Interviews with Sebastiaan Van beest

Less is more. I really wanted to make good use of the negative space in this design.

I wanted to create a chair that feels like it does not take up much space in the room, but at the same time makes a huge statement.

I would like to sell it. It will be available on my website for purchase soon and every unit is made to order.

It took me about a day to design and another 2 to build. I made changes along the line till I was happy with the final result.

This was purely inspiration based. I had some old wood flooring that I just ripped out of my house and I wanted to make something special with it.

This is still the only one of it's kind. I do plan to sell this and it will be produced in house by myself. I would however

be open to any Licensing opportunities.

I haven't made an indoor arm chair yet and it's something I have been wanting to do for a while now.

Not specifically, but I take a lot of inspiration from Japanese minimalism.

People who love minimalist design and precision craftsmanship. I take great pride in building my furniture to the highest standard and I want it to last a long time!

I found that there are not many arm chairs out there made purely out of steel and hardwood. They all have cushions for comfort.

My chair has none of that. It's basic yet is still comfortable.

I am a huge fan and maker of electronic music. Black is the color of techno in my opinion and this chair screams minimal techno. I also plan on having a line of music

themed pieces down the road.

I usually only use my brain. Rarely a pen and paper. I design everything in my head and then adjust the design as I build it.

I think that it looks like it cant hold much weight, yet it can hold well over 250lbs. Of course the clean sexy lines and how photogenic

this piece is, is unique in its self.

I made this all by myself with the tools I have in my shop.

I don't think there is any technology in this design really.

Making sure it would be able to hold weight with out breaking was my main concern. The hardwood is very thin, yet extremely strong.

So because of the materials I chose, it ended up being stronger than I expected.

My girlfriend and I felt this was a really nice design and that it might stand a chance in a competition. We never thought I would get a gold medal though!

Every time I create something I grow from it a lot. It widens my perspective on design, whether it's from spending so much time

looking for inspiration or learning new ways to build things.

I do not have any education in design. I have always done my own thing. I just recently decided to pursue my passion of furniture design and try to make a living out of it. This is the first ever competition I have entered in and with my first ever chair.

I see design in everything and my mind is constantly trying to improve on designs i see around me. It was only natural that eventually I would take the step to follow this dream professionally.

I was always a designer, drawing, painting and just creating since a very young age. Unfortunately life doesn't always go as planned and I was not able to pursue a career in design as I wanted to until now.

I sculpt, paint, produce music and design and build furniture and lighting. I want to spend more time designing and building lighting installations. I would also very much like to design new permanent furniture and objects for the city I live in.

I would hardly classify myself as a legend... I just have a deep love for design and creation and to take what's in my head and make it a reality. I love creating things that help uplift people and inspire them to create. Work hard, work your ass off!! I f you start something, finish it. Even if you have to put it aside for a while and work on something else. I find it's always great to have many projects at once on the go as something you design for one thing might fit better on another project. Believe in yourself and don't be afraid to put yourself and your work out there for people to see. You need feedback to grow.

That's a hard question. There are many designs that at the time were not great, but later on became great. Just because something is not great right now, it can be. I think work ethic and attention to detail make a big difference between the good and the great.

Craftmanship, precision, use of materials and how they work together to create the ever so important flow. Everything must flow. A truly great design will fit in any surrounding.

Good design is art. No one can tell you what you should think is good design. If a design moves you and you want to see it often as it will bring value to your every day life, then only you can decide the value of that design to you. As for everyone investing in good design, well, design is everything around you. Whether its man made or natural. Everything is designed and with out design, there would be nothing.

I have the time now to design anything I want. If the materials I want to use are too expensive, I switch to something more cost affective. I would love to design for other designers, I don't think there's a higher appreciation than that of another designer.

I want to design and build my own house somewhere in nature. I want it to compliment the surroundings.

Be bold. Do what you want. Don't conform to "what's hot" right now. Design to break the boundaries. Set out to create the trend. You might just hit a home run and be the next great designer!

This might sound weird, but I don't really follow any designers. I live in my own little design world. I often run through google images to get some inspiration, but never delve much deeper than that. I am a fan of Christian Woo and his daring minimal designs. It takes a minute to get used to what he makes before you can appreciate it and I like that. It makes you think and and try to look at it from different perspectives and thus actually helps grow your pallet.

