Tablescape II detail

Describe your workspace: I have two, and I alternate or oscillate between them depending on what I'm working on. I have an office-like space where I draw, make models, write e-mails and develop ideas. I'm a fairly tidy person but I'd say that I make a lot of creative messes there. The other space is a dusty workshop where I prototype new designs, work on orders, spray-paint things and negotiate with the table saw.

Other than the computer, what is your most important tool? Large rolls of paper. I draw a lot at full scale when I'm developing ideas, and I usually pin them on the wall in my studio and contemplate their proportions and make changes.

What is the best part of your job? I love seeing concepts begin to materialize into a form, especially after I've been working on them two-dimensionally and in my head for a long while. It's always a nice feeling to see something emerge into reality for the first time.

What is the worst part of your job? Trying to find the time and the right balance between the parts I enjoy and the less alluring parts, like administration.

Cache cabinet

Tall Cache cabinet

Tall Cache cabinet detail

What time do you get up and go to bed? It changes depending on what my week is like, but generally I'm in bed at 1:00 a.m. and up at 8:30 a.m. My studio is not far away—it's a short commute on my bicycle, which is nice.

How do you procrastinate? I try not to, but I sometimes used the word "errand" a bit too liberally.

What is your favorite productivity tip or trick? I basically just do what I call a sweep, which is when I organize my thoughts, what I need to accomplish, all the details, into lists. Those lists are still pen and paper; I don't use an app or anything. And then I tend to work in big concentrated spurts during the day, which I think helps my productivity.

I also have to make sure that I take a break—go for a walk, get some air—because it's so easy to forget to take breaks when you work for yourself. Breaks can be productive, too. Sometimes that's when ideas start flowing, after a big concentrated work period. If there's a concept I've been wrestling with, a lot of times I just need a little space, a little quiet, and then it comes together from there.

What is the most important quality in a designer? I would say it's the confidence to trust—and the sensitivity to interpret—your intuition or your gut when you're making big or little design decisions.

What is the most widespread misunderstanding about design or designers? I don't know if this is a widespread misunderstanding, but I think it's really easy to overlook just how much thought, time, research, drawing, testing, money and effort can go into one ostensibly simple product.

Table Service

What is your most prized design possession? My dad's old Bang & Olufsen record player, designed by Jacob Jensen. The deck is hypnotic; it's a beautiful design.

What is exciting you in design right now? A lot of things, but if I have to choose one it would be materials. I think a lot of designers are really pushing this, exploring new possibilities and combinations, and as a result they're producing a lot of strong material-driven work.

If you could redesign anything, what would you choose? This one is hard. I know I'm a designer, but it's really hard to choose something out of thin air. The best I can do is say that I think it would be a system or a way of doing things, instead of an object.

What do you hope to be doing in ten years? I hope to still be designing and challenging myself creatively. I really can't imagine myself doing anything else.

Lastly, who's more fun to have a drink with: architects, industrial designers or graphic designers? I'm content to sip a cocktail—or a few—and talk shop with all varieties of designers.