What inspired you to create the design of the Ólia table?
More than inspiration, it has been working with very well-defined premises prior to its ideation, such as its function and the environment where it would have to coexist.
What does the design of the Ólia table aim to convey?
It was like setting a challenge in a piece of furniture, I wanted it to be able to transmit sensations as if it were a jewel object, due to the shape and materials used in its development.
To what extent does your personality influence the work?
I try to ensure that my designs are not influenced by my personality, based on the fact that each design is different and works with data and premises that are very different from each other, each design therefore has its own keys when working on them.
What is the best and worst about being a designer?
The designer has the possibility of improving and creating objects that make people’s lives easier, and that is something very satisfying, just as being able to transmit satisfactory emotions and sensations with your designs allows you to solve problems of all kinds: mobility, communication, planning etc.
The worst thing as a designer is that you realize that there are many things to improve, but few companies that are willing to change them.
If you look back, how is the Vicente Gallega of now different from the young designer from his beginnings?
In general, I don’t tend to look back, quite the opposite, I will surely have changed in some things, we could say that of the cliché of experience. But there is something that I can confirm that has not undergone any changes, and that is the enthusiasm with which I approach each of the new projects that come to the studio.
What is the biggest challenge you have faced throughout your career?
To many, continuously since I discovered this profession, at 15 years old. Every new project is a challenge, even though it is apparently simple, it is still complex inside, which is why how to plan and work through the design processes is so important. Let’s not forget that the great challenge is to connect with the people who use our designs, regardless of one country or another.
What advice would you give to young designers who are starting their career?
Above all, they must be honest with the materials and objects they are going to design, and they must always focus on the people who are going to use them, to solve some functional or aesthetic need.
Any design that you have special appreciation for?
It is not easy to name specific designs, since all the work is carried out with the utmost care, each one with its own personality and according to its characteristics and typology of use.
Since my first job in 1982 with the Mlo bed, Ondas… Since then there have been many jobs of which I have very good memories, and of course the most recent designs such as the Tamo armchair, Nies or the Ólia table, of which I am especially satisfied.
What does a design have to have to captivate you?
That is honest and capable of transmitting emotions.
If you had to choose 5 designs from our website… Which ones would you choose?
Many could be said, but I will stick to the Ólia table, the Tamo armchair, the Níes chair, the Domo table and the Tempo collection.