Max Longin (born 1964) is a mathematician and designer from Mannheim, Germany who designs and produces innovative furniture and interior objects since 1991. He designed the float bed in 2004 and the stream chair in 2006. Rest this email interview will acquaint you further with the designer himself,
1. Who is Max Longin in flesh and blood?
Max: I am 43 years old. I am German designer and mathematician. I just moved to the west coast of Northern Denmark. Here I live with my wife on a small farm and rebuild the stable to use it as my studio.
2. From where do you derive your inspiration?
Max: There is no special type of things that inspire me. The only common property of these things is their simplicity.
3. How do you conceptualize the design you’re working on and incorporate it into your design process?
Max: When I work out an inspiration I first try to find some good association for the object to be shaped. For example, with the float bed the idea of strength and ease of a sailing boat lead me through the process. I am sure the nautical fittings of the bed and the conical shape of the rods that were driven by this idea brought strength and ease to the object not only technically but sensually as well.
4. What was the idea behind ‘Float Bed’ and ‘Stream Chair’?
Max: For the float bed the inspiration was a suspended bridge I sat on. I wanted to bring the gentle swaying into sleeping furniture. As I said before the guide for details was my sailing boat.
Idea for the stream chairs was a deciding problem between several forms at choice I played with, when I wanted to make some lounging chairs for our home. Playing thoughts I came to the idea to make one side of the chair one way and the other side another way. But then I realized the resulting asymmetry brings much more dynamics into the object than the simple symmetric versions. With a group of chairs you even gain a new dimension as these objects correspond with each other.
5. Do you think there’s something you’re most proud of so far, one particular project that came off really well?
Max: I am lucky to say that so far I always liked my last project most.
6. What according to you are the emerging trends in the field of interior designing?
Max: I don’t care much about trends. My personal trend is to combine minimalism and reduced forms with naturalism and warmth.
7. Do you have any projects in hand that have hooked your attention?
Max: Currently two: a coffee-table and a stool.
8. Where do you see yourself, after, let’s say, five years from now?
Max: I moved houses to this little farm here in Denmark to make my life simpler. I hope to keep this simplicity and the liberty to follow my ideas in design.
9. Finally, we would like to have your thoughts on the Instablogs News Network and all its related sites. Which one is your favorite?
Max: I appreciate the variety of blogs and news on the Instablogs Network. I like the Green Diary and Home Tone best.
Before concluding, I’d like to thank Max for sparing his valuable time for this wonderful interview and would like to wish him luck for all his future endeavors.