I am a huge lover of architecture and Bjarke Ingels is one of my favorites. He just recently designed "The Vancouver House" here in my city and it is something to behold. I love his designs as they push the boundaries of what is possible in architecture.

I would have to say the "minimal techno arm chair" and in my opinion, the greatest park of it, is the negative space and how the chair uses it.

Keep a sober mind. As much as you think substances like alcohol and drugs might help elevate your design process, they don't! Practice every day, fail a ton, learn from it and move on.

Worked a job I hated and been unhappy I guess...

It is my life.

With out a doubt my mother and my girlfriend. None of this would have been possible without them.

I still don't see myself as a great designer. I make some nice things and I am happy with that and that other people like them too, that's fantastic!!!

I don't think there are "design masters".. That would mean that everything a master would make would be perfect and we all know that not everything we designers come up with is great or should ever even see the light of day. Don't worry about all these labels. Just create and push it out into the world to be seen.

In the best way possible for them.

I am currently working on a line of furniture with neon acrylics. So I am going to step outside the norm of what is right now and take a few risks. Fun minimal designs!

To have a successful company and have the ability to help young designers grow their talent. I Also want a boat, a nice boat hahaha

Winning 1 award hardly makes you an esteemed designer, but it definitely helps! You can expect more experimental designs to come from me. I like to have fun with this and that will translate into my work.

Good design helps promote creativity, something that's not promoted enough in todays schooling system.

I am currently doing a complete renovation of our house and designing and building everything from scratch. I am very excited about the kitchen and bathroom designs.

Every project gives me satisfaction once completed. It can be a long tough road to get something new finished and once you do get it finished and it turned out better than you could have imagined, what could be more satisfying! I always try and push my abilities to the maximum and try new things that I didn't know I could do.

Architecture!!! I would like to see more daring futuristic design. We don't want anymore of these cookie cutter glass boxes with no vision!!!

I think people are tired of seeing the same old same old and I think designers will be pushing the limits of what's possible. I hope to see some truly crazy designs in the near future.

it can take anywhere from 1 day to 1 month depending on how complex the design is and how inspired I am at the time.

I lay in bed picking it apart in my mind till I have the bones figured out, then I start the build and modify it along the way.

Less is more!

Design sets the trend. Without design, there would be no trend.

Pretty much none existent. I am old school. Brain, pen and paper.

I build everything in my shop. It's a small little shop till I can make it big and can open an actual facility.

Very important. I carefully choose my materials and finishes to compliment each other in the best way I know how.

That's amazing!!! And it almost always inspires me to sit down and create something better than the last.

Absolutely. I've worked on many song with many different and talented musicians over the years. I love creating with others, it can lead to some truly amazing things!

It takes time and practice. you just have to keep going till you are happy with what you create, even though you may never be.

Anthony Bourdain. I would love to sit and have good talk about the future of humanity over a bottle of Lagavulin with this person. The world was a better place with him in it.

pink is my favorite color, black is my favorite shade. I love being in nature. Summertime as it's nice and warm and I like the heat. My favorite thing is the Miruna...

The urge to create comes naturally. Sure I have writers block from time to time and when that happens, I make some art, work on music or do something not creative at all. As for motivation, it just comes to me or it doesn't. Since I don't do designs for anyone in particular, I don't have the pressure to have to create.

I always had a tough time at school. I could not focus and was not interested in anything they were teaching. I often would just draw and get kicked out of class. I never saw myself having a long term job or fitting into the mold. I always knew that one day I would be able to turn my creativity into a business.

Terrible question. Unless we as a civilization figure out all of our problems very quick, I think there will be no future with us as a species in it.

I have always been into art and design, whether it be painting, sculpting or music production. From a very young age I always had a pencil in my hand and was drawing. Not until recently did I really take the time to follow my life long dream of starting a furniture design company and try to make a living doing what I truly am passionate about. I still make music on the side as that is my other passion, but furniture design has definitely taken the forefront.

Ooak Design, which stands for "one of a kind" was thought up years ago. I only recently made it official by starting the company under that name .

