We talk to Projekt Pracownie
A long interview with us has been published on the Projekt Pracownie (Workshop Project) portal. You will learn, among other things, where the idea for Steil came from, how we work and what our name means.
Workshop Project: We always start with where the idea to do a particular craft came from. Is it your only source of income, or do you do it on the side?
Marta: No, it's not our only source of income. I'm an interior designer, and Łukasz is a photographer. The idea came from when we were in Paris together, walking through designer shops, and Łukasz asked why we didn't make such cool things. A year later, we made cool things and started selling them.
WP: When was that exactly?
Łukasz: The trip took place in January last year, we started thinking about the concept during the holidays and we set off at the beginning of November.
PP: So when we met, you were actually at the very beginning of your journey?
Ł: In April we were already at the Targi Rzeczy Ładnych. At first we even considered taking part in the December edition, but we decided that it would be too much to apply there after a month of activity.
WP: We are in the apartment and we are trying to imagine what exactly your work looks like. Do you invent products and buy ready-made components? To what extent are your furniture and accessories the work of your hands?
Ł: The first stage is the design process. Marta can explain it better.
M: The material is definitely the starting point. We focus on minimalism. We assume that both slate and leather are materials that are so interesting and decorative that the rest can be just an addition.
Are you inspired by the North and Scandinavia? Did it start with a great journey of a lifetime? Where did these references to nature come from?
M: I travelled around Scandinavia, Łukasz – in other directions, but we like Scandinavian design, the rawness of the landscape and nature. You can see it in our products. These are not tables with a polished marble top, but a natural, raw slate structure. The same with leather – also natural, unvarnished, as is usually the case with upholstered furniture.
WP: What does your name mean?
Ł: It's a reflection of the two materials we mainly work with. We searched a lot in Scandinavian languages. We ended up with a combination of words that appear in a similar sound in almost every Scandinavian language, i.e. "stone" (stein - Norwegian, steinn - Icelandic, sten - Danish and Swedish, ) and "skin" (lær - Norwegian, leður - Icelandic, læder - Danish, läder - Swedish).
We would like to thank Karolina Malczewska and Małgorzata Herman for taking care of the subject and Krzysiek Jedynak for the photos. Read more at: https://www.projektpracownie.pl/material-wyznaczyl-kierunek/
Copyright © Projekt Pracownia
In the picture: leather handles for cabinets , photo by Krzysiek Jedynak