Advanced Search

The story appears on

Page A9

June 12, 2016

GET this page in PDF

Free for subscribers

View shopping cart

Related News

Home » Sunday » Home and Design

Designer fascinated by nature and geometry

Source: Shanghai Daily | June 12, 2016, Sunday | Print Edition

WHO is he?

Daniel Igoa is an Uruguayan designer who studied architecture, graphic design and marketing in Montevideo. His extensive studies allow him to identify new design opportunities in private and public spaces. Igoa has also worked for many years in the Uruguayan atelier of Luis Seig Fong, exposing him to Oriental culture and the techniques of Chinese painting.

Are you currently involved with any project?

Currently, I’m working on a project at the main bank of Uruguay. I also collaborate with important construction companies in my country, designing lobbies in distinctive buildings. In my studio work, I design and build houses and furniture for my clients, specializing in the revitalization of old spaces.

I am very much interested in projects which require a lot of intervention. I have worked with big houses and the thing I enjoy most is working with handicraftsmen and creating new designs which are not only unique but innovative. It is a way of discovering the hidden potential of things and reflecting the spirit of each client.

I work for my client, not for myself, and for that reason I am proud when my client is satisfied and surprised, because his new house should reflect his actual goals in life. I achieve that by revitalizing antique objects, keeping in mind their past and adding new elements which will tell new stories. I like it when people tell me they identify with my work.

Right now, my purpose is to stay in China for some time. I have come here specially to organize the transfer and implementation of the new offices of the Embassy of Uruguay in China, in Liangmaqiao area. I am also in charge of the interior style of the residency of the Ambassador of Uruguay, a dear friend of mine. I also assisted him back home with his beautiful apartment, located in the Lapido Palace in Montevideo, an emblematic building from the 1930s.

This is an opportunity to observe and learn from an old culture, whose aesthetics also mix the avant-garde with the spirit of a huge amount of wealth. For this reason, I’ve taken a break from most of my Uruguayan projects. I’m only working on a few from a distance, thanks to my local team which is still in Uruguay.

Describe your design style

I try to base my designs on the geometry of objects and spaces, to generate vectors which do not always appear to the eyes but which create a sensation of balance.

When I have to choose, I prioritize natural and recycled materials. I always try to reach for elegance through simple shapes and elaborated details. My curiosity allows me to be constantly connected with the forms and textures I discover in different cities.

My concern is to make my designs timeless in order to avoid fashionable trends. I am attracted by cultural and historical references and their combination with new technologies. My designs integrate local cultural motifs with international design.

What does your home mean to you?

I have always felt connected to art and nature.

I own a panoramic cottage at 70,000 square meters above the Maldonado Stream in Punta del Este and I have recreated there hundreds of vegetable species, based on what I have seen during my trips around the world. That is my green collection.

What do you collect?

My private collection focuses on painting. I acquired these works only because I found them interesting. Currently, most of them are in storage and I only hang the geometric pieces from the 60s and 80s. These pieces were made during the Optic Art era in South America. I have also incorporated European artists. My favorite artist is Carlos Silva (1930-87) and I have bought six of his pieces. One unique thematic exception is a painting from my very good friend Nicolas Garcia Uriburu, an Argentinean artist and ecologist, whom I worked with on many occasions.

I have also a weakness for old cars, especially German ones. I have a few in my garage, completely original. I like to drive my Mercedes 300 SL, with an M103 engine, in summer along the beautiful coasts of Uruguay.

Home and Design


 

Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.

沪公网安备 31010602000204号

Email this to your friend