coffee table and many other fantastic products including many pieces of furniture.

Doca Coffee Table

The following is the interview I had with him over email.

1) Can you give me a brief introduction of yourself, when did u started out/how long are you in the business) and what do you do actually?

I’m a Brazilian designer how moved to Milan in 2000. I’m a member of ADi (Associazione per il Disegno Industriale) and has won some of the most prestigious design awards amongst which the Red Dot. I worked for three years at Hitachi designing consumer electronics design, and I have been working with Giorgio Galli Design Lab designing watches and jewels, I also work in the field of furniture and interior design.

2) Well, I understand that you have received a number of awards. Can you share with us what are they? and how did you feel received those awards?

I have some awards in my portfolio like Red Dot Design Award, the most important award I have, I was awarded with a project for a new concept of truck for the European market. Another important award is the Targa Bonneto, I designed a electronic credit card which have all the functions of a normal credit card, plus real time information about your account and much more. But some of my favorite pieces was not awarded with any of this but presented at Salone Satellite and Stockholm Furniture Fair, such as Doca, and Firenze table.

3) As a designer, which piece of furniture do you think is the most important in your home right now? Which piece is your favourite?

One of my favourite pieces in my house are probably my bed, a very simple low bed, I’m always out of my house working, meeting clients or just going out with my friends, so the only thing I use in my home, besides my working table, is for sure is my bed.

4) You see, my blog offers advice for people looking for coffee tales. Do you have any advices or tips to share with people looking for one?

It’s really hard to find some you really like to put in the middle of your house, so look for it with patient, once you got one even if you don’t like it that much, even if it’s just temporary, you probably get used to it and don’t change it anymore, so try hard to find something really grateful that you will enjoy for long time.

5) I saw in your blog, you do a whole lot of design stuff( you design furniture, transportation, industrial design) Actually, which one is your favourite? and why?

I don’t really have a thing I like the most, I like them equally, for me the important is to design, doesn’t matter if today I’m doing the interior design of a big loft and tomorrow designing a spoon, the important is to create.

Doca Coffee Table - Multiple Stack

6) I saw your Doca coffee table. I think its really special, being totally 100% environmental friendly. Why did you decide to come up with such a table? and where did you get the inspiration from?

I design it to present at GreenHouse during the Stockholm Furniture fair, since the “house was green” for me it had to be ecofriendly, it’s really important today to think about the environment, so I did something that is friendly to the environment but not just that, something that everybody can have at home, easy to built, resistant, cheap and surely nice.

Firenze Coffee Table

7) Last of all, anything you want to share with people? regarding furniture or just anything?

Be polity to the environment and to each other people, we all live together in the same place.

On Rafael

I guess it really takes a very talented and creative mind to come up with such a great list of products. I love the Doca(I love the green color) and the Firenze.

And best of all, its ecofriendly. Our planet earth is sick. It’s high time we help mother earth.

Do visit Rafael’s website and have a look at his products. If you like it, do support him!

Thanks Rafael for taking time for doing the interview! Hope he does come up with more ecofriendly products like the DOCA!

Technorati Tags: doca coffee table, rafael simoes miranda, third interview

Popularity: 53% [?]

A few week back, I come across a company’s website. The company from Holland is called Studio Oooms. They sell a whole range of interesting products. So I went ahead to ask for an email interview. Guido responded to me very promptly.

The company was very kind to grant me my request. I really appreciate their friendly gesture.

Alright. Here is the interview.

1) Can you give a short introduction of your company and what does your company do?

Studio Oooms is a company that intends to make you smile.

Their aim is to create and produce saleable products with a distinct feel of witticism.
Using nature’s imperfection as inspiration, Studio Oooms’ daring designs are characterised by an apparent contradiction within.

By playing in to taboos and expectations in the mind of the beholder, their products trigger a conflict of perceptions that makes you think twice.

Studio Oooms is formed by Guido Ooms and Karin van Lieshout.

Both work as designers as well as inventors tinkering away, not minding to get their hands dirty. This attitude enables them to fine-tune their products to a satisfying perfection.

As a team, they fuel one another’s creativity with wit, humor and a positive sceptisism towards what is generally considered to be ‘normal’.

2) I see the products that you all have. Some are really so out of the box designs. (for example, the USB memory stick)Where do you get your inspiration from?

