We find out why music is such an integral part of this Israeli designer’s creative process.
Gal takes his music knowledge and translate it into his furniture designs that are simple yet elegant.
We understand that you are a jazz musician. How does that influence your work as an architect and furniture designer?
Music is my teacher and I try to translate everything from music. When I design buildings or furniture, I feel like I’m playing music. When I was born, I was given the gift of seeing music in three-dimensional planes. I remember that when I was four years old I could see the depth of sound spatially, and then I started making sketches from the music I was listening to when I was 10. When I sketch my designs now, it’s as if I’m inside a musical world.
This has led me to look for ways to create furniture with meaning. This is why I work with Entune Living – the brand is all about being meaningful and calm, and going back to the natural state of being.
What are some of your favourite materials to work with?
I like “noble” materials – concrete, wood, glass, steel and stone – basically architects’ materials. These are materials that are timeless. It will last a long time and it will never go out of style. Some of my favourites are walnut, lacquer, glass and concrete.
Can you tell us more about your collection created for Entune Living?
The Leaf and Strata collections for Entune Living embody the brand’s philosophy. The pieces are meaningful and are inspired by nature. You will find modest pieces in the collection. They are not flashy. Some people say that they are elegant. I created the furniture collections with details based on function. For instance, the Leaf bookshelf has a subtle but profound slope within its construction that is inspired by music. The dividers look thin but it becomes thicker in parts, which contribute to the strength of the shelf.
Gal’s Leaf Collection features natural curves and lines found in nature and music. The thin silhouettes of the furniture pieces belie an unexpected curved detail that makes the structure strong.
How is this related to the music that you play and compose?
The lightness and movement in the Leaf design are inspired by music. Music is derived from notes, and certain notes instruct you to play sound for a long time. When a note is played a long time, that’s harmony. When it moves, it’s called melody. Harmony is sound “static”, like the walls of a space. It is contained; it hugs you. And the melody is the movement inside the space. The third component is the rhythm. These three components come together in my designs. What this means is that everything moves in my design – it’s never static.
How would you describe your design aesthetic?
I don’t have a style. I have feeling. People call this feeling “minimalist warmth”. My designs don’t have a lot of embellishments. There is one detail in an entire piece – it’s very minimalist, but you feel something because it is complex.
His latest collection for Entune Living, the Strata Collection, is inspired by the silhouette of wing structures of aircrafts.
Have you always known that you’d be a creator from young?
Someone asked me why I went into architecture. I said that if I don’t do something that has a lot of meaning for me, I get depressed. I must create something new that is very meaningful. It should create meaning also for other people.
Gal Tevet’s collections for Entune Living are available at OM.
This was adapted from an article originally published in the May 2017 issue of SquareRooms.
