— Hello Luka how are you?

Hello. Good, thank you.

— Can you introduce yourself?

I’m an industrial designer based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. I started as a designer here, but then moved to London – initially to study at the Royal College of Art, but stayed for another 3 years before returning home. This was also the time when I established my design practice.

— Where does your interest in design come from?

There are probably two facets to this story: since very early on, playing Legos and going through technical encyclopedias, I was interested in how things work and get made. Later on, through exposure to art and design, I became interested in the affordance of objects.

— Can you explain to us one of your projects?

Maybe the Lean-on chair, as it is one of the newest: it’s a very high stool, designed for waiting rooms, halls, etc. Not to sit on, but to prop you in a comfortable position while leaning against. I wanted to make something in traditional upholstery techniques, but still to steer away from typical typologies like sofas, poufs, etc. It was also a very hands on process as the geometries could only be tested on mockups.

— Do you have a favorite material to work with?

Quite the opposite – I enjoy every material, its specifics and techniques of manipulating it. That said, working directly in a material (wood, stone, etc.) has its benefits of informing the process, which is less frequent when working digitally or in plastics for example.

— A designer that you admire?

I was always very fond of Vico Magistretti’s work, Ferdinand Kramer, Niko Kralj – to name a few. Apart from the usual suspects, I really enjoy discussing projects with my peers. This was the best part of my college experience as well.

— Is there a book which opened your eyes about design?

Apart from the books in my youth not particularly.

— The last word…

Keep creating meaningful things.

www.lukastepan.com