We, as the Designer Interviews ("DI") had the distinct pleasure and opportunity to interview award-winning, most creative and innovative Adeodaat Erik Rozema ("AER").
My name is Addie Rozema, Dutch interior designer with a love for the profession. I am relevant and important because I try to think differently in concept and design. In my designs I look for unique shapes, appearance and materials. In designing and setting up various projects, I want to be distinctive for my clients in order to deliver a well-justified concept or design. Listening, feeling experience are my starting points for working creatively. My statement is therefore, "if you want a different result, than make a different choice"!
Adeodaat Erik Rozema Designs
We are pleased to share with you original and innovative design work by Adeodaat Erik Rozema.
Designer Interview of Adeodaat Erik Rozema:
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?
AER : As a child I was always drawing. Signs of landscapes, signs of depths to the horizon. I was in the 4th grade of primary school and when drawing lessons were given in the 6th grade, I was taken by the 6th grade teacher to attend the drawing lessons. Then I already knew that I wanted to become an architect later on. I went through the furniture class but eventually ended up in advertising as a student advertising designer. Worked at different agencies as a graphic concept designer. Become an art director and creative director. Then I picked up my passion again to design an interior. So yes, I always wanted to become a designer.
DI: Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
AER : Our company is a creative design studio for the private market, BtoB and hospatality. We give advice in color, shape and design. We translate concept design into 3D visualisations and experience. We also make floor plans and lighting plans for various projects.
DI: What is "design" for you?
AER : For me, design is what you can perceive. Everything we see was ever designed for a specific purpose. One design is not the other design, it is the experience that we want to see in it. Design in which capacity is conceived as a product, as art or graphic is an added value for our society.
DI: What kinds of works do you like designing most?
AER : At this moment I have to earn my money by coming up with designs for various design projects such as detached houses, companies, restaurants etc.My goal is to be able to be creative and able to be creative in the design of furniture and products.
DI: What is your most favorite design, could you please tell more about it?
AER : I have made several beautiful designs and after each new project what has been delivered again, I tell myself this is the most beautiful design. In fact, I am proud of all my designs. Certainly the table collection that I have submitted for this competition.
DI: What was the first thing you designed for a company?
AER : The first product I designed for a company is a table-shaped fireplace for the "Safretti" brand.
DI: What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
AER : My favorite materials are wood as a natural product combined with steel.
DI: When do you feel the most creative?
AER : Actually always but when I come under pressure the best ideas come up.
DI: Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
AER : That it meets the needs and demands of the assignment or client.
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
AER : Love and urge for success
DI: What kind of emotions do you feel when your designs are realized?
AER : Healthy tension that the final result has become as it is meant and designed. Then a huge pride!
DI: What makes a design successful?
AER : When you know and see that the design is a timeless model.If the WOW effect is achieved and everyone is satisfied.
DI: When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
AER : First I look at the shape of the design than the finish and which materials have been used.
DI: From your point of view, what are the responsibilities of a designer for society and environment?
AER : That a design is an added value for society and that he or she looks to see whether it is possible to work with natural or sustainable materials.
DI: How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
AER : I think that sharper designs will be looked at, and more good designers will be added. And the future for design? Design will always stay, and I think that in the future more and more beautiful and functional designs will come.
DI: When was your last exhibition and where was it? And when do you want to hold your next exhibition?
AER : My designs have not yet been shown. But I hope to be able to show a few designs next year at the furniture fair in Cologne.
DI: Where does the design inspiration for your works come from? How do you feed your creativity? What are your sources of inspirations?
AER : As a designer, your head never stops and you are always thinking. Every design assignment is of course unique and it has to fit in with the style, the service, etc. I nurture my creativity with a lot of looking around me, and ending various national and international interior fairs, social media such as pinterest, instagram etc. One of the main sources of inspiration is to listen carefully to your client in order to get a good design inspiration.
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?
AER : I write my own design style as thinking differently and certainly do not walk in line to be twelve in a dozen. I want to be different from others and I try to do that in this way, actually I am very stubborn. I design with passion and love for the profession and hope to make many people happy.
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?
AER : I live in Groningen, a city in the north of the Netherlands. Personally, I do not feel that the cultural heritage of my country influences my designs. Of course there are good and well-known designers in the Netherlands to which you can see that it is a typical Dutch design, and maybe you see that in my designs too, but others may judge that. The disadvantages during the design and realization of a product or service is that we Dutch people are very critical about and about interior design. But if you put something beautiful here in the Netherlands, it is also easy to cross over the border areas.
DI: How do you work with companies?
AER : When I work with other companies, I try to be a good sparring partner for that. Because it is ultimately only one thing, and that is a good result.
DI: What are your suggestions to companies for working with a designer? How can companies select a good designer?
