Interview with Kristof De Bock

I studied Interior Architecture in ‘De Bijloke’ in Gent. After these 4 years, I started my own stand construction company. There was too much energy in me to sit down most of the day while making plans, and the combination of designing stands and constructing them was perfect at that time.

With time our company had the chance to work for museums. We have been building countless temporary exhibitions mostly in Belgium and France. The difference with stand construction is that the design is mend to display the piece of art whereas a stand should be visible from far.
Spring 2018 is when I decided to start as an object designer. My first object -a floor lamp named Monday- won immediately gold in the International Design Awards. So we got encouraged to continue.

Generally the first focus is on the form. How will the object stand or serve the user better,… ; followed by the esthetics and looks. But I also think about sustainability during the whole process.

Highs and lows. I can by childishly happy when thing go well but also nervous and frustrated if it doesn’t work out as expected.

My history as a stand constructor. It involves designing but in a way that it is fast to build with the best result. And it also involves serious out of the box thinking to solve problems, usually with limited time and materials.

I would like to focus 100% on creating. So it would be ideal to find a business partner who would take care of further production, marketing and sales. That would be perfect. But it is imaginable that, as the sales start to raise, we will automatically land in a mechanism of production, sales and doing everything ourselves. So probably I will be managing people in the week and designing in the weekend.

The importance of good presentation is generally underestimated. For young designers it might be expensive. Contact a good photographer and take your time for it. Keep promoting and try to start your own community with soul like-minded people.

Question everything, always keep your eyes open and aim for quality.

The only routine is the morning coffee. Each day is different. We are a small brand and I have to take care of all aspects.

As most people these days, I check the things that interest me on the social media and magazines. But I don’t only check colleagues. I keep up with science and nature magazines as well. Both are very inspirational.

Design is like art for useful objects. It demands knowledge, craftmanship and vision. If it gives me an aha-moment and steals me attention, it is good design for me.

I always make several prototypes, trying out different materials, finishes and shapes. Once I’m happy with the result, I bring the final prototype to my house and start using it for a couple of months. This usually results in some extra adaptions.

The biggest step was the career change. So I would have to answer that our floor lamp ‘Monday’ is my biggest work. It is my first object and we won several prizes with it which was the best pat on the back to continue.

Toshiyuki Kita

Born in Belgium; center of western Europe and the border between north and south. I work hard; mostly too hard. But the last years I start to realize that there is more in life. I really enjoy traveling, especially with my family. And I enjoy architecture, music and of course good food.

Respect is key. If you give respect, you will receive it as well. That implies that one has to work as hard as the colleagues. But it is my experience that you end up with the best people since everyone wants to be respected.

I think that I am a good leader for a small group. And I feel best in a small group. People are more open and honest then. Deliberation works better.

First of all, a designer creates new stuff which results mostly in employment opportunities. Secondly, a good designed object makes people happy or makes life a bit better.

Mainly award competitions create the opportunity for small designers to get noticed. Maybe they will get in touch with companies that want to sell or produce. For bigger companies it works well for marketing purposes.

It certainly gives an ego boost and encourages the designer to continue.

I like to create. Designing as well as building. While doing this one always has to think some steps ahead. And in the end you have something tangible.

It is in my blood to create. I would love to make music as well, but I lack the skills.

I like to design constructions. I means that the way an object is composed interests me more than the color or the graphics on it.

It must be hard to call me a design legend with a straight face. I think one should know his classics, keep his eyes open for new stuff and connect the dots.

Great designers create a trend; good designers follow it.

I don’t know how to describe the difference between the two, but I know that when I see a real good design, it steals more of my time. I guess the definition would be different for most people. Maybe the best designs are more innovative and details are better studied.

If people want your object and it makes them happy, your design has added value. People should invest because it makes life better.

I would love to create a mountain bike. But obviously I would need help since I don’t know enough about aerodynamics or the best materials.

I want to design most interior furniture. But I only started designing two years ago, so I still have time for a sofa, chair, closet, etc..

