We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Attila Stromajer ("AS").
The man behind Stroo Design is also a full-time psychologist. Among other things, his works are inspired by this profession. He is working on getting people to discover feelings they had been unable to have before. He tries to help them find their balance and joy. As a designer, his aim is the same, although he reaches it by using materialized tools. With everything he makes he would like to add to our harmony and enrich our world. Through his designs he wants to generate feelings, thoughts and enhance people’s world.
Attila Stromajer Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Attila Stromajer.
Designer Interview of Attila Stromajer:
DI: Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
AS : I have always been interested in creative activities: DIY, modelling, drawing, making maquettes. In all areas of my life I have been looking for innovative and revolutionary solutions. I have become more serious about designing in the past 3 years. I started out by designing musical instruments and continued with furniture and home decor. It is a hobby that has turned into obsession. I was also inspired by my father, who is an architect.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
AS : The aim of Stroodesign is to create pieces of quality furniture that apart from fulfilling their functions add something to our lives emotionally. We pay attention to sustainability and creating durable furnishings. We believe that our furniture has an impact on us, triggering feelings and thoughts in us. It effects our well-being and inspires us. Therefore, while designing I make use of my knowledge I gained as a psychologist about the needs and drives of human beings. Besides being conscious during the procedure, I also like to rely on my intuitions. I look at furniture pieces as our partners in life. My goal is to help people realize that these are much more than objects. They should be seen as an important part of our every day lives and should reflect our personality. Keeping to our mission, apart from bringing our own ideas to life, we are open to subcontracting and creating furniture imagined or designed by our customers. In this case, we try to adapt the products to the customers’ style, personality, or image as much as possible.
DI: What is "design" for you?
AS : Considering my life, design for me is passion, a process of creation and a chance of revival. As a phenomenon, I see it as the merging of innovation, art and every day life.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AS : At the moment I am focusing on designing furniture, lamps but I am also interested wall covering, panelling, kitchen tools, architectural designs, spatial installations, etc.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AS : I like modern, minimalist and futuristic design, but I like Bauhaus, Art Deco, etc. One of my favourites is the modular and parametric design, which usually uses simple and organic forms.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AS : I have a couple of ongoing plans, but I can not say anything factual about these yet.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AS : I like to work with natural or recycled material like wood, metal and glass. Respect of nature and sustainability is very important for me.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
AS : When I can submerge in work. Stillness, peace and nature inspires my creativity. And of course, my daughter’s smile
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AS : I put emphasis on form, innovation and function as well. The most important aspect for me is the artistic effect and the emotions a piece triggers in people. As my objects are used in the households, I also concentrate on functionality. In the most desired but rare case artistic expression can meet functionality without either of them get hurt. However, in most cases we have to make compromises and decide in favor of one or the other. As for me design is primarily art, I usually favor artistic effect.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AS : I can experience flow. Time and space disappears. I am alone with my design. However, I do not strive to have only positive feelings. As a human being I am prone to having bad moods and emotions as well. I have to accept them, too.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AS : I feel happy, contented and most of all relieved as usually realization is the most difficult stage in design.
DI: What makes a design successful?
AS : It is a tough question because in many cases – at least in my experience – the opinion of experts about a design is different from the opinion of customers. We are different with different tastes, expectations but I think the most important things in a design are innovation in form, and use of material, in functionality and concept. I also think it is our aim to evoke feelings through our work.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AS : I choose not to judge others’ designs as I think it is a matter of taste what we consider good or bad, nice or ugly, useful or useless.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AS : The promotion and establishment of values is of vital importance, especially in a world where the presence of mass production and poor quality produts need to be compensated. I would also like to stress the importance of developing helpful and supporting functions as in Hakan Gürsu’s "Shelter Pack Post Disaster Shelter" or in other designs that make or world better, nicer and more worthy. In my opinion a designer should try to improve people’s lives either through esthetic impact or functionality. And we should always take sustainability and environmental protection into consideration.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AS : I think the future of design lies in user-focused technological solutions and environmental friendly innovations. Our task is redeeming the damage mankind has caused to nature and creating a more environmental friendly way of living. I do believe that we can develop and create pieces without any destruction.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AS : I have been exhibitoin in Hungary last year. I was invited to abroad many times but I have not been able to go abroad untill this time. But we plan to go this year.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AS : I was inspired by the architecture of pyramid stairs and also the movement of the waves. I wanted to create interesting and original 3D structures by using simple geometric forms. I multiplied and then rotated the frames. My objective was to build a static object in which the steps of transformation can be traced so that it incorporates and expresses the dynamism of change. I was also inspired by organic principles that can be static and dynamic at the same time, like water.
