Meet FDA Finalists Jun Paul Lasco and Joey Rademakers
In this six-part series, we talk to the finalists of Singapore's Furniture Design Awards 2017 about their design process
The Furniture Design Award (FDA) is an annual furniture design competition organised by the Singapore Furniture Industries Council (SFIC). The Award aims to uncover budding design talents both locally and internationally and be a reputable showcase for the unique creations of the world’s best creative minds. Increasingly, FDA has become a platform for exchange and networking amongst furniture manufacturers and designers internationally.
Here are two of the 12 finalists whose entries are on display at the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show in 2017. They are vying for the Grand Award of S$20,000 in cash, plus a 12-square-metre exhibition booth to present his/her designs at the fair the following year.
Here are two of the 12 finalists whose entries are on display at the International Furniture Fair Singapore/ASEAN Furniture Show in 2017. They are vying for the Grand Award of S$20,000 in cash, plus a 12-square-metre exhibition booth to present his/her designs at the fair the following year.
What’s the inspiration behind your entry for FDA?
Back home in the province, a lady from a village was selling woven blinds. I was surprised to learn how inexpensive they were, considering the hard work it takes to make one. That inspired me to think of ways to reinvent the humble blinds and transform them into something that people would find more worthy paying a higher price for. Inspiration is usually a spontaneous thing for me but for the Bench Screen, it’s this memory of a lady selling woven blinds and the need to help (her) that gave me the idea to play with the screen concept.
The approach for this design is to modernise the look and integrate additional functions. The woven blinds had taken various forms after several design studies until it was decided that adding a seating function would give optimum value to the design. The tall backrest – the prominent feature of the design – gives a sense of privacy and defines the personal space.
Back home in the province, a lady from a village was selling woven blinds. I was surprised to learn how inexpensive they were, considering the hard work it takes to make one. That inspired me to think of ways to reinvent the humble blinds and transform them into something that people would find more worthy paying a higher price for. Inspiration is usually a spontaneous thing for me but for the Bench Screen, it’s this memory of a lady selling woven blinds and the need to help (her) that gave me the idea to play with the screen concept.
The approach for this design is to modernise the look and integrate additional functions. The woven blinds had taken various forms after several design studies until it was decided that adding a seating function would give optimum value to the design. The tall backrest – the prominent feature of the design – gives a sense of privacy and defines the personal space.
Please tell us what your creative process is like, using your FDA entry as an example.
I submitted designs for FDA 2016 but didn’t make the cut. For this year’s FDA, the conceptualisation took me months, I started thinking of ideas and reviewed old ones from my notes months before the call for submissions.
I made a list of all the concepts and did thorough research on each one before narrowing it down to just two. The concepts were further developed through sketches and 3D modelling and then I started on the technical details. I’m currently developing the first prototype of the Bench Screen. There are challenges along the way but they keep me going.
I submitted designs for FDA 2016 but didn’t make the cut. For this year’s FDA, the conceptualisation took me months, I started thinking of ideas and reviewed old ones from my notes months before the call for submissions.
I made a list of all the concepts and did thorough research on each one before narrowing it down to just two. The concepts were further developed through sketches and 3D modelling and then I started on the technical details. I’m currently developing the first prototype of the Bench Screen. There are challenges along the way but they keep me going.
FDA 2017 Finalist: Bench Screen by Jun Paul Lasco
Fusing and simplifying function, the Bench Screen reinvents the traditional bamboo screen and communal seating. With a 1.7 metre-high backrest, the bench doubles as a partition and screen that creates degrees of privacy in public spaces. This therefore eliminates the need for two separate pieces.
Fusing and simplifying function, the Bench Screen reinvents the traditional bamboo screen and communal seating. With a 1.7 metre-high backrest, the bench doubles as a partition and screen that creates degrees of privacy in public spaces. This therefore eliminates the need for two separate pieces.
Joey Rademakers
A graduate from the Maastricht Academy of Architecture, Joey Rademakers works as an interior architect. His master’s project won in 2013 the BNI-prijs; the Dutch award for best graduation project. Since then he has co-founded De Nieuwe Context, a research and design collective that works on various projects: from research on rezoning to interior design, architecture to product design.
How did you get into furniture design?
It started with the design of our own furniture for the atelier we were about to establish.
How could it be used? Can it stimulate new ways of working? Is it suitable for creative working environments? This resulted in The Workspace – a collection of OSB (oriented strand board) furniture.
As a spatial designer I was of course always involved with custom furniture design, but The Workspace is a new larger adventure.
Who are your heroes/idols in the world of furniture design, and what are your inspirations?
Everyday life is my inspiration. Some people don’t see the beauty in this and need all sorts of distractions. This appreciation for the everyday life leads to pragmatic but also poetic designs. How objects are used, how material shows signs of usage and how suitable furniture can be – there is a real beauty and fairness in that.
