After talking to Ubikubi and Logideez we now continue our series of interviews with Iva and Jiri from TABLO. Read on to find out how the golden city of Prague and the rich Czech heritage live on and inspire a new generation of designers.
Hi, please introduce yourself to our readers!
TABLO is a publishing house of ordinary objects for extraordinary stories. Founded in Prague in 2014, by two designers, we stand for our differences versus obvious stylish only and other basic luxury brands. We learned from traditional Czech manufacturers and now we design.
How did Tablo come to life?
When two designers met and talked about their experiences – Iva about running her own design store, Jiri about working in a renowned studio. They agreed that there is a bridge missing between traditional craft, industry and designers. It made sense to connect these worlds and bring objects to life that not only look good but also have character.
What is the creative process behind your products? Where do you get your inspiration from?
You all know the sensation when you meet someone for the first time and it feels like you have known him for ages. We design and cooperate with designers who get the inspiration by observing everyday rituals and everything we feel good about. The goal of TABLO is to let you feel in the same familiar way in the company of the objects we publish.
What materials do you use for your different product lines and where do you source them?
TABLO proudly produces in Bohemia, where craft traditions are still maintained. It’s given by the Czech lands, which offer high quality raw materials for the production of the “white gold”, famous china (porcelain), and the crystal, which shed the Venetian goods for several centuries.
CINK maging (c) TABLO
With the DRN (turf) flower pots everyone can “own” a piece of land from the defunct Krejcárek gardening settlement in Prague. Can you tell us a bit more about the DRN project and how it came to life?
The DRN project originated before TABLO was established. It came to life because of our strong urge to record the memories of people and a picturesque green place in the middle of Prague, which was destined to destruction.
DRN is the ceramic flower pot based on an authentic piece of land. Each lump of the clay that served as the model is tied to a particular place and person within this green area. He picked up the spade and scored one moment in the time and space. This gave rise to the original footprint determining the final form of flowerpots — the narrator of the story about a place that might already have changed or disappeared entirely.
What are the next projects you are working on?
Waiting for another inspiration, taking our time, because the ideas are never driven by the market seasons. In the meantime, we are just developing and verifying what we are already convinced of.
How would you describe the design scene in the Czech Republic?
Progressive, unique by tight connection with craftsmanship and full of designers-craftsmen, which is a pretty rare “combo” phenomenon.
Are there any challenges you might encounter as a young designer in the Czech Republic? How did you overcome them?
Fulfill the mission of TABLO 😉
POMPO (c) Tablo
Any other Czech designers you are particularly fond of and we should definitely check out?
Wow, there are many … let’s not forget that design means learning from the past – try to look at the history of Czech glassmaking, Cubism in architecture, or the post-war art of the unofficial scene. Generally, this all shapes us till nowadays.
What are the places we shouldn’t miss going to when in Prague?
Prague is full of greenery and hidden yards. In one of them, in the quarter called Letná, we run our studio and showroom. Definitely a place you should not miss 😉 Even if you don’t get to see us here, it’s just a step away to the amazing park with the Vltava River view or to the Prague Castle. In general, Prague is wavy and there are beautiful views – down the river and up to the towers. Almost everywhere you can get on foot – all Bohemia has a human scale. When we talk about it, we always realize that we really like to live here.
Something personal about yourself – what is your favourite food?
We often go to lunch together – “without a full stomach, there is no culture” 🙂 We like to talk about where we are going. If we were to evaluate what is our best, we would hardly name a single food or kitchen. It is always influenced by mood, weather, or just the need to fight, just so. Sometimes the classic Czech cuisine wins, other times the taste for Asian tones will prevail. But a meal which has character and some kind of authenticity always succeeds… as well as the design we recognize.
Thank you Iva & Jiří for the interview and we wish you best of luck in fulfiling the mission of TABLO! You can also follow Tablo on their Instagram and Facebook.
If you wish to read more interviews with the designers we curate, check out our blog!
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