When you're missing a rag. How designers Michal Strach and Filip Mirba

When and where did the collaboration between the two of you begin and how did you get involved with Fleysen furniture?

Michal: Filip and I met in 2015 during the Diploma Selection at Designblok, where we had an exhibition next to each other. During the installation, we both needed a rag and couldn't find it anywhere. That was how we met. The collaboration with Fleysen then started in a slightly more traditional way, when Filip Dušek discovered us at Designblok and suggested that we come up with a redesign for him of functional shelves and cabinets that the Elroz company exports to foreign hobby markets.

Filip: We started with doors for a classic cabinet , which is sold in hobby stores, and then we were tasked with bringing something unusual that would add some life to the furniture.

How do your designs for Fleysen come about?

Filip: We will receive an assignment from the company and together we will discuss how to approach it. We will create the first sketch and basic idea. Next, we will draw the design in 3D, which will give us the production data, which we will then consult with the production and engineering team from Fleysen. This will also create visualizations that will then present the furniture.

Does Fleysen furniture have any distinctive elements? Can we recognize it at first glance?

Filip: Probably the most important element is the perforation. We started with it thanks to the doors, which needed to be reinforced with an inner sheet metal, and because the outer sheet metal was perforated, the color shone through from the inside. This gave the design life and, in addition to interesting colors, also a play of light and shadow. At the same time, we strive for a subtle construction. So that the furniture does not appear massive, but rather like a lighter thing that feels airy in the interior.

Michal: The technological background that Fleysen has is important for design, and basically everything depends on it. We try to use the limitations of sheet metal as decoration rather than limiting our scope.

What are the limitations? What specifics of the metal do you need to work with?

Filip: Probably the biggest limitation when designing from metal is the complexity of the bend, which would be different from straight. That limits us in terms of shape.

Michal: Production options are limited by the workshop equipment. The crucial moment was when we designed shelves that used not only board but also rod material, and it was possible to expand the production technology to include welding the rods. For us, this meant pushing the morphology of Fleysen furniture even further.

What are the advantages of metal as a manufacturing material?

Filip: We see the advantage of metal mainly in that it allows us to make very light, subtle things that also work well and can carry a lot of weight. From a sustainability perspective, we strive for as much recyclability as possible. Steel itself is recyclable, and in our designs we also take into account that individual parts can be easily separated and recycled separately.

Do you have a favorite Fleysen product?

Michal: If I were to single out one product, it would be the shelves . But basically I like all of them because I think we do a good job of maintaining the visual uniformity of all products across their typology and purpose.

Filip: I probably like the small red lamp and the ribbed wall clock the most .

Who are the Fleysen designers?

Filip Mirbauer

Filip Mirbauer (*1990) graduated from the Ladislav Sutnar Faculty of Design and Art in Pilsen in 2015, but his name began to be heard in art circles even before he finished his studies. He was nominated for the National Student Design Award in 2012, has two nominations for the Czech Grand Design, is the holder of the Red Dot Award in 2020 and the first ever Designblok Award for Sustainable Design in 2021. He is dedicated to product design, mainly furniture, lighting and home accessories.

Michal Strach

Michal Strach (*1985) graduated from the KOV studio at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague. His work, which includes furniture, toys, jewelry and objects on the edge of design and art, is widely exhibited at design shows in the Czech Republic and abroad. In 2016, he won the Designblok awards, was nominated for the Czech Grand Design award several times and, together with Filip Mirbauer, was nominated for the Designblok and Czech Grand Design awards for the first Fleysen furniture collection.