Toshiyuki Kita

I like the Wink chair from Toshiyuki Kita. One of the first exercises we had when I was studying for interior architect was to make an ode to a designer that was appointed to us. Each one was assigned a different one. I had Kita; the only one nobody knew. So in the pre www-era, I had to direct to libraries and bookshops. One of the bookshop owners I met in Brussels know Toshiyuki Kita in person and informed me that he was coming to Brussels the next week. So I got to see him, but -as young, shy kids do, I kept my distance. Anyway, the Wink chair is a piece of furniture that is fully thought through of which I wish I designed it.

Still proud of my first object. I wanted to make a career switch from stand constructor to product designer and Monday was my first design. To know how it would be valued, I participated the IDA awards. Hopes for recognition where not high, but I won gold in category floor lamps.

It is almost impossible to come up with a completely new mind blowing idea. Most designs are re-designs from an existing object. That is why it is important to keep your eyes open and learn from existing stuff everywhere; also from nature.

I have been studying for interior architect, but my second choice was history. So I might have been a teacher.

Well, design is upscaling useful objects. Re-thinking them.

Both my father and my wife. They comment in an honest way.

I think it is important to take 3 steps back, question every aspect and redefine the starting point.

The importance of good presentation is generally underestimated. For young designers it might be expensive. Contact a good photographer and take your time for it. Keep promoting and try to start your own community with soul like-minded people.

Currently I’m working on a chair and a standing lamp. Hope to finish shortly and I would like to do a sofa in the near future.

To see my products sold by leading companies.

I'm working on a chair that I hope to present this year.

I would like to see more respect for the products nature has to offer and that have worked fine in the past and I would like to see handcraft skills more appreciated.

Technology will give design a new drift; then there will be a small throwback to the past.

I always have some ideas in my head; sometimes for years. When all dots come together to finalize one of them and I start on the prototypes, it usually goes fast. In about 1 month we get it done. Then -as mentioned before- we keep the object at home and it get concluded after a couple of months.

With some ballpoint scribbles on paper.

Quality with a personal touch.

Technology is limited to CNC cutters, or other computer controlled machinery.

The sad truth is that I was the last batch in school without learning about cad drawing. My knowledge is limited but I don’t feel the need to learn about it. Most ideas get there first form by a ballpoint on paper.

I work with natural materials and I like to show their beauty. Treatment is limited varnish or things to preserve it better; very limited painting. Natural products gives a warm ambient. But we do pay much attention to the color of the natural products and the combination.

Where can I purchase it.

When I have a whaaw-feeling, I get childish excited.

I like to work alone. In the beginning I wanted help in figuring out the small details. Now I show my prototype to a limited group of people and let them comment and suggest.

My father and my wife. I have to thank them for their honest, -yet supportive- comments.

No doubt that should be a picture book as design is a visual aspect. But I can’t give a clear answer to this question.

Experience.

David Bowie, the famous music designer.

The natural color of the object. I like a place under the sun. Barcelona was super before mass tourism. Western cuisine. My MTB. My Dasein Products.

Can be when an idea pups up. Can be when the object is finished. Can be when I win an award.

Not at all. I could have gone different ways. Teacher, handcraft worker, small business manager,… .

The same as always. Mankind will keep exploring. New inventions will lead to new trends, new wars, etc.. Children will be born, people will die.

I started as an object designer after a near burnout in 2018. I had been working to hard as a stand constructor and needed to break that circle. I had been walking with the idea of our Monday (my first design) for years but never found the time to make it. Spring that year I got overwhelmed by the urge that it would be now or never. If I wouldn’t make time, it wouldn’t get done -or worse- someone else would come up with the same idea.

So I have put the time/object relationship in the name of my brand. Dasein Products is not simply a bad diversion of the word design. It is a term used in psychology and related disciplines. Furthermore each object we create has a time notification in its name referring to a it’s looks, the design process or the feeling it gave us.

Dasein Products was founded in 2018. I had the urgent feeling that it was my time to start as a product designer. Hence the name Dasein Products which is a term from psychology that indicates a object/time relationship. Furthermore, each object we create is named with a time indication in it that reflects to the object.

Design means to develop useful objects. That is the difference with art.

Interior objects that are primo useful and secondo decorative like, chairs, lamps,… . Object that are above all mend to look good like vase are not my cup of tea.

Toshiyuki Kita’s Wink chair. I admire the way he added extra value to a lounge chair.

Our Monday, followed by the Meanwhile.

Wood in all its forms. Whether it comes straight from a three or has been transformed in MDF, plywood or something else, it is always a warm, natural product.

