Fan favorite brand, Normann Copenhagen, works with multiple designers to produce their unique, functional products. Simon Legald has designed for the company since 2011 and has brought to life iconic pieces for the brand including the Form Series, Amp Lamps, Block Table, Era Lounge Series and the Circus Pouf.
Olson House (OH): Product design sounds very exciting to us! Have you always wanted to be a designer?
Simon Legald (SL): I’ve always had a passion for drawing and building things. I liked drawing a lot when I was younger, so along the way I thought that I was going to work in the graphic design area. Then I went to school where I had one semester of art and one semester of product design and found that I was much more fascinated by the process of creating 3D objects than 2D images.
OH: How long have you been on the team at Normann Copenhagen?
SL: I’ve been with the company since 2011.
a few of Simon Legald's most popular and iconic designs for Normann Copenhagen
OH: What are some of the qualities of the company that made you want to work there?
SL: I like that Normann Copenhagen is young and open to change. Making results and to constantly seek out new ventures are what motivate me, as opposed to working on a single project for a year. I prefer having a lot of projects at once, giving me the opportunity to learn from each of them and to bring that knowledge into other projects. Each project is like a teaching phase in some way, so the more stuff that you get yourself into, the better understanding you get of the materials, the better sense of proportions and so on.
OH: How long does a product take to go from conception to the selling floor, and generally speaking, what is the process?
SL: There is no general time frame for this, it depends on the complexity of the product or the production. It can be anything between 6 months to 5 years.
OH: What inspires you?
SL: The best kind of inspiration is the one I don’t look for but come across by coincidence. I don’t have a specific way of collecting inspiration, but I tend to always photograph the things I see. I would say that my inspiration is more or less random. It often relates to looking at the world from a different perspective. Taking something - a material, a shape, a historic design trait - out of its common usage and into a new context.
OH: What is your favorite thing about what your job?
SL: To be able to express my passion for creating.
OH: Do you have any advice on buying furniture, lighting and/or accessories for your home?
SL: Choose things that make your life better.