Just ordinary stuff, like supermarkets, people, situations etc.

Wooden USB Stick from Oooms Studios

3) Which piece of furniture(or coffee tables) that do you recommend the most?

I always liked chairs. For me they are a good medium to show a concept.

Lo-Res Chair from Oooms Studio

4) What tips/advice do you have for people looking for coffee tables? in order to help them choose the correct one?

They should buy whatever they think is best. They will be the person that will be looking at it and be using it for the next years. For some people comfort is important, for some other people the looks are all they care about.

The MilkMaid from Oooms Studio

5) What are some of the areas do you think people always overlook when getting furniture for themselves?

Comfort. Its something that doesn’t always show, but you’ll notice while using it over the years.

I really thank Guido of Ooms Studio for this interview. I really smiled looking at their products. Thanks a lot!

On Ooms Studio

I would really advise you to check out their USB thumbdrives.You can get it here.(This is not an affiliate link.) I think its really unique.
Just look at this.

Photo from Oooms Studio

Thoughts

Actually over the past month, I have email quite a number of people. Most just ignore my email. I guess they must think I’m some crazy guy.

However, there are quite a few pleasant people around.

So I would like to thank them so being so wonderful to a beginner like me. I just want to help too.

I hope you have enjoyed the interview. Do drop any comments or contact me for suggestion or improvements to my blog.

Popularity: 44% [?]

Recently, I contact the owner of Design Milk and requested her for an email interview. You might be thinking why did I choose Design Milk? Well, its because I like her blog. I think Design Milk is one of the more established but young players. Her blog basically talks about almost everything about design, from furniture, DIY stuffs and more. Here is the interview.

1) Can you give me a brief introduction of yourself, when did u started
out and what do you blog about?

My name is Jaime and I began writing Design Milk in the summer of 2006 because a) I was bored at work, b) I desperately needed a creative outlet, c) I believe that the Internet is one of the most amazing inventions of all time and I wanted to become a part of it, d) I am very independent and I hope to one day work for myself on my own terms.

I’m also an avid blog reader – I have 31 blogs subscriptions on my Google Reader and I periodically visit about 20 others.

2) I understand you have been blogging for more than a year and the half
now. Have you ever thought of stopping n give up blogging? Which is the most difficult part of your blogging career?

I have thought of stopping on days when I am too busy to blog because I have bloggers’ guilt – which is basically feeling badly that I cannot blog all day every day. I don’t like missing a day for any reason.

For me, the most difficult part of blogging is that I currently cannot do it for a living. I wish I could spend my day on the blog and my online shop, vitamin d(esign). Unfortunately, I’m just not there yet.

3) Currently, in your home, which piece of furniture do you like the most?

My favorite piece of furniture is probably my new workstation (I’ve attached a photo). It’s actually a kitchen island I bought from Ikea.

Photo Provided by Jaime from Design Milk

4) Any tips/advice do you have for people looking for coffee tables?
Anything they should be looking out for?

Coffee tables are a difficult purchase because they serve so many functions: dining table, footrest, bookshelf, entertainment center, even storage. When making a decision about purchasing a coffee table, you must first consider its daily functions.

5) what are some of the areas do you think people always overlook when
getting furniture for themselves?

I think the most important thing about furniture is whether you like it. Sometimes liking something is more about function than looks. Sometimes it is about a piece’s past, such as your grandmother’s dining table. For me, form and function must be harmonious. However, I have been known to like some truly hideous things…I guess it sometimes depends on your taste. My
advice is: try not to overlook reality when making a purchase.

6) Any more thoughts or advice you want to offer to my readers?

Thanks for continuing to support bloggers!

I would like to Jaime for agreeing to do the interview with me even though I’m still a new kid on the block. I do urge you to visit Jaime at her blog and check out the latest designs and also her creative and wonderful products. You can also feel free to consult her on her products and advice. By the way, I just checked out her shop at vitamin d(esign). I would say plenty of lovely items. Ladies, do check the shop out!

Please support me

Last of all, if you like what I am giving away to you, please tell others, post a comment, or use any of the countless social bookmarking sites (digg, del.icio.us,
stumbleupon, sphinn, etc…) to help us get these materials out. In return, I will give you more free advice for you. Is that fair enough?

Technorati Tags: design milk email interview, jaime

Popularity: 91% [?]