The name VALODI was part of an earlier project that was supposed to create a community space where designers and inventors whose concepts would provide a real answer, a solution to a real problem (technical, functional, and design) could share and sell their work. This concept has been inspired by the fact that a lot of objects are being thoughtlessly made today, blindly following the current trend and so are doomed to live a short life. Also, in the world of interior design, the trend that works on a principle similar to fast fashion (known from the fashion world) is becoming more and more popular. Almost anyone can access beautifully designed objects at affordable prices, which encourages many to blindly follow rapidly changing trends. Nevertheless, mass-produced objects can be a serious burden, firstly for our environment (regarding production, transport, and final disposal - throughout the entire production cycle), and secondly visually disturbing in our living spaces.

Although local, smaller businesses such as VALODI cannot participate in the price competition dictated by big corporations, they can play a major role in creating a more sustainable economic model. This means a lot of responsibility and a lot of work for everyone, with sacrifices on the part of both the manufacturer and the buyer. Designers at large design companies are pushed to ignore the aspects of long-lasting and durable products. Reuse and recycle are mostly missing from their concepts, although sustainability is a shared responsibility for all of us. Individually designed and manufactured furniture is, of course, more expensive, but the specific functional and aesthetic challenges in a space are better met by an object that was designed to overcome that exact challenge, so it is likely to retain its role in the space. I think it is important that we can love our objects. In my experience, objects, where we play a direct role in their creation, are more valued long-term, not thrown away, but renovated or remodeled - a task to which the makers of custom furniture are often open.

The VALODI name and the philosophy lives on in a design studio where real solutions to real problems are found.

 

All content of this site (images, and objects) are my own intellectual property.