(smow)introducing: Eva Marguerre

Name: Eva Marguerre

Alma mater:
2004-2010 Product design/Exhibition design Hochschule für Gestaltung Karlsruhe

Internships:
2005 Luigi Colani, Karlsruhe
2006 Magazine “Brigitte”, Living Section, Hamburg
2008 Designbüro Stefan Diez, Munich

Products:
Tagträume
Nido
MOA

Eva Marguerre

(smow)blog: Why Product Design?
Eva Marguerre: That all started relatively early. For example, as a child I was interested in furniture and interiors and used to steal my mother’s magazines and cut out the things I liked. Then when I was 16 I completed a two week internship with two product designers in Krefeld and after that everything was decided and as I sat my final exams at school it was clear that I would study product design.

(smow)blog: And was that the correct decision?
Eva Marguerre: At the start of my studies I did spend a lot time considering if “product design” really was what I wanted to do, and in the 3rd semester I had more or less given up on product design. Then I did a internship at the magazine “Brigitte” working in the “living” section and learned what styling is and then I realized that what drives me is the mixture. For me it’s important to design my own furniture, but then I need to continue  working with it, to set it in scene but also the photographing of the pieces. So everything. Simply designing furniture isn’t enough.

(smow)blog: Which I suppose also explains why you also produce your own furniture
Eva Marguerre: Yes, I really enjoy switching between roles.

(smow)blog: And why did you decide to study at Karlsruhe?
Eva Marguerre: At Karlsruhe you have pure project studies, which means students from all semesters study together and so everyone learns from everyone else. Also at Karlsruhe you have interdisciplinary course and so I, for example, also covered exhibition design, graphic design, photography etc… My Diploma says “Product Design”, but my studies were much wider, which is good because product design shouldn’t stop when the product is finished.

(smow)blog: And did you also learn all the commercial aspects, so marketing, sales, pricing?
Eva Marguerre: No, unfortunately we learned nothing in that direction. And so I have had to learn such myself through experience.

(smow)blog: As a new, young designer do trade fairs help?
Eva Marguerre: That’s a good question and one I’ve considered a lot. When I first started I found it really stressful. You sit there with your prototypes, and wait and hope that a producer comes past who likes them. That said to a certain extent you have to do them because you want your products to be seen. But, for example, with NIDO I had to find the producer myself. But in general I’m not convinced that they help that much. What I do get from fairs is lots of feedback, and that’s important for me. Especially something such as Designers Fair in Cologne, because there you have a lot of people who wouldn’t normally go to a design fair and so you get really helpful feedback.

MOA by Eva Marguerre: First step - 2D weaving

(smow)blog: With MOA you work with elasticized yarn and resin, with NIDO it was fiberglass and resin. What interests you in the work with resin and materials?
Eva Marguerre: What I find really interesting is the before/after effect, the change in the material. With MOA it’s a 2D weave, so a very simple process and then I press the material over a form and the resin allows the moment to be frozen. And then that you can take such a pliant material which is then suddenly so stable and has a different character. That appeals to me.

(smow)blog: And are new products with new materials in development?
Eva Marguerre: We’re working on further development of MOA with a different texture, so a different material. Otherwise I’m mainly working with more classical materials such as wood, because I don’t want to just work with weave projects and with this before/after effect but I want to work with a range of materials and processes.

(smow)blog: And how does the future look?
Eva Marguerre: I’ve recently moved to Hamburg and at the moment am working with my partner on a large project. But at this moment I can’t say in which direction things will go. At the moment everything is still very new, recently finished college, moved to Hamburg and established my own studio…

(smow)blog: And been nominated for the 2011 Designpreis Deutschland! Is that for a particular product, or…?
Eva Marguerre: You’re nominated as person not for a certain product. The nomination surprised I am absolutely thrilled,  and the fact that you are nominated for it rather than applying is especially nice.

(smow)blog: Congratulations and all the best in Hamburg!

More information on Eva Marguerre can be found at eva-marguerre.de

MOA by Eva Marguerre (designed together with Marcel Besau)

NIDO by Eva Marguerre

Tagträume by Eva Marguerre