Iceland native Emilia Borgthorsdottir is a relative newcomer to the world of design. After years of working as a physical therapist (not to mention stints as a fisherman and flight attendant), the stylish dama—now based in the U.S.—recently made her furniture debut with the multi-functional Sebastopol coffee table for Coalesse, which nabbed a Best of NeoCon Gold award at the Chicago office furniture expo last month. The Standard spoke to Borgthorsdottir about her new career, her background and the beauty of asymmetry. But first, watch Borgthorsdottir present a few of the countless configurations of the table:
Sebastopol is comprised of two shapes that can be combined in a ton of different configurations. What led to this design?
A big rectangular table is great when, for example, you’re having guests over for a sushi dinner. But I didn’t have enough space to be able to give up so much square footage to a table that’s not even used all the time. So I started thinking about the best of both worlds. I started to break it up and used geometry to find shapes that could give me the most variations but still keep the aesthetics I wanted.
Was the asymmetry crucial to the design from the beginning?
We are so used to symmetrical objects. I really like asymmetrical things because they throw us off. They often seem to be more flowing and have more motion than symmetrical ones. It took me a while to find the right “cut” so it would have the right proportions and give the most permutations.
What is your creative process like?
I always start with a lot of drawings before going to 3D modelling. When I start modelling I prefer full size, so I can get the feel of it. For Sebastopol I developed prototypes in my living room for over a year before starting to work with Coalesse—that gave me more confidence in the design and the possibilities.
What led to the new career?
I had decided to take a master in ergonomic design, but when I moved to Southern California it was difficult to find the right program. I ended up studying industrial design instead and I’m very happy with that decision. This is definitely something that I love doing. As a designer you can’t ignore the interaction between the body and the product. It needs to function in harmony.
What do you need to be productive?
Good lighting, music and not too much clutter.