Design is everything for me. I can not look at anything without studying the design and how I could improve that design. I find myself un able to sleep often as my brain just won't stop designing, hence I have a sketch book right next to my bed.

I absolutely love light sculptures and it is something I want to spend more time exploring.

There are so many stunning designs out there and as far as my own designs go, I only love them briefly, then I move on and start the next project.

I have never had the opportunity to design anything for a company yet.

Wood will always be my favorite material, but I have recently really fallen in love with acrylics and am using them in a lot of my future projects.

It comes and goes. Some days its right when I wake up and some times its late at night.

I focus a lot on the flow of the object and how to make the biggest impact with the least amount of material.

I am super focused so not much time for emotions, but I do tend to get a little excited from time to time when I really like what I've come up with.

satisfaction mostly and then I always have a moment of, "wow did I just design and build that" followed by lots of excitement.

It has to be both pleasing to look at and functional.

The overall flow of any object is most important for me, function is second.

As a designer, I try to create happiness and promote creativity through my designs. I want people to look at what I made and feel joy and/or motivation.

I haven't given this much thought. I usually just lock myself off from the rest of the world when I'm designing and building. I would like to see more and more sustainable products and designs made from recycled and repurposed materials.

I have not had the opportunity for an exhibition yet.

I love scrolling through photos of beautiful furniture online. This is my main source for creative inspiration. Second is my dream to make a living out of this and that really pushes me to do my best every time.

minimalism. I love the use of negative space. this is something I really learned from making music. Sometimes the loudest notes are the ones not played. I love detailed finished that aren't always easy to spot. Less is more and I love little subtle touches that sometimes you have to search for.

Here in Vancouver, Canada, we live in a very multicultural society and have a very large Asian influence. Japanese minimalism has always been something I have been interested in. I also believe in feng shui and that every object emits energy and that the placement of objects with in a room can greatly impact your mood. everything should have a positive flow.

I have only produced for none corporate clients.

Do your research. Find a designer of which their designs excite you.

I design everything in my head, then I go to the shop and start building. Usually through out the build I make a bunch of changes till I am happy with the design. Then I draw the blueprints.

I love my watches. I have recently gone though a big move and sold everything. So I am living very minimal at the moment. We did just buy a very nice silver velvet sofa.

tons of coffee as soon as I roll out of bed, then straight to work either on my renovations or in the shop on a new design. I usually work 12 or more hours every day and then spend the rest of my day with my partner.

Well technically, even though I am almost 40, I am a young designer as I just recently decided to follow my dream. That being said, what I've learnt from life is take chances, never be afraid to fail, failure breeds success. Most importantly, do not lose track of why you are a designer. It's not about money or fame, it's about creating and making beautiful things. Always be humble and try to learn as much as you can from others. Don't talk, listen instead. As much as you think you know, there is always more to learn. There will always be people that won't like or understand your design, but there is always an equal amount of people that will. Focus on yourself, eat well, stay in motion and enjoy life. It's harder to create beauty when you're not happy.

I love creating anything and everything. It gives me a huge sense of fulfillment. The only downside is an over active brain, but that too can be very positive.

Form and function. It can not just look good, it needs to work!

Follow through and the ability to stay focused to get the job done.

I design every thing in my head. Sometimes I use a pencil and paper. I have been playing around a little bit with sketchup, but find I am fastest when just designing in my head and making adjustments during the build.

Well I have a girlfriend and they also require a bit of quality time. I love what I do, so for me it is not work. I am in the shop all day and when done, I spend whatever free time I have with my better half. She is 100% supportive of what I do and loves that I spend so much time on what I love doing.

sometimes it can take 5 minutes and sometimes it takes days.

Can you make me one, but not for that price...

carpenter. Learning to use all the tools properly to take what's in my head and make it a reality.

Thus far I have only built furniture for friends and friends of friends.

Industrial design. I love designing things that get used on a daily basis.

Winning this award has definitely given me a huge boost to really follow my dreams and take this company to the next level. I want a big warehouse space where I am able to employ creatives and give the m the space to create.

Everything from design to build is done by me.

I am currently exploring the use of colored acrylics in a lot of my new pieces. I think neon is about to make a come back and I want to add a little bit of crazy to my designs.

All of my contact information is listed on ooakdesigns.ca