Simple, pure forms and respect for the material are the virtues of chairs, lamps, toys, accessories and interior designs created by Tamara Švonja. She is an interior and furniture designer who graduated from the Faculty of Art and Design in Belgrade, where she lives and works on a variety of projects, from product design and apartment interiors to designing urban games.

Never leaving playfulness out of the equation, Tamara often designs children’s toys and modular furniture, always making sure to employ recycled materials and to try out different technologies out of their usual contexts. Still, in her search for sculptural objects that will be embedded with function, technology is a tool rather than a means to an end.

Working with Gallery 12 from Belgrade, she gained valuable experience, eventually participating in the development of Gallery 12 HUB space. In 2011, she was a member of the team that was commissioned to conceptualize and design the Serbian pavilion at the notable Prague Quadrennial, the biggest European conference dedicated to stage and spatial design. In the following years, she successfully took part in a number of regional design competitions.

In a special workshop program conducted by Nova Iskra in 2014, Tamara was one of the contributing designers proposing more sustainable solutions for urban living, with a modular garden concept for growing edible plants, vegetables and herbs in home conditions. A rational approach towards the raw materials, as well as the environment, are important aspects of her design approach that are clearly visible in her product design output.

Tamara embraced the collaborative process in which she was introduced to the maker Milan Blagojević. As she says, it was an invaluable experience working with Milan, who inspired her modest and natural approach in designing the Tapa boards. She employed only three elegant cuts and four subtle recesses, avoiding to invade the beauty of the material. Love of wood is definitely written all over the resulting design.

Boldly facing the local challenges and limited means and opportunities to create products that would reach serial production, Serbian product designers such as Tamara “at least” have the opportunity to turn to the exquisite craft legacy of the area. As the Folkk team has learned, the process itself makes it worthwhile, with the results being more exciting than anyone could have imagined it.