Could you tell us a bit about your background? And why did you choose this current career path? Any particular story behind it?
I grew up in Indonesia and as long as I can remember I always want to do design. I did my bachelor in interior design at Kent Institute of Art and Design in England. After that I returned to Indonesia and worked for an interior design firm in Jakarta for a while and then realized that it was not really for me. I think everybody has their own ‘dimensions’ and interior design was something that is too big for me, I prefer to design smaller objects, that was why I chose to leave interior design and continued to pursue my master in industrial design in Milan.
What do you do in your spare time?
Between being a mother and a designer I rarely have spare time, but when I do, I think I would do nothing; preferably I’d just go out and chill with my friends.
Tell us about ‘minimalistic’ and ‘human-centered’ approach of the furniture that you designed.
Being minimalistic is my way to be sustainable. I would like to reduce the materials and simplify production process so we generate as less waste as possible. That is why our design process takes a long time because we don’t only design the look but also how it is going to be produced in a way that is as sustainable as possible.
Furniture is an object that is very close with the user, as you interact with the furniture almost all the time (the chair, the bed, the table, etc.) so it has to be designed to accommodate the wellbeing of the user. Therefore we always put the user (human) in the center of our design.
You name your first furniture series ‘Lula’. Could you share to us of why you pick the name?
It was taken from the name of my cat, Lula (which is a male cat by the way, I thought he was a female. So I am kind of responsible of his gender confusion). My furniture has these distinctive brass screws that for me looks like cat’s eyes. One day after working in the factory I was looking at the stool and thought: hey, it looks like Lula; hence the name.
If you could meet any famous figure in the world, who would you pick and why?
Daft Punk, I love their music. They are curious people who always want to learn and push the boundaries and willing to collaborate with other musicians, which is rare when you are already in that kind of level. And they have cool helmets.
You have lived in Bali for quite sometime now. Have it affected your creative process in any way? Please do explain a bit to us.
Yes, I had this conversation the other day that made me realized that Bali has been affecting me even more than I thought. There are three things that affect me the most: the slowness, the nature and the people. I think connection with the nature is one of the most basic human needs, that’s why I really respect how Balinese people connect with the nature. They might not realize it because that’s already in their blood, and the only way of living they know, which is wonderful. Look at how they wrap the trees with the clothes, give offering the goddess of rice and the god of sun, or there are days when they refuse to harvest coconut because those are the ‘coconut days’. And they live in their own slow-paced rhythm. Surrounded by this, you tend to become slow too, and that gives you more time to think—which is for me, a luxury. And when you have time to think, the way you live change, the way you design change, becoming more thoughtful and insightful.
How do you want to be remembered?
I honestly don’t know. I don’t think that much of myself.
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