Inspired by Nature

It was a mere four years ago that Loomiosa released its first pendant collection, but the time that has since passed was more than enough for the brand to establish itself as one of the most unique and sought-after manufacturers of premium light fixtures. In its first few years, Daniel Mátó’s Loomiosa and its instantly recognizable products have won a series of prestigious international design awards, as well as the hearts of professionals and customers alike. Pendants inspired by nature and our built environment quickly became the top choice for contemporary design enthusiasts - and in 2021, general audiences will have the opportunity to explore the outstanding world of Loomiosa at S/ALON BUDAPEST. We talked to founder Daniel about the first steps of his business, as well as his personal inspirations.

Loomiosa was founded in 2017. What motivated you to leave your career in the automobile industry behind and start your own design business?

I’ve been waiting to establish my own business for a long time. I hoped to be able to realize the many ideas floating around in my head. Designing automobiles was just as exciting for me, but I had to choose between the two. There came a point when I said to myself: here’s my opportunity to create something new from scratch, based on my own creative vision. I thought that if I looked back twenty or thirty years from now I would’ve deeply regretted not making this choice.

Can you take us through your creative process from the moment of inspiration to the final product?

It usually starts with a shape or pattern catching my attention: a building, or a detail of one, or any sort of natural formation, whether I see it live or in a picture. I start from this particular shape and try to think it through while I also start to do some drawing. If I look at my drawing and I like what I see, I go to my 3D modelling software to come up with some concepts. At this point, I sometimes put these concepts away for a few days or weeks and get back to them later - if I still like it, I go on creating a prototype. At this stage of design I try to make it as feasible as possible. At last, I send the model for 3D printing, I prepare all the necessary components and build the prototype. After it is done, I usually show it to some of my professional friends, and if feedback is sufficiently positive, the product will end up in my catalogue. Unfortunately, it is common for ideas and concepts to get shelved early on for lack of time or capacity.

Where do you take your inspiration from?

As I mentioned, inspiration comes in many shapes I see around myself, whether it’s architecture, nature, sculptures or any form of art, and so forth. The way I could put it is that inspiration, in a way, comes by chance, really. Shapes and patterns come to find me rather than the other way around. In most cases, these ideas never take real form, but fortunately there are few that do.

Who are the customers of Loomiosa? Do you have a mostly domestic or international clientele?

Throughout the years, Loomiousa was almost exclusively sought after by international customers. More precisely, from Western Europe, North America and the Middle East, but there are even some clients seeking us out all the way from Australia! Our clientele consists of the most diverse people and businesses, ranging from interior designers to hotels and private buyers as well.

So far in your business, you put the emphasis on perfecting your product and the production process, not so much on marketing. How do your clients find you?

I want my products to speak for themselves, that’s why international appearances are so important for my and my brand. To this end, I entered the A’ Design Awards in 2018 and 2019 with my Diva, Space and Leaf models - all of which received a warm welcome and individual awards at these events. This, in turn, led to coverage of the Loomiosa brand in international design magazines. Furthermore, our Leaf model won the Platinum Design Award in 2019 which resulted in an increased demand for Loomiosa fixtures. Many requests are coming in from Pinterest as well: it’s one of the primary platforms for both designers and customers to see my products.

The aforementioned Leaf is probably your most popular product. Why do you think this is?

I think Leaf’s popularity is in part thanks to its soft curves that still retain character; you can see that it is one of our most visually appealing products the way customers react to it. It is a very simple shape that, nevertheless, has constant change engrained in it: the organic, leaf-shaped pendant tells a different story from each new angle, and under different lighting conditions it truly changes from moment to moment.

What are you preparing for S/ALON BUDAPEST? Where can we expect to see the aethereal lamps of Loomiosa?

To the event in September, we are bringing Leaf and the brand new Delta models to our joint installation with Novacolor. Besides that, I am more than happy to say that many different exhibitors - brands and designers - reached out for Loomiosa products to incorporate into their own installations at the event. I hope that visitors will have the chance to witness Loomiosa fixtures in the most diverse installations and contexts of S/ALON BUDAPEST.

What do the next couple of years hold for Loomiosa?

Along with our ever-expanding line-up of light fixtures and pendants, we are planning to introduce new collections of different furniture, such as tables and desks. Part of this expansion is that we are experimenting with a number of new materials, including wood and concrete. Among all these changes one thing is constant: we will never cease to put the design of iconic and spectacular shapes in the center of our design process.

Come and see the premium light fixtures of Loomiosa in person at S/ALON BUDAPEST 2021, where the most important brands and manufacturers of the Hungarian and international design scene await in an inspiring environment. Let’s meet between September 24-26 at the Budapest Arena!