AER : Designers can look at a company differently from their creative conception than the people who work within the company. So a designer can distinguish the company in form, combined with house style in the market. The house style that the company propagates must be recognizable to the visitor. In order to search for a good designer one must first orientate within the own network.
DI: Can you talk a little about your design process?
AER : I first start by listening carefully to what the client has to say, what the wishes are and the goal. Then I am going to orientate myself in their branch and see what the competition does to gather as much information as possible to create the best possible distinctive concept design. Then I start with a rough preliminary design that is converted to 3D and presented and discussed. After the suggestions and changes discussed, everything is adapted and translated into a preliminary design in which all materials in 3D visualisations are presented again. Then after some minor changes, the final 3D design is made up and in an A3 presentation book so that every partner knows what has to be done in the work process.
DI: What are 5 of your favorite design items at home?
AER : My number 1 is the favorite lounge chair "Maggiolina" from the brand Zanotta. A beautiful timeless design from 1947 by Marco Zanuso. Furthermore 4 great beautiful bar stools from the brand Potocco Academia. A beautiful hanging design fireplace of the brand Safretti, designed by "Roderick Vos" and a self-designed painting called "artsy woman".
DI: Can you describe a day in your life?
AER : At 07:00 in the morning my alarm goes off. Then I get out of bed and take a shower dress and pick up some fruit for the studio. When I do not have appointments, I am usually designing and drawing on the computer for various projects. Sometimes I go for lunch in the afternoon with a colleague and then return to the studio to continue drawing or preparing projects. Around 6 pm I am going back home for dinner. Sometimes with the computer so that I can continue working after dinner but at home. And if I do not have the computer, I enjoy watching the television with my wife on the couch in the winter months. In the summer months we are always outside in our garden and I am lucky that we have a swimming pool which I use every day in the summer.
DI: Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
AER : Always go out of your own creative power. Always look around you. All creation lies ahead. Take advantage of that!
DI: From your perspective, what would you say are some positives and negatives of being a designer?
AER : The beauty of being a designer is that you can be creative without restrictions and that you can think of something that makes people happy. The neganivity of being a designer is sometimes the deadline. A great designer always wants more and does not look at time but at the form, functionality, etc. And then as a designer you can get nervous when the deadline is approaching.
DI: What is your "golden rule" in design?
AER : As a designer, always go out of your own creative force and never steal from your colleague designer.
DI: What skills are most important for a designer?
AER : The most important thing is to listen carefully to the client. Feeling for design, art and fashion. Manually sketch and have 3D insight.
DI: Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
AER : I sometimes use pencils and color markers and an old-fashioned drawing board. But mostly I work on a very fast computer Mac. with 3D software from SketshUp Pro, Artlantis Studio with Illustrator and Photoshop. I have several home and interior books for inspiration in the studio, but I also watch through social digital channels such as Pinterest, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.
DI: Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
AER : Actually, your head as a designer never stands still and you are brainstorming every minute of the day. Personally, I am the best when the deadline is approaching and I do not have time any more than everything comes out of my mind that I have been thinking about in my head for a long time.
DI: How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
AER : Sometimes it goes very fast and sometimes it takes a very long time. So long that months pass to achieve a good final result.
DI: What is the most frequently asked question to you, as a designer?
AER : I have not had one yet
DI: What was your most important job experience?
AER : I do not really have that. Every project that I do as a designer is unique and important to me and I learn new things from every unraveling project.
DI: Who are some of your clients?
AER : I work for various clients in the business to business market but also for private clients. A selection from the BtoB; Professional football club FC Groningen, Mobacc Group BV, Geveke construction, Gasunie Deventer, Stopaq BV, etc. In the private market for a well-known football player, for German entrepreneurs with large detached houses etc.
DI: What type of design work do you enjoy the most and why?
AER : Personally, I liked everything I design, whether it is a large or a small assignment. But my passion lies in designing special interiors, furniture or products. Give me a pencil with paper to sketch, a computer and I can be creative all day long.
DI: What are your future plans? What is next for you?
AER : My future would be to put a beautiful furniture label on the market. My future plans are to make my dream come true.
DI: Do you work as a team, or do you develop your designs yourself?
AER : I think of all my designs alone. Sometimes I share it with my wife to get a counter-reaction and thereby improve the design. But if I go into a complete project, I work with a fixed team of creative people in their own profession.
DI: Do you have any works-in-progress being designed that you would like to talk about?
AER : I have enough work in progress and it is enough to talk about or brainstorm. But then we are not talking about one day. I am a true creator who has a love for the profession.
DI: How can people contact you?
AER : They can reach me via my email address or just call me. Via mail is: addie@zoingericht.nl or via mobile +31 6 46647155