DI: What is the main principle, idea and inspiration behind your design?
CY : My basic principle for designing the sofa "LOOVER" was to differentiate myself from the standard model of a sofa. The idea came from looking at the first letter of my name, which is "C". So, I thought it might reflect the floor plan of a sofa with a single back and arms. The extension of my thinking was to place another "C", one below the other, to have a three-dimensional version of the main idea of the sofa.
DI: What has been your main focus in designing this work? Especially what did you want to achieve?
CY : My main focus in designing this sofa has been the way it is assembled. Its parts are separate and detachable, connected together in a way that does not require the use of tools, while this does not negatively affect its static balance and sturdiness. For this reason the assembling and disassembling of this sofa is extremely simple and uncomplicated.
DI: What are your future plans for this award winning design?
CY : I have already built a sofa in order to use it at the first opportunity in an exhibition. The best scenario would be a company that manufactures high quality furniture to buy or to lease the production rights and put it into production.
DI: How long did it take you to design this particular concept?
CY : The initial capture of the idea took me a few minutes. Afterwards, it took me a few days to figure out how to apply the individual elements that make up the sofa and how to design it on Autocad.
DI: Why did you design this particular concept? Was this design commissioned or did you decide to pursuit an inspiration?
CY : I was not asked to design such an item. It was the inspiration of the moment. I design various furniture in order to create my own collection and this sofa is a product of this process.
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?
CY : I’d rather not produce my work by myself because I prefer to be the one who just has the inspiration and designs. My intention is to sell or lease the production rights to a company who has the power to manufacture my work and feature it.
DI: What made you design this particular type of work?
CY : I have always been fond of sofas. They are my favorite pieces of furniture. Even though there are many different types of sofas it was a great challenge for me to differentiate and design something unique.
DI: Where there any other designs and/or designers that helped the influence the design of your work?
CY : Not specifically, but there is always a general influence from all the pictures we see around us.
DI: Who is the target customer for his design?
CY : My design fits well to workplaces, hotel lobbies, and private homes. It is intended for customers who are looking for special and high-quality furniture in order to equip and decorate their space and are willing to pay for it.
DI: What sets this design apart from other similar or resembling concepts?
CY : As far as I am aware, there is no other design similar to mine, so I can’t make any comparison.
DI: How did you come up with the name for this design? What does it mean?
CY : When I first looked at my design, it reminded me of an open louver. At the same time, the word “louver” reminded me of the word “lover”. And that’s how the name “Loover” came up, as a combination of the two words.
DI: Which design tools did you use when you were working on this project?
CY : The tools that I used when I was working on this project were Autocad 3D and 3dsmax.
DI: What is the most unique aspect of your design?
CY : The fact that my design is simple and not complicated by adjusting the individual elements of each one. At the same time, I made sure that this simplicity did not downgrade the overall aesthetic aspect of the design.
DI: Who did you collaborate with for this design? Did you work with people with technical / specialized skills?
CY : I collaborated with a carpenter, who cut and formed the wood elements in a CNC router, and a blacksmith who made the metal frame and the rest of the metal parts.
DI: What is the role of technology in this particular design?
CY : The role of technology was important in this particular design, if you take under consideration that I used design programs and a CNC router to manufacture it.
DI: Is your design influenced by data or analytical research in any way? What kind of research did you conduct for making this design?
CY : My design is not influenced by analytical research or data.
DI: What are some of the challenges you faced during the design/realization of your concept?
CY : The only difficulty I faced was the realization of the sofa. I had to find the suitable manufacturers in order to do the job for me and it was at that time that I realized that none of them wanted to deal with only one piece. Things would be easier for me if I was interested in the production of a bigger number of sofas.
DI: How did you decide to submit your design to an international design competition?
CY : I decided to submit my design to an international design competition because I wanted to demonstrate that it was a special and remarkable design. Except from this I wanted to win all the benefits an award would offer me.
DI: What did you learn or how did you improve yourself during the designing of this work?
CY : The simpler a design is, the more interesting it becomes.
DI: Any other things you would like to cover that have not been covered in these questions?
CY : No, I think that it was sufficient. Thank you very much for your consideration.