Designer Sketch: Lea Hein

Lea Hein’s carrot bud made the cut of pupil work showcased at the Stockholm Furniture Fair in February 2012. This year’s subject was “grow,” and also the design challenge was to locate unexpected and creative ways to attract vegetable growing into homes.

“I had to make something for indoor climbing, something which will help urban dwellers find a way to produce indoor gardens,” says Hein, a pupil at the Steneby craft and style school at Gothenburg University in Sweden. “The veggie pot was what I came up with. “It is made from honest materials but remains visually attractive.”

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leahein.dk

What’s the most exciting thing you are working on today?
The veggie pot, together with Daniel Eidhagen and Kristoffer Nolgren, the Swedish guys behind the Massive window-farm screen at Kulturhuset. The window farm was a really inspiring project that utilized a hydroponic technique. I felt like I always wanted to do something similar, to spread the word to people in town about constructing an urban garden. But, I did not like how plastic bottles were utilized in the window farm, therefore in coming up with the carrot, I conceptualized something which utilized trustworthy stuff but was nevertheless appealing.

My end goal is to earn the veggie baskets readily available for purchase, but we must find a company that can actually produce the pieces and refine the parts a bit more.

When did you know that you wanted to design furniture and products?
I’ve always seen the craft [of furniture layout] as a very important skill. When I knew I wanted to go on this course, I studied cabinetmaking for nearly 3 years before I even entered Stenebyskolans’ furniture layout program at Gothenburg University.

Design Within Reach

Chieftains Chair by Finn Juhl – $11,500

Which famous furniture designer would you wish to work with?
I’d have loved to work with Finn Juhl. I’m very inspired, as I am by a lot of Danish architects and designers, by his understanding of the craft and his
profound comprehension of aesthetics.

leahein.dk

What inspires your designs?
My layout is frequently inspired by a form. I guess you can say that I work a bit opposite from the idea that form follows function. I get my inspiration largely in art, nature and geometrics. I have worked a bit with images, and folks tell me that they view the picture changes in my work.

Where is your go-to location for inspiration?
That I love going to flea markets. You can see so many interesting and fun things there.

Where on earth do you wish to go next?
I want to visit Alaska, to get lost in character for a bit.

Can you still draw, or is everything on the pc today?
In the start of a project I always draw freehand. I carry my sketchbook with me. However, the clearer my idea gets, the more I use the 3D drawing apps. To current goods, I always use rendered images.

Herman Miller

Nelson Swag Leg Desk – $1,849

Who is one of your favorite artists?
A Norwegian artist, Magnus Pettersen.

The most significant thing on your desk is …
A glass of red wine.

What’s your favorite traditional furniture piece?
The Nelson Swag Leg Desk.

wedowood.dk

If you could change 1 thing about furniture layout, it might be …
To mandate that everybody read and use the cradle-to-cradle strategy. Basically, cradle to cradle is a way of honoring our world at the design and manufacturing process, but it can be applied to social systems and businesses outside style.

What’s your favorite new website?
Produced in School

What’s your favorite up-and-coming design company?
We Do Wood at Denmark. Henrik Thygesen and Sebastian Jørgensen are all cabinetmakers and furniture designers who share my style philosophy: design and sustainability principles really ought to go hand in hand. We Do Wood creates honest and simple layout.

Your ideal client is …
A customer who appreciates quality and cares for your environment. It is really important for me to not mistreat the world once I really do product/furniture design. This usually implies that the price of my furniture pieces might be a bit bigger, as you cannot compromise quality in sustainable materials. But if you care about sustainability, you will probably be inclined to pay a bit more.

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