Interview with Rita Kettaneh
Rita Kettaneh designs furniture that is unique, playful and meaningful. She seeks to make the experience of owning furniture an inspiring one where pieces evoke an emotion within their users and tell…
Design Legend Interview
9 May 2018
I took a somewhat unconventional path towards design. While I always had artistic hobbies, little did I know the importance of these “hobbies”. I went from studying engineering for my undergraduate degree to working my way through the production chain until I got into entrepreneurship and marketing. This brought me the closest to the end users and allowed me to use design thinking on a daily basis. Then I discovered my passion for furniture design within a workshop, and ever since, I’ve been invested in continuous learning and practice both independently and with the support of some great mentors.
I feel that there are things to create, that our lives could be more beautiful on a daily basis. We do not need to go far to feel special. Our homes can be our haven.
I want to enjoy the pieces of furniture I interact with daily. I want them to mean something to me and to other people. And if through the pieces that I design, I can awaken a feeling in people and create an experience for them, I would be very content.
I want to enjoy the pieces of furniture I interact with daily. I want them to mean something to me and to other people. And if through the pieces that I design, I can awaken a feeling in people and create an experience for them, I would be very content.
I chose to become a designer. Perhaps it was luck or fate that I discovered this passion. But what I know is that the path I took prepared me for this field and that it’s through will and perseverance that I pursued this career.
I love designing furniture pieces that are playful, and that create a connection with the user.
I don’t think I’m a design legend per say! I’m very thankful that my designs are being appreciated, but I know that the journey is only starting. I advise young designers to trust their intuition, to trust their ideas and let the ideas guide them. Explore without fear. There is nothing to lose. Patience is key: patience with oneself and respect for the time the process takes. Love your concept and it will flourish. But stay flexible to new ideas or changes to your concept.
A great designer is flexible and humble enough to accept feedback and to know when to move into another concept. A great designer is a perfectionist even though perfection can never be reached but trying to approach it makes the whole difference.
Good design performs well on many fronts. It functions very well, intuitively, and safely. It has good aesthetics, the concept is inherent throughout the design and it has novelty. It is feasible to produce and financially viable. These are some of the most important points.
Good design makes our lives better, more enjoyable and more efficient. It is the reason we can enjoy how we are dressed and it is why we can commute or drive smoothly towards our destination. Design is behind every aspect of our lives and hence it is priceless.
There is a great deal of masters I look up to. I think Tadao Ando is fascinating, Nendo too, and so is Davide Groppi. This is naming just a few.
I think practice is essential. Also, continuing to learn and staying up to date with trends and technologies is important.
My mom. She has always encouraged me. I remember how ecstatic and proud she was when I showed her my first designs.
Also, I will always be grateful to my first design teacher who was incredibly supportive and gave me the confidence to pursue this career. He is still an advisor to me today.
Also, I will always be grateful to my first design teacher who was incredibly supportive and gave me the confidence to pursue this career. He is still an advisor to me today.
I think that sometimes a longer path is not time wasted but rather an enrichment before reaching the goal. This is how I see the path I took to becoming a designer. My undergraduate strengthened my logic and rational thinking. My hobbies in music, dance, and art allowed me to nurture my emotional, artistic, empathetic side. And then my other professional roles gave me a business perspective.
Prototyping is key and may require collaborations with specialists as well as some software skills.
An image is worth a million words. This saying can’t be truer. Good photos can make or break a presentation in my opinion. By good photos, I mean high quality images that explain the design.
I think that when you interact with an object that has been created with a lot of consideration and dedication, it makes you connect with the designer, maker, and the brand as a whole. The feeling that someone cares is a great one and I find it inspiring.
The more design is embedded into the core of the business, the more the products will be suited to the end user. Strong collaborations with different teams will allow designers to further utilize cutting edge technological advances in materials, prototyping techniques, and production processes.
I think it can go both ways. A great design can have a ripple effect within the field, introducing a step change that inspires other designers to ideate along the same path. Alternatively, since good design fits seamlessly into the user’s behaviour and lifestyle, it will need to adapt to new behavioural trends. Another example is when a new technology is made available for designers to explore and utilize.
These are all so important in consolidating the concept and creating a great experience for the user.
Of course it is hard. The most important is stay true to your vision and to keep going forward. Recognition is great encouragement and an important step in promoting a design. It involves some luck but there is a quote I like by Thomas Jefferson that says “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”
When I was a kid, one of my favourite activities was building objects from big lego-like parts. I was also very good at sketching. I especially liked drawing portraits. Then in high school, I had a preference for physics and spatial geometry.
I am very thankful for anyone who appreciates my work. Your support is really heart-warming and inspires me to keep making new designs. Sending good vibes your way!
Designer Interview
27 November 2018
Since I was young, I've possessed an artistic side which I would express through portrait sketching, painting, and playing the piano, and later, through figure skating and modern jazz. Academically, I was always intrigued by maths and physics which lead me to pursue a degree in engineering. Since then, I gradually gravitated to the arts and design field by joining a startup in the arts in London after completing a master’s degree in entrepreneurship at UCL. In a transitional phase between London and home, I took a workshop which made me discover my passion for design as the perfect balance between art and science. And so, I began enrolling myself in a multitude of design-related workshops and courses. Supervised by experienced designers, artists, and architects, I continued to develop myself as a furniture designer through continuous practice and learning over the last three years and I've started realizing my designs by working closely with local craftsmen and producers.
I recently launched my startup called KRAY Studio to commercialize my designs. My main goal is to design furniture that is boldly innovative and that connects with us.
Design is the link between art and science. It seeks to create beautiful, meaningful solutions to our human needs.
I like works that are intriguing and that engage the mind as much as the senses.
I like transparent materials, like glass and acrylic, because of their openness and how they interact with the light.
I love working with my hands in a quiet environment. This allows me to develop my concepts. However, there is no limit to how I find inspiration, as it can be triggered by different experiences and interactions.
I prefer to strike a balance between aesthetics and function.
When I am developing a concept, I alternate between being very focused and seeking further inspiration. The whole process is enjoyable as I feel I am on a path of discovery. I am usually patient and optimistic. I know when I've reached a good design because then I feel thrilled.
It is a mix of emotions. If the realization is not to my liking, I experience some disappointment and look forward to iterating on it. As to when it is realized successfully, I feel a sense of satisfaction.
A design is successful if it delivers its function in a aesthetical form that is easy and safe for the user to adopt, is technically feasible and financially viable.
First comes safety, then comes function closely followed by aesthetics.
The designer should aim to increase the quality of life of society from an emotional and practical aspect, while respecting the environment.
The design field is becoming more entertwined with technology and further interrelated with other industries. This increases the need for designers who are proficient in technical tools and are able to collaborate with experts across a wide range of fields.
All positive from my end! I'm joking... I'm really optimistic about being a designer though it can be sometimes challenging. Like the challenges of an artist, a designer relies on inspiration, so there is some luck involved. But I believe that the more ideas I come up with, the more likely I am to find a good concept. Another challenge is that it requires a lot of patience and hard work to keep iterating on the design before it matures to its optimal state.
A designer must have flexibility and courage. This is important so that the designer can iterate between different options and adapt to test outcomes or feedback.
This would really depend on the project, customer feedback, chance and inspiration, as well as whether any technical challenges are experienced during realization, which could require the need for redesign or finetuning the design. So it can vary from days to months.
I am planning on exhibiting and selling the Crystal tables and I'm working in parallel on some other designs.
I like to iterate between time spent focusing individually and time spent getting feedback and brainstorming with other people.
ritakettaneh@gmail.com