The Dwell 24: Laurids Gallée

Austrian designer Laurids Gallée is a bit of a scientist—which might not be surprising, given that he studied anthropology before moving to the Netherlands to focus on design. 

Now, he is more interested in human behavior as it relates to pushing the possibilities of materials and craft. "On the one hand, I’m interested in finding the right material, proportions, repetition, and certain sculptural qualities," Gallée says. "On the other, I’m obsessed with illustration, drawing, and the idiosyncrasies of traditional craftsmanship." 

Objects like the Midnight side table embody this split spirit. Its flat surfaces feature a grid of pink lines and red dots in a field of green leaves inspired by historical marquetry. His conceptuality is balanced by creative looseness. The table, he says, "is a doodle I translated into 3D form."

Read the full Q&A below to learn more about Gallée.

Hometown: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Describe what you make in 140 characters. My work is about the creation of (mostly) functional objects, influenced by modern production processes and the history of applied arts.

What's the last thing you designed? I'm in the process of finishing a large, hand-painted desk for a private commissioned.

Do you have a daily creative ritual? The daily bike ride to my studio is a good moment to clear my head and get into the right mindset for creative work. 

How do you procrastinate? I wish it was something super exciting, but  it's mostly just stupid websites or Instagram that I sometimes get stuck on for too long.

What everyday object would you like to redesign? Why? I'd love to make an awesome ladder one day!

Who are your heroes (in design, in life, in both)? Finn and Jake

What skill would you most like to learn? I want to learn how to paint.

What is your most treasured possession? It's probably a blue cashmere coat gifted to me by some of my best friends. I love that coat.

What's your earliest memory of an encounter with design? I remember using Philippe Starck's lemon squeezer, for what it was actually designed for: a toy spaceship. That thing was pretty captivating when I was young. My mum gave it to me for my first apartment, but I unfortunately lost it at some point.

What contemporary design trend do you despise? Trends are fine, it's more the general lack of originality within trends that is a bit sad.

Finish this statement: All design should... Trends are fine, it's more the general lack of originality within trends that is a bit sad.

What's in your dream house? It really doesn't need too much in it besides some simple bascis. I think it's much more important that it's in a great location: either a good part of a great city or near some exciting nature. 

How do you want design to be different after we emerge from the pandemic? For many creatives, a crisis like this one would be the best opportunity to quickly learn new things and then try to positively influence this world. So I hope that we'll all manage to listen and learn from this.

You can learn more about Gallée by visiting his website and on Instagram.