Shay Alkalay and Yael Mer win design awards with their studio Raw Edges. A conversation about perfect designs and childlike experiments.
KURIER: You try to approach all of your designs as if you were still a child – why?
Shay Alkalay: Children have a natural need to experiment. Everything is new and they want to learn everything by themselves. We also follow this approach with our designs. We design every sofa, table and pillow as if we were doing it for the first time. That is sometimes frustrating and difficult, but also exciting and surprising.
Did you agree on the work process right from the start or did you have to find out how best to cooperate?
Shay Alkalay : I like the experimental part and Yael is also very exploratory. We always start with our ideas and Yael brings a lot of input and inspiration into this process. We then work until we are satisfied – or the deadline is reached.
Do you find it difficult to let go of designs?
Shay Alkalay: Yeal should answer that question (laughs).
Yael Mer: Every creation has an infinite number of options, and part of that creation process is making decisions. They make the object what it is. The final decision is the hardest. Because as long as the product is in the development process, all options, shapes and colors are open.
“Hole in the floor” is a bookshelf that allows books to sink into the floor through an optical illusion. The design is intended to amaze adults as well as children
Can a design be perfect?
Yael Mer: I don't know if an object can be perfect, but I think there is a point where the product is as good as it can be. We always want to go there.
What does more mean: positive feedback or the development process?
Yael Mer: Feedback is important, it drives us. But the process in which an idea is born and we start to create sketches and prototypes fascinates us. Our hope and the desire to create something new is the reason that we always start over.
You like to work with strong, bright colors. How does this change the design?
Yael Mer: This appetite for color also has to do with our childish approach. There are color combinations that make you feel like you're a child again.
Shay Alkalay: When I see color combinations that I like, I feel my mood change. So it is often difficult for me to work with colors. You have to be very careful, especially with large objects. This requires a lot of experience, intuition and sensitivity in dealing with color.
“Sugar” for Moroso is a pillow in the shape of a candy
How can design help people get through this pandemic well?
Shay Alkalay : What you want these days is to be happy. People worry. Design has the task of creating drafts that help you relax and be happy.
And vice versa – will the pandemic change the design industry?
Shay Alkalay : In the beginning it was nice to work without stress, to travel less and just discuss everything through online conferences. But now we're bored. We miss the excitement of meeting people, the inspiration and also the deadlines. We miss the surprises of everyday life.
Yael Mer: The fun factor has been lost a bit. And we need that in products too. They should work, but also be fun.
“Stack Up” for Established and Sons here in green and yellow combined drawers, 2015
