Annotations cc: Frederik Fialin

Frederik Fialin is a self-taught designer whose work bridges the intuitive, physical immediacy of making and the incidental beauty of the everyday. His process embraces self-imposed restraints or frictions as catalysts for innovation that accelerate decisions and reveal new possibilities. In this conversation, we speak about position, purpose, and the aspiration to develop an accessible design practice.

Anoe: What are the influences beyond design that affect your creative process? 

Frederik: I’m influenced by art in general. I'm fascinated by how, in almost all cases, there's absolutely no requirement for functionality. It’s easier, in a way, to create beauty when you're not bound by functionality. In art, you focus on the narrative or the reasoning behind the work, rather than whether it serves a practical purpose. There's a sincere beauty in many types of art that inspires me. At the same time, I might be sitting on a bus and notice some weird bit of joinery and I’ll find that inspiring too. So, my influences come from a wide range of places. If I can, I try to bring elements from fine art, particularly sculpture, into my work and develop a functional aspect.

 

A: Beauty is a complicated concept. I feel that it has become almost controversial. At a certain point in cultural discourse, we started trying to rationalize beauty or justify it with meaning. Art holds beauty without a function, but through purpose, creating reflection, or a certain emotional tension. In design, of course, function is defined. But in art, function becomes meaning.

F: But don’t you think that beauty can be a function? Doesn’t that qualify?

A: True. Yes, beauty can also be a relation, how something operates, behaves or responds.

F: Exactly.

A: How about meaning, do you need meaning for something to be beautiful?

F: Not at all. It can be completely random. I think there's beauty everywhere. It could be an elaborate painting that took years to complete, or it could be the signs of water damage on a wall. It might be a fragment of a badly done paint job or a perfectly glossy, fresh one. It can be anything. We're surrounded by beauty, we just have to look for it.

A: These observations could be seen by others as flaws rather than beauty. It’s entirely subjective. But your way of seeing allows you to reinterpret those details, transforming them into something that resonates. Your perception of beauty defines your visual language, and finds form in your aesthetic output.

F: I hope so. I still consider myself at the beginning of this. I honestly don’t think I know that much yet, and I know I don’t know that much. What I’ve managed to do in some situations is simply follow my intuition. That’s something I really strive to keep doing. My theory right now, which could change, is that when I manage to follow my intuition and filter everything else out, I end up with the most direct, simple solution, which is usually the most beautiful one. It’s not about thinking of the goal, it’s about letting the goal happen. It’s not always possible. It’s hard, actually. It’s not very logical, it’s intuitive.

A: Inner intelligence is hard to access—it definitely requires practice. Intuition also allows for a deep sense of flow and focus, often leading to the purest form of creation.

F: I was never taught method or theory in product or industrial design, so I often set up exercises for myself. It’s one of the most rewarding practices in my studio. I’d start by making a list of what I can and cannot do—essentially setting up a framework of restraints—and then act and create within it. It’s a process I’d recommend. I’ve found that restraints are crucial.

 

A: How do you pick the restraints? Or how is the list formed?

F: I was recently looking around my shelving and realized I had a huge amount of scraps lying around—all sorts of nice materials and leftover pieces. So I set up a dogma project called Scraps, where I was only allowed to use materials already in the studio. The brief was to create one stool, one lamp, one side table, and a fourth object of my choosing. I gave myself one month. There were additional rules: no external suppliers, no assistance, and no new tools. It felt like an exam project, and it was really fun. There’s a sense of excitement in working within restraints. The side table that came out of it was exhibited at 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen.

A: Imagination can operate well under restraints, and boost the ability to think inventively. The way you intentionally set the parameters, or boundaries, of your process reflects how you position yourself within your own practice and, eventually, within the industry.

F: I've been thinking a lot about positioning. Currently, I aim to collaborate with brands and outsource certain parts of the process. This shift aligns with my recent move from Berlin to Milan and is integral to this transition. I hold on to what's personal and where it all started, but I'm moving towards a deeper understanding of another side of the industry. There's something fascinating about writing a pop song, if you know what I mean. I enjoy imagining designing a small lamp that finds its place in many people's homes, integrated into the everyday. I aim to create something within reach. This is one of my intentions: to make my work more accessible.

A: I like that. It’s definitely something to think about. It’s an opposing tension to today’s obsession with collectible design, reminding us that design’s value isn’t in privilege.

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Text: Anoe Melliou
Images: Courtesy of Studio Frederik Fialin