Matti Klenell is a Swedish designer who has, in addition to glassware, designed furniture and lighting fixtures. He is known for his exceptional sense of form and ability to create completely new interpretations that, with only a few strokes of the pencil, update the Nordic design tradition.

Let’s start from the very beginning: how did you become a designer?

A youthful curiosity to work with something creative brought me to Konstfack in Stockholm, where I studied interior and furniture design. First, I worked a lot with lighting design, and then later I came to explore glass, partly because it has a connection to lighting but also because I come from a family of glass makers. I guess it was a subconscious way to try to understand my parents and their practice.

Can you tell us the story behind the Syksy glass series?

When collaborating with Marimekko, it felt like an obvious and interesting challenge to combine glass material with patterns in one way or another. We instantly liked the drawn, sketchy approach of the Syksy concept. The Syksy patterns also have a practical purpose: the tactile dimension helps prevent the glasses from getting stuck when stacked.

What inspires you as a designer?

Spaces. Real everyday rooms or imaginary places where the objects I work with are part of the scenery. The best designs I have made derive from specific spatial contexts that generate the form of the object. I guess it has to do with my training as an interior architect that I often use the location as the spark for new ideas.

How would you describe your design aesthetics in three words?

Relevant, personal, and functional. In that order.