Interview with Joseph Koizen

I don't have a company nor a studio. I work out of my garage and tap into local friends who perform some of the stuff I can't.

That's a tough question for me to answer. I think design can mean alot of things and likely has just as many meanings. For me, "design" means blending something that was originally meant to serve one purpose, remove it from the scrap heap, and repurpose it into somthing that is both beautiful and functional as something totally different from what it was originally designed to do.

Furniture and lighting fixtures.

My most favorite design is the lamp I fashioned from a remnant of I-Beam. An I-Beam is a long girder of steel designed and constructed to support heavy weight. Small pieces that are cut off and not needed are generally discarded or recycled. I repurpose them into lamps.

I have never designed for a company before.

Scrap material. Heavy, industrial material softened by repurposing them for residential function and beauty.

Probably when I smoke marijuana.

Getting the size and scope of the I-Lamp correct is a challenge for me. Also, getting colors to coordinate is also not my strongest skill.

Satisfaction, happiness, accomplishment, relaxation.

Satisfaction, happiness, accomplishment, pride.

I think recognition for the beauty and function is especially satisfying. Also, the positive reactions of people who see and understand what they're looking at really feels good. Making some money off it would be very satisfying too.

Good question. I think balance, scope, uniqueness are all aspects I especially like and look for in design.

Well, I already mentioned that I'm trying to divert waste from the scrap heap and repurpose it into something totally different, functional and beautiful.

I'm not sure I know the answer to that.

I've never exhibited before.

I like staring at the raw material for a long time and placing it in different positions, lighting and backdrops and see where that takes me.

I like what I like and do my best to make something physically beautiful and functional outside of it's original purpose.

I live in Austin, TX, USA. It is a very creative city with artists working in many mediums. I'm just a regular guy putzing around in his garage in a pretty cool city.

I have never done that before.

I wish I knew. I would love to be working with a company.

My 1965 Ford Falcom coffee table, my two dimensional Austin city map with blinking LED light signifying where you live, my I-Lamps, my cam rod paper towel holder and my refurbished Tanker Desk.

I wake up around 8, usually run around the local lake with my dog, grab coffee and breakfast, make calls/answer emails, work out at the gym, spend time in the garage/shop and hang out with any friends who are available. Dinner with girlfriend, TV, music or outdoor activity.

I cannot.

I love the process of creating my desings but I wish I could figure out what exactly I want the designs to result in.

Symmetry, balance, scope, color and lighting.

Creativity, execution / follow-through, efficient and economic from cradle to cradle.

Any scrap material, computer assisted design, metal and wood fabricator tools.

I don't do a very good job of that. I work in fits and starts.

Depends. The more lamps I make the better I get at it.

"Why don't you sell these?"

Program management skills.

I don't have any yet.

I think I answered this above.

Not sure. Enter a few design competitions, try and find someone really cool or a really cool place to have a lamp or display one.

I work along but I solicit many of my friends opinions on what I'm doing. They often force me to look at something differently and improve on it. It's definitely been an evolution. It also seems to take a village to build one.

I'm already working on the next version of the I-Lamp. I have several other projects I'm working on simultaneously.

jkoizen@gmail.com
916 316-4864 USA

I don't think so. Thanks a lot!