Engel Olga Design; unique charisma and charm

Makers

16 Jun

Words: designeers
june 2024

designeers

Could you please give us a quick introduction? Describe what you create:

olga

I create collectible furniture (armchairs, sofas, chairs, tables, etc.), light fixtures (ceiling lights, floor lights, wall lights) mirrors, etc.

designeers

Tell us how you got started in this field? What drew you to this type of design?

olga

My story started in my childhood. I was always interested in anything to do with art and anything that is hand made. I made my first piece when I was 12 years old. It so happened that in my family I was taught to make things with my hands - my grandparents taught me how to create things, and it was always interesting for me. Anything to do with art, drawing was always interesting, so my choice of profession was obvious to me. Specifically, I focus on pieces of collectible design – not industrial. This gives me more of an opportunity to be creative with materials.

designeers

Describe your favourite you’ve created pieces to date and how they have shaped you as an artist.

olga

I love all of my pieces in the moment that I create them, and the first time that I see them in their completed form in real life – this is the most inspiring moment for me. After the piece starts to get sold to clients, it begins living a life of its own, and I fall in love with something else.

designeers

What do you feel is the most challenging part of being an artist?

olga

I feel that the most challenging part of being an artist is the production process itself. When, despite all of the difficulties, the piece that gets physically created fully matches the vision that I had in my mind.

“After the piece starts to get sold to clients, it begins living a life of its own, and I fall in love with something else. ”

olga engel

designeers

What does a typical day look like in the studio?

olga

Typically, the morning is dedicated to community with the workshop and addressing any technical issues that come up during production. Usually, the rest of the day is spent on solving other issues related to shipping, orders, and when I get an idea for a new piece – I try to take out time specifically to bring it to life. Sometimes, the process of creating a new piece takes weeks – or months. I make sketches, notes, etc. Only then, when I am ready to start creating the piece visually, I take time to do this, and we start making a 3D model.

designeers

What’s the best mistake you have ever made?

olga

One time, Dior offered me to make some sculptures/pieces for them, and the timeframe for creating them was very small – it was right before Christmas (high season for orders). I needed to concentrate and think of something unusual and unique for Dior. I created several installations, and when I sent them my letter, I wrote the curator’s name incorrectly. Following this incident, my cooperation with Dior concluded, as it is considered highly disrespectful in France to address someone by the incorrect name. The project with Dior ended, which was unfortunate. However, from this experience, I developed numerous new ideas and concepts that I am now using to create new pieces.

designeers

Your top 3 main sources of inspiration and references you are drawn to regularly?

olga

My sources of inspiration are the emotions that I try to express through my pieces. These can be warm memories from my childhood or simply pleasant moments that I have experienced. For example, I am now making a new collection of pieces called BOXES. These are armchairs made to look like a pile of boxes, and when someone sits on this pile of boxes, they are themselves a piece that is unpacked from those boxes. We all love to receive presents, and this moment of unboxing, when we can’t wait to see what is inside. Also, in this collection there will be lights that also look like gift boxes, and this will be a flash of the moment when we unpack a gift box.

designeers

On your coffee table right now?

olga

Rothko by Jacob Baal-Teshuva
Emmanuel Renaut – Nature’s Table
Houses – Extraordinary Living (Phaidon)
Le Corbusier – Le Grand (Phaidon)
Ark Journal Vol VIII
4 sculptures from the artist Tirdu, from a French gallery on Ile de Re Galerie Sophie Le Mée
A menorah

designeers

Design hero:

olga

This is a difficult question because as I change during the course of my life, my heroes change as well. The only thing that hasn’t changed – I am a devout fan of all designers that work in a minimalistic style. When a piece seems simple, or a work seems simple, but in reality it isn’t with all of its elements. I am a fan of artists and designers that, with the use of simple and minimalistic forms, create great works of art.