This new series, Design bites, unveil the backstage of contemporary creation. Tackling various topics from personal designer processes to the position of Collectible design on the global design market; these bites offer different views to suit all tastes. Today we talk with Jonathan Omar and Lionel Dinis Salazar, designers from Döppel Studio.

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COLLECTIBLE: What tips would you give to a collector who wishes to start collecting contemporary design?

Jonathan Omar and Lionel Dinis Salazar: Get inspiration at events like COLLECTIBLE, which is for us one of the most inspirational selection of designers in Europe, but also reach out directly. What we mean by that: do not hesitate to contact designers just to "speak" about their work. Our social networks are made for that, literally being social, it is not only a place to showcase our work and pressing buttons. Let’s talk.

“ We think we are just at the beginning of what will be possible in terms of 3D but also of what will be possible with other digital technologies such as NFTs. We believe it is for sure a gateway to unlock creativity.”

C: What is your opinion on 3D designs and renderings compared to other more traditional ways of presenting design? How do you foresee evolutions in that domain: do you think it is a perenne practice or an ephemeral one that reflects our needs for escapism and imaginary spaces?

JO & LDS: These questions are central for us. We think we are just at the beginning of what will be possible in terms of 3D but also of what will be possible with other digital technologies such as NFTs. We believe it is for sure a gateway to unlock creativity. Craft and digital craft will be something, but for us one does not go without the other. For us digital is a way to push the boundaries of the realms of possibility, then we work hard to make the physical match our digital ambition.

C: How would you describe the boundary between functional art and collectible design? Where do you situate your practice between those two?

JO & LDS: Just ping-ponging between the two. If the concept we are working on justify being functional, we will be. If we want to make a statement, most of the time, we do not care about anything else than the aesthetic of the piece and its conceptual efficiency and coherence.

C: Can you talk about a new piece or a collection that you release for COLLECTIBLE SALON?

JO & LDS: After that long and uncertain period we wanted to have fun. So we thought about a trading card game representing iconic pieces of furniture from famous designers totally reshaped by the lockdown (they put on weight and grew a beard). 

Since it was going to be an "online only" edition we decided to cancel the project of physical furniture we initially had to develop the "Hairy design collection". It was the occasion for us to experiment with NFTs. The NFT world is very exciting from a creative point of view. In two weeks we went from 3D images, to a game of tokens. Today we are thinking about the possibilities to pre-order physical-unique pieces by buying Döppel tokens.

About Döppel Studio

Döppel Studio views design as having a symbolic function. The studio favours a duality-based approach: fostering dialogue between the arts, sciences and industries; between ideas and volumes; between symbols and meanings. Employing a multidisciplinary methodology, Döppel Studio considers their designs holistically. From the conception of an object, to its artistic realisation - the aim is always to provoke poetic, unexpected experiences that appeal both physically and intellectually.