Interview with Karma J

The company consists of myself in my atelje, but I take a lot of help from craftsmen and industrial people to complete my work . I conceptualize my designs alone, sketch it and explain it to hard-working craftsmen and finally put the pieces together with the story.

function and aesthetics and bridging a profounder understanding between the design and the user.

I recently created all the mirrors for a state-of-the art playground. To live a project intensely through the eyes of an architect or interior designer is fascinating for a certain period of time. And very liberating to move onto your next destination. I’d like to do more of that.

Every collection and each design requires that I live a story, create a character and find a beauty that will correspond to that character. The Nomad was my “firstborn” so I put so much love and soul into that piece. Lately I’ve fallen completely in love with the more playful collections, The Impressionist and The Illusionist. The Backgammon (Impressionist Collection) is my favorite piece for now. It’s such a heritage of Lebanese culture, mixing all generations through a simple game. It’s a mix of vintage and fresh in colors.

About 8 years ago. Lighting for a restaurant. I used about 40 bottles for each lighting piece with a circle rounded, rusty looking steel fixture to hold the bottles together.

I like to use new metals and other techniques that are not expensive but that give a value. I have a new favourite material, ZINCOR, that i perforate with a design and paint in bright colours. I like working closely with the knowledgeable craftsmen and industries to provide the most interesting solutions.

When I find a thread to a potential solution. I will follow it till the end like an intriqued student discovering the secrets of life. And this is the feeling I always try to obtain. The energy flows so elegantly here.

I enjoy the conceptualization, between finding the right aesthetics and corresponding story to it. And of course when seeing the first results in concrete.

Happy and alive. As if the world is large but yet so attainable.

Proud. happily surprised. I've put so much effort in the conceptualisation and thoughts before proceeding that somewhere I forget that it was thoroughly thought of and planned. As time passes I forget the wholeness of the product as I'm in the details of the materials and any obstacles that occur. When the results finally show up it's such a great relief.

Function and aesthetics, but I believe it's mostly about being understood fully.

Quality. Does it look flawed in any way? that appears strongest as a first impression.

To find a purpose with your work, and that usually comes through self reflection. In order to give back, you need to feel what you have to offer.

I think there is potential for accessibility, meaning middle range. With the Chinese industrial revolution vs the very high end furniture brands, I believe in a good piece at an affordable price. People are becoming more knowledgeable and that includes understanding for good design and value but equally as much for accessible prices.

It is still on-going until May 2016. I would very much like to have another beginning of next year. For the rest of this year, I'd like to focus more on the stores I'd like to approach in Europe as well as projects to be involved with with architects and interior designers.

Like most of us, travel: new fashions, new streets, new people are the essentials, but what really captures me profoundly is true connections. It starts with being truly in touch with yourself. Your genuine self meeting other authentic people.

My style is often a mix between two elements. Vintage revamped, modern arabesque or classical pop. It's like an old soul that finds a new environment to express its new findings.I think it comes a bit from boredom. Too much of the same style becomes a bit itchy for me....there's a big need to break it.

Definitely. My father is Swedish and my mother is Iraqi. I grew up between Stockholm, Vientiane, Athens, Riyadh and living in Beirut. Beirut is already a good mix between Europe and the Arab world, a typical middle eastern culture. Due to the turmoils there has been a big freedom and feeling of expression of thought. A beautiful number of designers create the most interesting pieces and I think that comes from what is going on around us.

I work with department stores and concept stores in Lebanon and Dubai. We come up with the types of collections and price points that work best. Some take commission of the work and others buy my pieces before placing them in their stores.

I think it's important to be clear on what you want. To prepare a good brief and know what to expect from the designer will make it easier to deliver a great job. And then chemistry is a big factor that you can feel from the first meeting.

I live in a dream for a while when I take time to explore a new character and the aesthetics that will relate to that. That can take a few days and a lot of googling on my iPhone for psychological analysis of this character. Linking that character to a material or form takes another period of dreaming but here it's more tangible as the materials give reality to the dream. The realisation of the projects wakes you up from the bubble and into a more raw supplier and craftsman encounter to see the feasibility of the work. And the outcome is more often than rare like seeing your newborn child: Always more love than you can ever dream of prior to seeing your child and this sense of pride for what you feel you took part in accomplishing.

My mirrors:), the coffee table designed by my husband, the bar that is a vintage piece, the Marshall head speakers and my kids drawings.

I wake up to get the kids ready for school. Once they're off I start my day with a beautiful cup of coffee and go through the planning of the day. I visit a supplier to go through some details. I come back home to my office space and share some posts on social media and go through the office work. Usually 1 hr is given to dream a bit of the upcoming design.

Enjoy a bit of play. And look within yourself for answers...you are wiser than you think.

The beautiful feeling of creating and producing is the beauty. The negatives of office work, calculations and doing some work you may not like.

Connect the story to the design to the execution to the user.

Creativity is a must, but I think that goes without saying. An important skill is organisation. To know what you want, where to get it and how to pursue it needs proper organisation skills.

I use my iPhone a lot for research, social media and writing notes. A notepad for sketching and I'm learning photoshop now so I don't have to be over the graphic designer all the time.

With 3 kids and a happening social life, time is always hard to balance. I devote myself fully to work when they are in school. The hard part is when a strong inspiration comes during the weekend when it's time for the kids to have my time.

It depends of course. But with The Illusionist it went pretty fast. For the concept of the design and story to execution more or less 45 days.

How come you came up with the idea of designing mirrors?

The combination of Advertising and marketing, Packaging, client servicing and luxury food retail all brought in a lot for me. But it's as if I took what I needed and left. Now I understand why.

Les Galeries Lafayette Dubai. BHV Lebanon and soon Dubai. Sauce Concept Store. Orient 499. Trunk Concept Store

The conceptualisation. You dream big, you live the dream

I would very much like to work with an interior designer who's work I connect with. I have a few in mind I will be contacting next month.

I work alone on the design and the conceptualisation, but I work closely with the craftsmen on execution.

It's not finalised, but I may have a hotel as a project together with an interior designer. That would mean understanding the mood of the hotel and creating mirrors for each room.

by e-mail is the most efficient.