Repeat. No Repeat.

The New Breed: Haworth's Nicolai Czumaj-Bront

Nicolai posing with N-CB Resonate storage unit he designed for Haworth

Looking to the future, corporations across America are looking to younger workers to take them into new territory. This is true in every market segment as traditionalists are retiring and companies are trying to quickly figure out who is going to replace that waning generation. With this comes a loss of acquired knowledge and vast experience, but it also comes with a gain of new hungry staff yearning to make their own mark within their own generation. The industry of Furniture Design is no different, and we are seeing a rise of new extraordinary talent that is welcome alongside the ranks of more seasoned design professionals who are already household names. 

Recently we met such a designer, Nicolai Czumaj-Bront, who at the age of 32 has accomplished a lot in his short time in the marketplace designing for Haworth as well as with his own independent studio. Having studied Industrial Design at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Nicolai went on to work for the DiMonte Group prior to landing at Haworth in 2005. He was discovered by Iain Thorp, Haworth's Design Manager, after he saw Nicolai's independent projects on the internet. As a current member of Haworth's internal Design Studio, Nicolai's duties include concept design, creating prototypes, and execution of products in development. He has worked on the Very chair collection, the Planes table collection, as well as the CB-Resonate storage unit. His work has won multiple awards, including Best of Neocon Gold.

Haworth's Very Chair - Conference and Task versions 

Repeat. No Repeat: You have only been at Haworth for five years, and you already have had quite remarkable success for a young industrial designer. What do you attribute that to: inspiration or perspiration? 

Nicolai: Ha! Thank you for not using the phrase “up and coming designer”. Well, it’s a lot of both! For me, design is all about passion and ideas. I think experience is important, but if you don’t have the drive and are not inspired by new ideas, experience can easily be wasted. I was fortunate enough, through a series of coincidental events, to not have my drive go to waste and to have the opportunity early in my career to work for Haworth as a part of the Design Studio. It is a Studio with a very positive environment that includes individuals that are just as passionate about design as myself…at times I feel like I am back at school. We have a great time trying to produce good work. 

Nicolai with colleague Michael Welsh, designers of the Very chair 

RNR: What's your favorite part of the design process? For me, it's always the initial development of the design concept, but I imagine for an industrial designer it's probably seeing the end result ready for market?! 

Nicolai: I do enjoy the entire process, but my favorite parts are the transitions between each phase. It is those transitions that are the most important; it’s there where an idea continues to grow or gets lost. In those moments…taking an idea or concept and expressing it as a sketch, turning the sketches into a CAD model, sculpting a CAD model into a part that you can hold in your hand, then taking that sculpted part and turning it into a finished piece that people can experience. After which, you look back and remember that it all came from a few ideas - from abstract to tangible, it's kind of a rush! 

RNR: You studied psychology and philosophy prior to getting your degree in Industrial Design. What caused you to switch gears, and do you feel that either discipline has served you well as a designer? 

Nicolai: It’s funny because my Mom is a Graphic Design, painter, and sculptor; my Dad is an Engineer; and my Grandfather was a carpenter and Master Model Maker…so I guess my transfer into Industrial Design was not much of a surprise. Although part of it may have been the need to realize ideas into a tangible form, to physically experience an idea rather than just read or talk about it. I would say most definitely that Psychology and Philosophy have become part of my process. I believe to be a good Designer you must be able to analyze information and not be afraid to question ideas and concepts, including your own. I truly enjoy trying to determine what is at the heart of an idea…what is the underlying truth, function, need, aesthetic and how to appropriately express this. 

RNR: What are your favorite objects that you wished you designed?

Nicolai: I would have to say Naoto Fukasawa’s Wall mounted CD player for MUJI, I love its simplicity and poetic semantics. Along with the 1965 Porsche 911…it has such simple lines and yet some of the surfaces are quite complex which makes it a very simple and sensual design.

RNR: If you had no constraints at Haworth, what item would you like to add to their line?

Nicolai:  It wouldn’t be a specific item but rather a space. We have many different types of experts in the Design Studio, it would be great to take their knowledge and research and create “micro-climates” that address different types of needs and functions but with a more emotive focus. 

RNR: So what can we expect next from you? 

Nicolai: As part of the Haworth Design Studio I hope to keep evolving and challenging ideas that will bring new and meaningful experiences to the industry. We have the people to do it, the next few years are going to be very exciting! In regards to my own work I hope to continue with projects like Pitch, ideas that tell a story and question ideas. I want to focus on creating pieces that further blur the line between design and sculpture.

Pitch stools designed by Nicolai Czumaj-Bront from his own collection 

The New Breed: Milliken's Roby Isaac

Milliken carpet is no stranger to reinvention.  Based in LaGrange, Georgia, Milliken has been manufacturing carpet for decades (and textiles since 1865).  They have been and continue to be a major player in the commercial and residential carpet industries.  In 1995 Milliken suffered a terrible factory fire that caused them to re-evaluate their plant processes and commitment to sustainability.  Since then they have rebuilt a carpet empire that continues to evolve and change with the times.  Known primarily in contract circles for their print process, Milliken is now developing tufted patterns in order to offer a more diverse portfolio of options for architects and designers to specify.  With this new shift comes new staff - the addition of two young designers (albeit with experience), under the wing of Creative Director and color expert Kaye Gosline. Said designers are Roby Isaac and Todd Van de Kruik, both of whom bring a decade of experience working with tufted carpet and have big ideas for the future.