A graduate from the Maastricht Academy of Architecture, Joey Rademakers works as an interior architect. His master’s project won in 2013 the BNI-prijs; the Dutch award for best graduation project. Since then he has co-founded De Nieuwe Context, a research and design collective that works on various projects: from research on rezoning to interior design, architecture to product design.
How did you get into furniture design?
It started with the design of our own furniture for the atelier we were about to establish.
How could it be used? Can it stimulate new ways of working? Is it suitable for creative working environments? This resulted in The Workspace – a collection of OSB (oriented strand board) furniture.
As a spatial designer I was of course always involved with custom furniture design, but The Workspace is a new larger adventure.
Who are your heroes/idols in the world of furniture design, and what are your inspirations?
Everyday life is my inspiration. Some people don’t see the beauty in this and need all sorts of distractions. This appreciation for the everyday life leads to pragmatic but also poetic designs. How objects are used, how material shows signs of usage and how suitable furniture can be – there is a real beauty and fairness in that.
What was the first thing that you designed that’s now in the market?
Our first product design is actually The Workspace, but of course we already did a lot of custom furniture design, interior architecture, and architecture.
Our first product design is actually The Workspace, but of course we already did a lot of custom furniture design, interior architecture, and architecture.
What’s the inspiration behind your entry for FDA?
The collection is developed for dynamic working environments. I set myself a goal to waste as little material during the production as possible.
No fasteners are required and the design uses OSB sheets as the main material. Up to 90 per cent of a tree is used to produce OSB (in contrast to 40 to 60 per cent for other sheet materials).
It’s optimal on multiple levels, so to speak.
The collection is developed for dynamic working environments. I set myself a goal to waste as little material during the production as possible.
No fasteners are required and the design uses OSB sheets as the main material. Up to 90 per cent of a tree is used to produce OSB (in contrast to 40 to 60 per cent for other sheet materials).
It’s optimal on multiple levels, so to speak.
Please tell us what your creative process is like, using your FDA entry as an example.
The most creative past is to construct an idea based on usage and habits combined with materials.
I’m a bit of a thinker so before I start producing I first do research and most of the time, write a short essay on the subject. Then starts the production of ideas. I don’t believe in ’the golden egg’ of something. Probably because I love doing the labour and the process of developing an idea. This is where design comes alive; it happens with notes, sketches and a lot of small physical models.
The most creative past is to construct an idea based on usage and habits combined with materials.
I’m a bit of a thinker so before I start producing I first do research and most of the time, write a short essay on the subject. Then starts the production of ideas. I don’t believe in ’the golden egg’ of something. Probably because I love doing the labour and the process of developing an idea. This is where design comes alive; it happens with notes, sketches and a lot of small physical models.
FDA 2017 Finalist: The Workspace by Joey Rademakers
The Workspace is a collection of work furniture manufactured from Oriented Strand Board (OSB sheet) which is an engineered wood panel. Working environments are no longer static with most workspaces being dynamic and changing frequently. The location of the designer’s own workspace changes regularly and he designed this collection to suit those working conditions. The pieces are easy to construct and disassemble. Furthermore, no additional assembly components are needed. The design represents the material qualities of the OSB sheet at its optimum. The material is cheaper than plywood and during the production of The Workspace, there is almost no cutting waste, therefore ensuring sustainable efficiency.
MORE
Which Design Will Win Singapore’s Furniture Design Award 2017?
The Workspace is a collection of work furniture manufactured from Oriented Strand Board (OSB sheet) which is an engineered wood panel. Working environments are no longer static with most workspaces being dynamic and changing frequently. The location of the designer’s own workspace changes regularly and he designed this collection to suit those working conditions. The pieces are easy to construct and disassemble. Furthermore, no additional assembly components are needed. The design represents the material qualities of the OSB sheet at its optimum. The material is cheaper than plywood and during the production of The Workspace, there is almost no cutting waste, therefore ensuring sustainable efficiency.
MORE
Which Design Will Win Singapore’s Furniture Design Award 2017?
Growing up in Bohol, an island in central Philippines, Jun Paul Lasco developed a strong fascination for architecture and design. However he decided to pursue a non-design degree in university, working in the IT industry for three years. With a heart that was truly in design, Lasco then started on a second degree, Interior Design, where he had the opportunity to intern for a furniture company. He dropped interior design to pursue furniture design full-time in his second year, and currently works as a junior designer.
How did you get into furniture design?
My interest in furniture design started in high school when I came across an article featuring works by passionate local designers. Fast forward to design school, one of my teachers encouraged and helped me pursue my passion for furniture design.
Who are your heroes/idols in the world of furniture design, and what are your inspirations?
Filipino designer Kenneth Cobonpue’s unique take on natural materials sparked my interest in modern design. I also look up to the often ethereal works by Japanese architect Ryuji Nakamura.
I love observing fashion and architecture, like an avant-garde garment or a colonial house. But generally speaking, I’m inspired by everything: nature, emotions, the need to solve problems, found objects etc.