I spotted Studio Ljung Ljung’s smoked bamboo lamps, made in collaboration with Thai artisans, at the London Design Festival’s desigjunction. They were exhibited as part of Ventura London, a showcase of new design talent. I caught up with founders Martin Hedenström Ljung and designer Greta Ljung to find out more…
What’s the most important thing to know about you?
Martin Hedenström Ljung: I’m Greta’s husband.
Greta Ljung: I’m Martin’s wife.
When you were five, what did you want to be when you grew up?
G: When I was about five, I dreamed of becoming a writer or a dress maker. I was totally obsessed with the dressmaking scene with all the mice in Cinderella.
M: A professional Lego-builder, explorer of the Galapagos Islands and a little bit later a professional skateboarder.
And now?!
G: I think I still would like to become a writer, maybe it is not late. Maybe as a complement to being a designer, which is sometimes fantastic and sometimes very, very hard work.
M: For me now it is more about how to spend time with things that matters and get the possibility to be part of inspiring projects. I really like teaching, doing workshops and work with sustainability and social design.
How did you first get into design?
G: I started out taking art history and theory at the university in Stockholm. For some reason I never applied to any of the design schools. After a couple of years of working with design in many different ways without actually designing things I decided to go back to school and give it a try. It is never to late to fulfil a dream.
M: After finishing my diploma at the school of architecture, some friends and I started a design collective called Muungano. One of our first projects was to design an exhibition at Svensk Form and this was the place where Greta did her internship. So a couple of years later we spent our honeymoon in Thailand and this was the starting point of the collaboration with Sop Moei Arts and the project with the lamps called POP.
What inspires your designs?
G: I get very inspired by travelling the world and also from being in the nature. It is a great way of collecting impressions, patterns and colour combinations.
M: People. And nature.
How do you overcome creative block?
G: There is only one way for me to over come creative block and that is to work. Design takes time and sometimes you have to try almost everything before it gets right. And of course sometimes a really nice cup of coffee helps.
M: 1. Switch project. 2. Read a book 3. If it doesn’t work, then take a break and go paddling with my kayak around Stockholm.
Talk me through your design and making process from initial idea to final product.
G: I usually do a lot of thinking about the idea in the beginning of the process. I like to really get to know my idea first. We are two people in the studio, and if it is one of our joint projects, we need to convince the other one quite early in the process. And then also be willing to let the other one in on the idea and help develop and form it. After this a lot of sketching takes place. We also like to build physical as well as 3D-models. If we have the money and time we love to work with skilled craftsmen to make the actual prototypes. Some times it all comes together quite quickly and some times it is a very slow process.
M: Just like Greta describes, but there is also a lot of work in Word, Outlook, Excel and so on. And talking to, or even better meeting, people is the best way to push things forward.
What’s your favourite part of the process?
G: I like all parts of the process but I really enjoy defining the project and forming the questions. It is also almost magical to see the first real prototype. Then I feel like a child on Christmas Eve.
M: Having discussions with Greta, the craftsmen, the client, the colleagues and the media.
What’s your favourite tool?
G: I do like my pen. Both for writing down ideas and for sketching.
M: X-acto knife, glue and cardboard.
Describe a really good day and a really bad day in the life of Studio Ljung Ljung.
G: A good day starts early with a coffee in front of the computer. I really like to get all my e-mails sorted and all the important administration tasks sorted out before I can start being creative. Then I work really intensely for a couple of hours and then I can have a nice break for reading or something other relaxing with a clean conscience. A bad day is when I need to be a lot of places at the same time and spending a lot of time getting to or from different meetings or errands. Suddenly you only have about one hour left and hundreds of e-mails that need attending to.
M: A good day is meeting nice and inspiring people, time to do some sketches and finish it of with workout or a nice dinner. Bad day is a day just spent in front of the computer.
What are you most proud of?
G: I most proud of my husband and partner Martin. It is a privilege to work with him. I am also proud of our bamboo lamp POP. This is a project that we have invested a lot of time, money and heart into and we really like the outcome. It is a project that feels good and has been really fun to work with. We always try to take both the environment and social aspect in to account but it is not always everything falls in to place like with POP.
M: I’m most proud of my wife and partner Greta. And that we have had the courage to start our business and now be our own producers of POP.
What advice would you give to a new designer?
G: My best advice is to work hard. Good design will rarely come easy.
M: Do not get comfortable. Avoid high salaries. Get involved in difficult projects. Question the brief, challenge your clients and find inspiring colleagues.
Further reading for the especially geeky:
- interview :: richard brendon
- interview :: tom pigeon
- interview :: kate farley
- interview :: aud julie befring
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