DI: How would you describe your design style? What made you explore more this style and what are the main characteristics of your style? What's your approach to design?
AS : My design style involves modern minimalist and some futuristic attributes. To balance this, I use recyclable, natural and environmental friendly material. I try to achieve a rustic effect by using wood to balance the overwhelming use of plastic I notice nowadays. I would like to create designs that are simple yet innovative at the same time and fulfil their functions.
DI: Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
AS : I live in Hungary, I was born here, this is where I feel at home. I am proud to be a Hungarian. Our culture is really colorful and bears a lot of impacts, which makes it unique. Hungarians are said to be creative, innovative and resourceful, which I feel effects me, too. This, which is I think the result of our not really happy and carefree history, can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.
DI: How do you work with companies?
AS : It is very difficult to find a reliable and talented partner with the right capacity. But it seems I'm on the way now.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AS : I do not know. I do not know that side of the business.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
AS : At the first stage I do the planning mentally. I play with the ideas, variations, and give them a lot of thinking. Then I make one – or to be honest a hundred- rough sketches so that I would not forget the ideas. Later I sort the better ones to further develop them. After that I start the research. I also make sure not to design something that already exists. There is no challenge in copying. Then I go on with modelling some sketches in 3D program to check their feasibility. Then I continue designing. The final and hardest stage is when I finalize the model considering the advice of the executors. This covers economical use of material and technological solutions as well. I often do the modelling with wood, clay or paper. Then instead of sitting in front of the computer I carve and drill. If it does not turn out to be a masterpiece, my daughter can always use it as a toy.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AS : One of my guitars, my favourite glass, my laptop mouse, one of our vases and of course, our daugter: our most beautiful and most precious „design”.
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
AS : There are no routines, each of my days are different.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AS : I would advise them not to be influenced by others, not to make huge compromizes in creating their pieces. They should aim at creating out of passion not out of duty. Try to create something unique and innovative. Sometimes it is hard to let ourselves enjoy the freedom we have in creating.
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AS : For me nothing compares to the flow it gives, or to the desire of creating something new. However, I have to admit that sometimes the constant brainstorming that can keep me from sleeping is really exhausting. It can result in sleeping disorders. Furthermore, it reduces the time I can spend with my family, which is hard to digest. I am a perfectionist with all its positive and negative effects.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
AS : The golden rule for me is to be unique and innovative, to create value and quality. I would never copy someone else’s work. In planning the main task is finding the right proportions. For me, esthetically this is the key for a good design. And of course daring to be as free as you actually are when you start a design.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
AS : Creativity, knowledge, wide circle of interest, accuracy, elaboration, strong imagination, good perception of depth, drawing skills, experience in digital modelling, art history, science, sensitivity to novelty, to new technologies, buta t the same time, respect for traditions, styles and designers. Sensitivity to social problems, open mind, love of liberty… I could go on and on….
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AS : Drawing, digital modelling, paper-folding technique, clay work and books on the subject. Rhinoceros, 3ds max, research, studying the literature. Sometimes just contemplating on the everyday world around us.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AS : Time management is really tough. I have no idea how I do it but I try to do my best and it usually works.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AS : It depends on the actual work. One piece took 15 minutes, while another has been preoccupying my mind for a year. I have found that the great ideas come out of the blue and take a short time to design but with the modifications and final touches it could take quite a long time to bring them to life.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AS : People usually ask me how on earth I got this idea to be a designer.
DI: What was your most important job experience?
AS : As I am at the very beginning of this carreer I cannot identify such thing yet. But as soon as I can, I will share it with you.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
AS : I would like to talk about this later.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AS : I like all of them, because I like the designing process.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AS : I would like to create my designs and design new furniture or decorative objects. I am looking forward to getting orders. I am going to put emphasis on building my brand and working on two new pieces in the near future.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AS : I do the planning and designing all by myself but in the creation and development of the pieces I cooperate with joiners.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AS : No, not at the moment.
DI: How can people contact you?
AS : https://stroodesign.hu/contact/