DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
KT : Puzzle was inspired by pure geometric forms of truncated pyramid, probability theory and the idea to make a tile with the versatility to create various wall compositions.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
KT : I wanted to challenge myself and focus on a product design still fitting within the architectural space. I'm happy that NMC Belgium, a company with more than 70 year history, appreciated my design's qualities and decided to produce it as part of their prestigious product range.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
KT : The tile is under production with NMC Belgium and I hope that it will grace many companies' spaces and people's homes.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
KT : From first idea through experimentation phase to concept finalization took about 12 weeks. The technical teams of the production company took a few more months to bring the tile to life in the right materials.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
KT : I followed my inspiration
DI: Is your design being produced or used by another company, or do you plan to sell or lease the production rights or do you intent to produce your work yourself?
KT : The tile is in production by NMC Belgium.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
KT : The interior design trend, which is looking for a constant reinvention of wall surfaces.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
KT : From architects and design studios, all the way to end customers
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
KT : Combining the tiles freely, clients can create a huge variety of abstract geometric forms which give different textures suitable for office and public spaces, or home interiors.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
KT : I was inspired by the versatility of the design and the countless combinations which were possible to create just using that tile, like a puzzle that has many variations. That's why I chose to name it Puzzle.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
KT : Sketching, drawing, SketchUp, LayOut etc
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
KT : The versatility and combinability of the design are its most unique feature. With just one style of tile, the Puzzle, it's possible to create almost unlimited compositions on the wall.
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
KT : I worked alone during the whole design concept phase. In regards to materials and production dimensions, I worked in collaboration with NMC's technical teams.
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
KT : Technology plays an important part in the design process - from finetuning the conceptualization via digital tools, to ensuring the best production quality during the manufacturing phase.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
KT : A fun part of research was trying to calculate how many different combinations can be made with a few Puzzle tiles only. Since every tile can be placed in 4 different ways, there's more different compositions possible than anyone can ever use!
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
KT : Actually the realization was not complicated due to the technical support of the production company.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
KT : As I have participated already in other international design contests and received a prize for interior design, I decided to face the challenge in a product design competition. Entering the prestigious A'Design Awards competition was then a natural step.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
KT : I learned a lot about materials, which can be used and further technological details about the production process.