Troels Flensted

Troels Flensted is a designer fascinated by materials and colour. He created his experimental studio in 2015, where material behaviour is explored, and production processes are challenged.

Based just outside of Copenhagen, Troels Flensted creates pieces that sit at the intersection of sculpture and function; they’re designed to evoke the question; how was this made? “It’s very important to me that my work sparks people’s curiosity — both about the production and the material. This is how we learn, develop and understand our material culture and identity — and connect to the things we surround ourselves with.”

“It’s very important to me that my work sparks people’s curiosity — both about the production and the material. This is how we learn, develop and understand our material culture and identity — and connect to the things we surround ourselves with.”

As a child, Troels was a natural problem solver. “I’ve always been interested in materials and how they behave. As a kid, whenever I didn’t understand why something was made badly, I would wonder how it could be improved, and seek solutions to everyday problems — such as a bad cheese cutter.”

Troels studied Industrial Design at the Royal Danish Academy of Design in Copenhagen, before refining his Product Design skills at Central Saint Martins in London. It was in his final year at CSM where he discovered his passion for experimenting. “I find great inspiration in exploring and challenging both new and traditional techniques, and exploring how far you can push the aesthetic boundaries of a material.”

“I find great inspiration in exploring and challenging both new and traditional techniques, and exploring how far you can push the aesthetic boundaries of a material.”

While his interest for materials is the starting point of all his projects, Troels is first and foremost driven by an inquisitiveness. “Every new project starts with excitement for a new material or process. I’m always subconsciously looking for new material — you can’t really turn that off — and when I’ve found something, I’ll start by experimenting to get hands-on experience. But many of my tests don’t see the light of day.”

His fervour for investigation has meant Troels often approaches design in unexpected ways; “Being more experimental can be a good and a bad thing — you come from a different perspective when you’re not an expert, and you ask stupid questions. I often try things that other people never would, because at first it might sound like the craziest idea. But I really find joy in the process, and can draw in experts when I need to.”

The Poured Collection’s initial spark came from Troels’ desire to visualise the making process. The material is mixed with a small amount of pigment, which when poured into a mould flows together and creates something completely unique. “The pattern is like a frozen moment; It captures the time of creation and is a very visual expression of how it’s made. I was pouring the other day and inadvertently shuddered so that my hands shook ever-so-slightly, and you could see it in the pattern. It’s how you know they’re completely handmade.”

“The pattern is like a frozen moment; It captures the time of creation and is a very visual expression of how it’s made.”

Troels’ unique sculptural objects often appear simple in design, so that their predominant feature is clear. “When I want the material to shine, I try to keep the shape very minimal. I must consider what’s the most important aspect of a project; for the Poured Collection, it’s the way it’s made — the movement and the subsequent pattern — so the shape needs to remain simple.”