Name: Barbora Skorpilova
Company: Mimolimit s.r.o.
Position within company: Executive Director
Website: www.mimolimit.cz
Tell us a little about your background in design (education, experience, etc)
I began to focus on my chosen field quite early, having earned my secondary school diploma in Furniture Construction and Design. I had originally intended to pursue graphics: typography, posters and illustration. However, one of my teachers at the time, Miloš Beran, inspired me towards design, and I changed my mind. I knew I made the right decision after attending a lecture by architect Bořek Šípek in Prague in 1989. The things he presented then had stories: they were not merely functional. They combined seemingly incompatible materials and set new perspectives on ingrained stereotypes. They made dining a ceremony again, transformed chairs into objects, and turned cutlery into jewellery. In the years that followed I studied under Professor Šípek and assisted him in his studios in Prague and Amsterdam. My journey was also significantly influenced by Jan Němeček and Michal Froněk, the founders of the studio Olgoj Chorchoj. Soon, I began my own small design projects, which gradually grew in size, and in 1999 my classmate Jan Nedvěd and I teamed up to found Mimolimit studio.
Today, Mimolimit consists of a team of architects, designers and specialists. We focus on interior and product design as well as architectural projects. We aim for our buildings to remain top-notch in quality and to serve the purpose for which they were built even fifty years from now. We want the stories we create with our clients to reflect our dedication to our work as well as our understanding of our clients´ needs and briefs. Mimolimit´s work embodies the clashes of different cultures and environments, transcending regional, conceptual and stylistic boundaries. Our unconventional use of materials and their combinations attract attention not only at home, but also abroad. Our portfolio includes 140 projects in 13 countries around the world. The best characterisation of Mimolimit´s work is our motto: “BEYOND LIMITS”.
How would you describe your personal design style?
Unity of beauty in plurality. Today, I express this in a more subtle manner. I have moved towards a greater humility in seeking the right proportions, material combinations, and their transformation over time. We create a great number of atypical architectural elements for our projects, which make our realisations distinctive and recognisable – they have their own unique signature. This is because, in larger projects, we can design repeating architectural elements – doors, fittings, storage, switches – that make the project more individualistic. Our projects also have their own special atmosphere, lighting.
Where does your design inspiration come from?
It arises from understanding the relationships and connections between people, places and ideas, combined with experience and the ability to listen to wishes and ask the right questions.
In what direction do you feel that design is moving towards in a general sense?
We are in a period of “reinterpretation” of design from the last century. Simultaneously, we are being influenced by new design methods, like parametricism and associated 3D printing, which is still in many respects in the development stage production-wise. One path is individuality, where design is created in limited editions using both the latest technologies and traditional trades, which themselves become art. Such design is created for individual projects or sold through galleries, now also in the form of concept stores with a strong digital base, such as Artemest. The other path is design for everyone, where large companies produce design in large series and need it to appeal to a wider audience. With the help of artificial intelligence, everything will mean higher quality for everyone, but also some sort of greater averaging. We have long known the world of design influenced by visionary manufacturing companies. Even they are now being sold to large multinational corporations. Chains like Zara Home are an example. Notice that the longest queues in Milan during design week are not into company exhibits, but into buildings housing firms like Dior, Armani and Hermes. There, young people stand in queues over a kilometre long to see these extraordinary exhibits.
