Knót Artesanal

Specialized in Design.

Knót Artesanal

About Knót Artesanal

Knót was formed between Brazilian architect Renata Gutierrez (nó) and British woodworker James Rowland (knot), both passionate about the beauty, tones and textures of wood. Inspired by natural forms and the simple things in life, knót believes in the importance of fine details, in the return to working with your hands and in taking pleasure in what you do. Their intention is to create simple contemporary designs using only pure materials and natural finishes.

  • Winner of the A' Design Award.
  • Specialized in Design.
  • Original Design.
  • Creative, Diligent and Innovative.
  • All Designs

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Interview with Knót Artesanal

Could you please tell us more about your art and design background? What made you become an artist/designer? Have you always wanted to be a designer?
We both come from different backgrounds, Renata is an architect from Brazil whereas I'm from the UK and trained as a woodworker. Despite our different origins however our design process is not divided along technical/creative lines.
Can you tell us more about your company / design studio?
The Knót (ki-notch-e) comes from joining knot and nó (knot in Portuguese), and that basically sums up what we are, two different people from two different places with different backgrounds and ideas, though at the same time really the same thing.
What is "design" for you?
Design for us is about finding something new in something that was already there. Like Gaudi said, Originality consists in returning to its origin.
What kinds of works do you like designing most?
The most satisfying thing to design for us is seating, creating something striking is one thing, as is creating something comfortable, but combining the two creates completely new challenges. One exerts limits on the other, you change one and the other reacts. For it to succeed you have to find a balance.
What is your favorite material / platform / technology?
Our favourite material is obviously wood. This is what Knót was formed around, it's a material that's always been a big feature in both of our lives. Not only do we love the look and feel of it but also how it is to work with and how each species has it's own characteristics and limitations.
When do you feel the most creative?
Unfortunately there's no telling otherwise it would be a lot easier to plan.
Which aspects of a design do you focus more during designing?
We focus mainly simplicity which often takes the form of clean lines, sharp angles and balanced proportions.
What kind of emotions do you feel when you design?
It's basically a constant oscillation between frustration and satisfaction.
What makes a design successful?
The uniqueness, and not necessarily the design in itself, but also the thought process that led to that design.
When judging a design as good or bad, which aspects do you consider first?
With our own pieces we always make sure that everything we do is justifiable, we want to make sure that every decision we make is for a well thought out reason and not superfluous. It's hard then not to apply this to other designs and anything that doesn't quite fit with this perspective ends up standing out.
How do you think the "design field" is evolving? What is the future of design?
We believe that the future of design is rooted in the past, small scale independent designers and makers producing handcrafted quality goods. Unique pieces, each one with its own story.
Where do you live? Do you feel the cultural heritage of your country affects your designs? What are the pros and cons during designing as a result of living in your country?
We live in Paraty, a small but multi-cultured coastal town in south-eastern Brazil with beautiful beaches, thick jungle and a striking mountain backdrop. Being surrounded by some of nature's best designs it's impossible that some of this doesn't trickle down into our own pieces.
Could you please share some pearls of wisdom for young designers? What are your suggestions to young, up and coming designers?
One thing that was important for us was the return to working by hand, when you go back to the very basics and start with a piece of wood and a few hand tools, you open up a whole new path that can lead you somewhere that you may never get to otherwise.
What skills are most important for a designer?
One of the most important skills is to know when it's time to change track. It's easy to get sucked into an idea and keep battling with when if you just take a minute and take a step back you see that you've been going in the wrong direction.
Which tools do you use during design? What is inside your toolbox? Such as software, application, hardware, books, sources of inspiration etc.?
All of our pieces are handmade by us using traditional woodworking methods so our toolbox is full of many different types of hand tool.
Designing can sometimes be a really time consuming task, how do you manage your time?
You need to be flexible, instead of saying I'm going to solve this problem now when you're not really in the right state of mind for it, you need to think, 'what am I most capable of doing at this particular moment?'
How long does it take to design an object from beginning to end?
It varies enormously from one project to the next, some just fall into place almost by themselves whereas other just drag on and on in some cases need to left for time and returned to at a later date with a fresh set of eyes and ideas.

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