Roby Isaac recently spent some time with us at RNR to talk about the industry and his first collection for Milliken called "Ghost Artist". Born in India and raised in Philadelphia, Roby was introduced to the visual art world through participation in an inner-city art program. This experience fueled an interest in textile arts, which led to Roby earning a B.S. in Textile Design. Roby's career spans 10 years within the floorcovering industry, starting with Monterey Carpets in California, with the last five years designing for Tandus in Dalton, GA. He is currently responsible for Milliken Contract's new Solution Dyed Nylon division's product design. 

Repeat. No Repeat: What is it like to work at Milliken, one of the largest and most well respected carpet mills in the US? 

Roby Isaac: I've been with Milliken for just about 10 months now, and I'm having a great time. While attending textile school, I learned of Milliken and its great reputation for ethics, quality products and rich textile history. It's been more than 10 years since school, and that reputation, I believe, still holds true. I'm coming in during an exciting time on the company’s design side, and feel honored to be part of this experience.

RNR: Do you feel pressure to be the new young hope at a company looking to reinvent itself? 

Roby: No, not so much pressure, as much as an anxious energy to dig into this creative opportunity and do some interesting things. Thankfully, I’m not in this alone. My friend and co-designer, Todd Van der Kruik, and I have worked together for the majority of our careers and collaborate well. We are surrounded by a talented & dedicated team that’s making sure the new vision is communicated in the best ways. 

RNR: Tell us about the inspiration for your first collection at Milliken, "Ghost Artist".

Roby: After graduation, I was looking through a book on textiles, and, in the preface it mentioned how textile designers are "ghost artists" who made fabrics that were so often seen in our daily lives, it took special attention to see them at all. It went on to say textile design is the kind of artwork in which the personality of the designer fades so much, it disappears. That thought has stuck with me during this past decade. Being in the commercial interiors industry, I see that the interior designer and architect are similar in this description - in that the spaces and structures they design are seen so often, that we often don't notice them at all. The collection of patterns specifically sprung from my interest in certain architectural details that, although purposefully included in the design, may often go unnoticed...just like the Ghost Artist. 

RNR: You worked with some amazing creative people at Tandus such as Suzanne Tick and Terry Mowers, prior to your arrival at Milliken.  What was it like to work with them?

Roby: It was great working with them and their studio staff. I believe every experience helps one grow, and this opportunity allowed me to learn more about effectively presenting, marketing and selling design. 

RNR: How did you get into textile design? 

Roby: While in high school, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into a creative arts program at the Fabric Workshop in Philadelphia. The Workshop is an "arts-laboratory" where silk-screen fabric printing is done in collaboration with artists who work in all different mediums. At the time, my interest in textiles was piqued solely because my high school art teacher mentioned the apprenticeship in class. I went through the interview/portfolio process, which led to the apprenticeship and exposure to the world of textiles. I was completely enamored. Thankfully, the high school apprenticeship extended into a scholarship program when I started college. The staff of artists there sensed my discontent in studying biology at Temple (I thought I was going to be a veterinarian) and suggested I check out the Philadelphia College of Textiles. I had no idea that such an amazing school was right around the corner from where I grew up. I visited the campus, saw the studios and knew it’s exactly where I wanted to be.

RNR: You grew up in Philadelphia, which is where we are based. How did Philadelphia influence your design sensibilities?

Roby: I grew up, like many kids in urban Philadelphia, concerned about how I'd make a better life for me and my family. The art and design we had around us were used more to disguise rough patches of daily living. There wasn't always extra to spend on the nicer things. It had to be functional. If it looked nice, that was a bonus. I learned to think more about how and why design brings value to the user. I started to think in terms of "form AND function," as opposed to one being greater than the other; and that has stuck with me in many ways.

Additionally, we Philadelphians measure character by one's passion and determination. I believe that plays a part in what I like in design. There has to be sincerity in thought; the concept or execution can't be disingenuous.

RNR: What advice do you have for aspiring designers out there, especially in light of the market today?

Roby: Most creatives, if they end up in a creative field, will more than likely work in some commercial environment. No matter what field of design that ends up being, always make time for your own work. There will be plenty of hours you'll be spending on someone else's ideas. Mark out time for your own. It will lead to greater things - personally or professionally. Aside from that, I'd say to just remain observant. Often times we won't have the opportunity for design research as we might have had in school. Since information continues to move faster and "down-time" continues to decrease, it's critical that we're aware of what's going on around us so our products remain relevant.

RNR: Who are your favorite designers these days?

Roby: There are so many creative people doing inspiring things, but I'd have to say I’m a fan of designers like Hella Jongerius, Marcel Wanders, and Front Design to name a few. Their projects always seem to embrace the processes used in making the objects. I'm very much into technique and process, so their projects appeal to me. I also like that they inject a bit of unexpectedness that ends up being integral to the work.

"Facade" from of the Ghost Artist collection 

"Trace" from the Ghost Artist collection

"Trace" from the Ghost Artist collection - detail

"Shadowpoint" from the Ghost Artist collection

"Semblance" from the Ghost Artist collection