Tomasz Danielec found a love for designing furniture 5 years ago after being in the design industry for 20 years. As the Creative Director at Baker Street Boys, a luxury furniture and homeware brand, Danielec uses materials that are environmentally friendly and creates them into a minimalistic creation.
Baker Street Boys are a great example of turning ordinary, ethically sourced, materials into something extraordinary. Space to Show is proud to present Baker Street Boys, and we had the pleasure of getting to know Tomask Danielec a little bit better.
What made you decide to join Space to Show?
We were always looking for expanding our audience, Space to Show is a perfect platform to showcase our design and bring it to the world. We absolutely love the quality of the design on the website which is beautifully curated by the “Space to Show” team.
What made you want to design furniture?
I have trained as an architect and worked in the design industry for 20 years. I started furniture design around 5 years ago as it was my long-term dream. It was a brave decision to move from architecture to furniture – it was a way out of my comfort zone but I love it!
What is your proudest moment in your career as a designer?
The Clerkenwell Design Week where THE LINE was launched. We had amazing reception and it was a great success. We have also been invited twice to exhibit in The Design Museum – it is every designers’ dream
If you didn’t become a designer, what kind of career path would you choose?
Strangely something totally different… an astrophysicist!
Where does your inspiration come from?
I like to transmute everyday observations into logical geometrical thinking. THE LINE was inspired by the streets of London – the shapes were then geometrically transformed into functional objects.
What’s the one piece of furniture you absolutely love designing?
Coffee table. I am a true coffee lover – THE LINE Coffee Table is my favourite piece. I was a bit selfish designing it… I did it for myself. I don’t need now to bend to get my coffee and I have foot stool to rest, all in one piece!
Who is the one person (whether it be someone you admire) you would love to design furniture for?
Tadao Ando – he is my architectural guru. His minimalistic, architectural masterpieces are my biggest inspirations. I would love to design a piece to furnish his interiors.
Why is it important to you to design pieces from raw materials that are environmentally friendly?
I love steel – it is the ultimate recycling material. But for me the most important is to give ordinary materials an extraordinary value. See them in the different light, see beauty in them, notice the luxury in the pattern of raw steel – the shine, the colour, the beauty and liveness of the rust pattern etc. Getting out of the traditional definition of ‘value’ gives us more variety of materials to work with through upcycling and recycling.
In the current environmental crisis it is also very important to create timeless pieces designed for generations and non reactive to trends. This should be every designers’ goal. Disposable culture brought by cheap, furniture giants is no longer sustainable.