Sonja Djønne, general manager at Heymat, and Kristine Five Melvær have different starting points as producer and designer respectively, but meet in their fascination for the possibilities of textiles and the desire to create sustainable products. Both also thrive in nature, and with the mat Foliage they have made for the exhibition "8 Imprints" they hope to bring a bit of mother earth into the cities.
Kristine Five Melvær designs tableware, textile objects, furniture, lighting and graphic design, and her earliest memory of art and creating something goes back a long way.
"Making things was one of the funnest things I knew as a child. Both because you could make whatever you wanted from things you had lying around, and because of the feeling of flow where I forgot about time and just enjoyed myself. I had a very creative dad with whom I often made things, such as costumes, boats and furniture."
When in life did you first learn about your field of work? What brought you there?
I went to Steinerskolen in primary school, and there crafts, materials and colors are an integral part of most of what you do. When I transferred to public school, I took this way of working with me, even though I was in general studies. When I had to choose my education, I really wanted to work with something that gave me a sense of flow. The fact that the hours fly by, rather than waiting for the working day to end. And I liked how as a designer you both work freely and creatively, but also with logical problem solving. It suited me well.
What is the best advice you have received?
The best advice I've been given is probably that saying no is just as important as saying yes. At some point in the establishment phase, the inquiries you receive exceed the working capacity of a one-person company, and then it is quickly done to prioritize those who shout the loudest in the mailbox. It is particularly important to find time to design new products, it is what you do for a living. Then you have to be selective in relation to, for example, participation in exhibitions and press inquiries.
What is your relationship with the various materials you work with?
Kristine Five Melvær: I like working with most materials, but glass and textiles are the materials I have worked with the most, so I have an extra good relationship with them. I like the freedom you have when working with glass, and the opportunity you have to work graphically and colorfully with textiles.
Sonja Djønne: We work with mats and are very concerned about the quality of the materials. It must be durable and have properties such as collecting dirt and water, while at the same time it should dry easily. We also strive to find recycled materials to use in production. We want to raise the door mat's reputation and aim to make functional, durable and beautiful products.
"We want to raise the reputation of door mats and aim to make functional, durable and beautiful products."
Tell us a little about your workplace!
KFM: I sit in a creative community with a bunch of good ladies at Grünerløkka. ByHands are agents for a number of Norway's most talented illustrators, Ingrid is one half of Darling Clementine, Marianne runs All Pine Press and Nora is an author and illustrator of children's books. It is both professionally rewarding and social to sit together. We have such pleasant lunches that they are often a bit too long.
SD: We are five ladies who have created a pleasant workplace in Mo i Rana, the city below the Arctic Circle. We have a wide age range, but have respect for each other and think that everyone is equally important for the further development of Heymat. The development in the company has been fast, so here everyone must be ready to develop and willing to learn in order to move us forward.
What is the most challenging thing about being your own boss?
KFM: It's probably the juggling act of having so many roles. It is important to keep your tongue firmly in your mouth and prioritize what is most important at any given time, and it is not necessarily the task that calls out the loudest. At the same time, I have a great deal of freedom, which I have felt more and more as I have become more established.
SD: The most challenging thing is that you have the overall responsibility and that many families' incomes depend on us being successful. Furthermore, I think it's really fun to be my own boss, as I'm a person who likes to have good momentum and create things. As a boss, you can set the pace, it is difficult as an employee of others.
What motivates you?
KFM: I have a great desire to contribute to ensuring that we keep products for a long time, rather than buying and throwing them away at a furious pace. It motivates me to work with manufacturers who deliver quality, and to follow up this quality with good and lasting form, in products that people will hopefully be happy with. I am also motivated by the joy of creation and being in the flow process I talked about.
SD: I am motivated by working towards goals. I'm like a turtle, always with the engine running moving forward. When I see a goal, I don't give up until it's reached.
Do you have any tricks or techniques that never fail if you need inspiration or to get out of routines?
KFM: The best trick is to move away from the screen and work analogically. Preferably somewhere other than where I normally work, for example by going for a walk or sitting in a library. It is important not to do things the same way every time, but to ask yourself what is right for that particular project.
SD: Going for a walk, preferably a top hike on the Helgeland coast, where you get a view of the Lofoten Wall from the top if you're lucky. It never fails.
Tell us a little about the items you are exhibiting in this year's exhibition.
KFM: Foliage doormat is a collaboration with Heymat. Foliage brings a small piece of nature into the home, at a time when many of us live in gray cities. In relation to the exhibition, it is inspired by mother earth, a personification that compares the ability of nature and women to give life and nourishment.
How did the collaboration get started?
KFM: We have worked together since 2015, when we collaborated on their first collection. I like working with producers over time. When you build trust, you dare to take bigger chances together, and that often results in more exciting results. And it's really nice.
SD: We have worked with Kristine ever since 2015, when we started the development of our first collection. It has been a very fruitful collaboration. We have a clear division of labor and great respect for each other's expertise and opinions. At the same time, we often like the same things, so it is never difficult to make a choice during the processes.
Kristine, what kind of imprint or representation of yourself would you say you have left behind in the works for this exhibition?
The motif is primarily inspired by the theme of the exhibition. But the interpretation of the theme for the exhibition, mother earth, is probably a little up to date for me, as I was pregnant with my second child during the process. And I am happy to be in nature, and strongly believe in bringing a bit of nature into the big city.
About Melvær & Heymat
Kristine Five Melvær is an Oslo-based designer who works with textile products, lighting, bed linen, furniture and graphic design. Melvær has a master's degree in industrial design from the Oslo Academy of Architecture and Design (2008) and a master's degree in visual communication from the Oslo Academy of Arts (2012). By working with the communicative potential of objects as a means of creating emotional bonds between user and object, she unites these disciplines.
Heymat is a brand established by married couple Sonja Djønne and Thoralf Lian. Since 2016, Heymat has produced decorative design mats with the ambition to create high-quality products that last a long time. The mats are made from recycled materials, and in collaboration with some of Norway's leading designers, they have designed timeless motifs that also last visually. With a focus on function, the environment and modern, Norwegian design, Heymat wants to create spaces that are good to come home to. Lian's experience with mats stretches back three generations, and combined with Djønne's knowledge of interiors and design, Heymat has already managed to occupy a central position in the industry.