I have no idea. But I have to say that often ideas and solutions appear when I’m not thinking about the design. Cycling has helped a lot already.

Generally the first focus is on the form. How will the object stand or how will it serve the user better,… ; followed by the esthetics and looks. But I also think about sustainability during the whole process.

Highs and lows. I can by childishly happy when something works well but also very frustrated and down when things don’t go as wanted.

Happy -or I wouldn’t call it realized- but in the same time I always hope that others will like it also, so a bit nervous as well. No one likes to be laughed at, right?

For me that is when an object has that little extra thing. I still remember the first time I saw a coffee table on wheels.

Originality in form and/or material use.

Well, in my case, I design for individuals, not for society. But of course during the process I keep sustainability and eco-friendliness in mind.

3D printing will probably have a bigger impact in the future. A new method will evolve to a new way of thinking.

I usually have a couple of projects in my head that are not completely finished. And then, out of nowhere, I see the solution to finish the idea. In general this happens while doing something completely different.

It is not a style, but I take one extra step back and question the traditional object. I try to look at the object with the eyes of an engineer (which I’m not) before I try to figure out the aesthetics. Furthermore I try to work as much as possible with warm, naturel products.

The design magazine Yanko Design described our products as:’ ‘new-age’ aesthetic, but with familiar materials’.

Born and raised in Belgium. Centre of Western Europe. But I don’t feel that makes a difference. What I do could well be done by someone in India or the United States. Gravity is universal, as well as natural materials.

I have a past as woodworker. So there is some knowledge and I have most machinery. For other skills like metalworker or sewer, I contact others. As I have worked for exhibitions and Museums, I know quite some people with a keen eye for perfection. It is recommended to collaborate with individuals or small companies.

Of course it starts with a basic idea that gets a visual form on paper. Then we start immediately with a prototype. During the first prototype, things become already clearer. Are the measures ok? Shouldn’t the button be elsewhere? Matt finish looks ok, but what about gloss? So we always make plural prototypes, exploring different options.

The last prototype then comes to my house where me and my family see it every day for a couple of months. Till now, this always ended up in making at last a couple more modified copies.

I only have 3. As mentioned before, I am a fan of Toshiyuki Kita’s Wink chair. Secondly, I’m really attached to my wood stove. I have one of Nestor Martin -the company doesn’t exist anymore- that has the perfect measures and that is orientable. And finally, our dining table. I made it myself and I’m not sure if it should be called design, but it is a big table where our household has had it’s best moments. A central place in house where we meet, eat and chare laughter.

Positive is the fact that the designer can create new stuff and get paid for it! And it is more then just coming up with new objects. He has to check different possibilities, materials, colors, etc.. Usually there is also work for the publicity (like participating on awards). So all in all a varied work.

Negative is that it is not that easy to always find new ideas. Just as it is not possible for musicians to write a hit again and again.

Question everything.

I guess that most designers have a variety of skills and that the combination of them does the job. Material knowledge is certainly one of them.

The use of the computer is very limited. I hardly ever make a software drawing in advance, only technical drawings when the design is final. But I have a big workshop full with machinery and lots of different materials for the construction and the finishing touch.

I always have some ideas in my head; sometimes for years. When all dots come together to finalize one of them and I start on the prototypes, it usually goes fast. In about 1 month we get it done. Then -as mentioned before- we keep the object at home and it get concluded after a couple of months.

Stand construction. It involves designing but in a way that it is fast to build with the best result. And it also involves serious out of the box thinking to solve problems, usually with limited time and materials.

Product design. Spending a lot of time on 1 object just to get it perfect.

I would like to focus 100% on creating. So it would be ideal to find a business partner who would take care of further production, marketing and sales. That would be perfect. But it is imaginable that, as the sales start to raise, we will automatically land in a mechanism of production, sales and doing everything ourselves. So probably I will be managing people in the week and designing in the weekend.

Mostly by myself.

Yes. I have developed a standing lamp named Surplace that is completely made of wood products. But I would also like to see an alternative in metal. We have made some 3D renders that can be found on our website, and I have to say that I like it a lot. So if some metalworker feels called, don’t hesitate!

I prefer to be contacted by mail: welcome@daseinproducts.com.