Kjartan Óskarsson is known for his innovative Scandinavian structures and lighting that aim to use interactive techniques to connect the user and the object. Óskarsson was recently awarded the Scandinavian Talents á la carte at Maison & Objet, Paris. We attended the prestigious fair and caught up with the designer himself.

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Text by Sari Peltonen, Illustration by Maya Badouk Epstein

Kjartan Óskarsson studied Interior Design at Istituto Superior Di Architettura E Design (ISAD), Milano, Italy and Furniture Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) 2014.  For the past 16 years, he has been involved in numerous interior, furniture, and lighting-design projects. His most recent work however, is building a design studio based around his work on lighting and lamps with the aim of utilising interactive programmes.

Made from white oak and ash, the product has no visible controls such as a dimmer or switch, they are instead integrated into the lamp itself. To adjust the light intensity, the user pulls the leather strap of the light.

What is it about the connection between user and the object that interests you?

It started when I was studying and designing my first lamps at RISD. I was playing with 3D printing and realised that there would have to be a switch that would fit the design of my lamp. I only found switches that didn’t appeal to me as they had already been made and used before. You can have the most expensive, nicely designed lamp, but it will still come with a standard plastic switch! Then I thought of integrating the switch into the lamp directly – both to avoid the standard plastic switches and for a smooth transition of the illumination.

I worked with it for about a year and did a lot of experiments. I now have an entire collection of lamps with different ways of dimming the light. This concept was the foundation for my thesis when I was studying at Rhode Island School of Design.

Why light?

I was raised up in a lighting company Rafkaup that my parents started 34 years ago. I have been designing lighting concepts from an early age.

What makes for great lighting design in your opinion?

A lot of things impact great lighting – one thing is the light source itself, another is how you use it and place it within the space.

When I started to design my own lamps, I wanted to make something different from what I already saw on the market. Go beyond what was a standard light fixture, I was more interested in something that nobody had done before. Now I don’t understand why I haven’t seen more of what I do.

You were selected as one of the Talents á la carte at Maison & Objet. What importance does that have?

The media was very interested and the fair did a very good job at spreading the word and promoting it. A lot of people came to see us and we received a lot of attention. We are all young companies so it was very important for us. For me, having the opportunity to show people and let them experience my product is important since it is not possible from just the photo.

What was your overall experience of the fair?

The visit was very successful, it way beyond my expectations. I met many people from design shops, architects, interior designers, retailers, journalists and designers that want to use my product in their projects. The contacts do not only come from Europe or the States but the fair is truly global – I met people from all of the continents.

Being part of the á la carte -project also meant  a well organised program including media lunches and dinners, for example. They are new territory for me, but very useful.

Does coming from Iceland make a difference?

Some people were surprised that I came all the way. However, I get enquiries from all over the world and my audience is global. As my lamps are preciously handmade one by one, the biggest problem with coming from Iceland is how costly it is to ship. Many of them are tailored especially for the client, thereby differ in size.  Small shipments are fine but when you have an object that is more than 1x1m it becomes very expensive. I am currently producing my lamps in Iceland but am trying to move my production to Europe or the US as there are too many problems having the production here in Iceland.

Talents á la carte

Kjartan Oskarsson exhibited side by side with five other promising young Scandinavian designers.

Together, French-born Emma Marga Blanche and Swedish Fredrik Färg are Färg & Blanche, known for their ways of weaving furniture and delicate sense for material.

Katriina Nuutinen is a Finnish designer especially known for her glass works. Katriinas studio presented new Pulu vases at the exhibition for the first time. Also new clear colour combinations of the Lyyli series, Aava shelves and Hely jewel lamp were exhibited in the event.

Norwegian Jorgen Platou Willumsen and Stian Kornved Ruun form Studio Kneip, whose works border the lines of art, crafts and design.

Danish Jonas Edvard is a Danish Product Designer educated from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Denmark. His work is focused on research into raw and natural materials, the history of their use and the future of their existence.

Troels Flensted (1987) went to Central Saint Martins in London. After graduating in 2014 he moved back to his native Denmark and founded his design studio in January 2015.

Flensted’s experimental studio is exploring the potential within material behaviour, colours and manufacturing processes, and finds inspiration in the aesthetic and undiscovered possibilities deriving from combining the three.