Here, we ask designers to take a selfie and give us an inside look at their life.
Age: 31
Occupation: Artist and designer.
Instagram: @gergeierdei
Hometown: Budapest, but London has been home for the past ten years.
Studio location: Limehouse and Lamb’s Conduit Street.
Describe what you make: I recently started to focus on one-of-a-kind artisanal furniture alongside my homeware brand Gergei Erdei, and I’m excited to be working on my first commercial interiors project.
The most important thing you’ve designed to date: I drew a stem glass when I was three years old. I guess that set me in the interior direction.
Describe the problem your work solves: My work is not only about making beautiful things that make you happy, but also about involving craftspeople whose skill might fade away completely if we don’t support them. I want to show a new generation that if you learn these skills, you will be needed.
Describe the project you are working on now: There are many, but what keeps me very busy is producing lacquered furniture for the interiors project I’m working on now. Finding the right shade takes forever.
A new or forthcoming project we should know about: I just launched a series of hand-painted artisan screens, which combine my love of Greek and Roman deities with ancient Egyptian illustration. I hope they create a captivating visual narrative that brings tales of the past to life. A few of the designs include “The Hunters” evoking the essence of Pompeii’s crumbling murals; “The Peace,” symbolizing tranquility with a style reminiscent of 1960s Italian murals; and the golden “Barbier” which is a tribute to George Barbier’s illustration for the cover of The Songs of Bilitis. I’m also working on a top-secret metal furniture collection. More to come!
What you absolutely must have in your studio: Good music, in particular Miles Davis.
What you do when you’re not working: In my head I’m always working. I never switch off.
Sources of creative envy: Jean-Michel Frank secured quite a few amazing projects that I would have loved to be involved in if I was born at another time.
The distraction you want to eliminate: Lindt Chocolate bars.
Concrete or marble? Marble, one of the most beautiful creations of nature that we purely use for its beauty.
High-rise or townhouse? Both.
Remember or forget? Remember the good things and forget about anything bad and negative.
Aliens or ghosts? Ghosts. A few live in my house too.
Dark or light? I was always into dark places and dark colors.
Portrait photography by Wanda Martin.
