"Dare to create your own materials, so that you develop a product that is exactly how you want it."
Interview with Carole Baijings
Meet Carole Baijings, the founder of the Amsterdam-based design studio, Carole Baijings Studio for Design. Carole creates unique tableware, textiles, furniture and lighting. Her designs range from glassware to ceramics, always exploring new ways to bring materials to life. Her design philosophy revolves around the atelier-approach, where colors, shapes, materials and models are handcrafted to create original and layered objects.
Color plays an important role in Carole's work. She experiments with transparency and grids to add dimension to her work. Carole has collaborated with important brands such as Hay, Fatboy, Petite Friture, Ikea, and Pastoe. Her work has been exhibited worldwide in prestigious museums, such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum in New York, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
MAD invited Carole Bajijngs for a creative lunch and talk. Read all about her career path and tips for young start-up creatives here.
Can you tell us how your career as a designer began?
"I started as a production designer, creating commercials for brands, such as Coca-Cola. The director I worked with also had a club for creatives, and he once needed two designers for a renovation project. A project in which a church had to be transformed into a small lounge. He asked two designers to set up the space as a bar. That's where I met my ex-partner, who was working as a designer at that time. We got to know each other through work, and later more personally. Together with my ex-partner, I then founded the studio Scholten and Baijings, and from that moment on my career as a designer truly began."
So, basically, it all started because of love?
"Yes, exactly, it all started because of love."
"Seek inspiration outside your own field. Look at other artists, architects, musicians, or even nature"
In many of your designs, there’s a lot of color. Where does your passion for color come from?
"I think my love for colors comes from being born in Indonesia. Although I only lived there for the first year of my life, from my ages 0 to 1, it left an unconscious impression on me. The environment there is full of color, from the flowers to the people's clothing. Those vibrant colors influenced me. Also, I've always loved flowers and nature, which often have intense, natural colors."
Where exactly were you born in Indonesia?
"In Jakarta."
Can you walk us through your process, from the first idea to the final product?
"The process always starts with studying the DNA of the brand I’m working with. I look at things like: What are their values? What do they stand for? What is their strength? From there, I begin my research and start sketching. Sometimes there’s a specific request or wish from the brand, but often I also get the freedom to create what I want. Then I develop colors, materials and models, and together we look at what is feasible within the production capabilities of a product. I also carefully think about how a product is presented, including the packaging, which is an important part of the process as well. It's an extensive process, but it leads to a product that really matches the customer's value.”
"Always make models. Not just sketches, but actually creating something tangible helps you understand if something works or not."
If you could give some advice to upcoming designers, that are new in the industry, what would you recommend?
"First I would say, always make models. Not just sketches, but create something tangible that helps you to understand if something works or not. A model can show you if the proportions are right, if the object is practical, and even how it looks in space. You can hold it, walk around it, look at it in up close, ... It really helps you understand the human scale."
"As a second advice, seek inspiration outside your own field. Look at other artists, architects, musicians, or even nature. For example, collect fifty images that speak to you because they will reveal a lot about who you are and what inspires you. This helps you discover your own sources of inspiration and understand why you find certain things beautiful. For me, this would be transparency, radiance, and color gradients, which always appear in my work."
"And last but not least, dare to create your own materials. Explore the possibilities and try to create materials that best fit your vision. It allows you to develop a product exactly as you want it, and it helps you convince others of your ideas more effectively."
