With Radu Călian about wood, design and passion

Do you know why I'm terribly glad this magazine exists? Because we get to meet extraordinary people who break out of the mold and choose to follow their dreams. And they do it with boundless passion. This time I met a designer from Turda, Radu Călian, the owner of the brand Tilion sodium, whose passion for wood confidently overcomes all obstacles. He is a 27 year old young man who not only creates beautiful things, but also talks beautifully about wood and his passions.

The trust of friends motivated him from the start

When did you start this activity? Have you studied design or architecture?

I have been attracted to design since high school, when I dreamed of studying automotive design. But I realized that this is a poorly developed field in our country, so I turned to design in general. After high school I applied for admission to the University of Arts and Design in Cluj Napoca, but I was only admitted on tuition fees. At the same time I was also admitted to the Technical University, industrial design department. Being on a budget I chose this route. Looking back, I can say that it was a lucky chance and I'm glad it happened that way.

The advantage of a technical university is that it develops your thinking in a different direction than an arts university, it teaches you how products work and especially how they can be made. Of course, at the moment it also has a big disadvantage - the creative side and the subjects that directly involve creation are on the back burner and then you are more of an engineer than a designer, but creativity can also be cultivated individually. In my final year of college I started freelancing on product design on existing online platforms. I focused on surface modeling, which I can later say has helped me a lot when modeling current products.

You discovered wood a year and a half ago. How did that happen?

In addition to feelancing, in the fall of 2014 I improvised a small rudimentary workbench on my balcony with a few hand tools. Although I had made a few objects out of different materials during college, wood attracted me the most. I made a wooden spoon, a picture frame, a mirror frame and other small things - some were for myself, others were gifts.

The feedback was positive and that encouraged me. I had found a new hobby that allowed me to express my creativity. But I lacked the space, the tools and the experience. In March 2015 I moved into a 4 by 4 room. The space had grown a bit, but I still didn't have a clear idea about the future. It was still a side business alongside freelancing. I made other things - combs, small wooden boxes, ashtrays - but they were still gifts for people. The first object that was ever intended to be a mass-produced product, and on which I insisted more from a design point of view, was a pair of wooden coffee cups. But I don't yet have the equipment to mass produce them.

All stages from design to production

I've seen some original and interesting designs. The realization is yours end to end? You mean design, project, woodwork, finishing, adding the electrical part?

First of all, thank you for your appreciation. At the end of 2015 the first orders from various friends for the items I made started to appear. For me this was and is a real joy. It is what sustains me and encourages me to continue my work. The first larger commissioned object was a relatively small sculpture (35 cm high) - "Watching Angel"

Then came the Morphoza chandelier, the Libra chandelier and last, the Epitet lamp. They're all made by me head to tail. Concept, realization, electrical, everything up to the installation in a man's home. And all one-of-a-kind. Each object is made directly on wood, without sketches or 3D models. Each part is pencil-drawn directly on the wood and thought out as you go. In this case, the concept is born with the finished product, the conception, design and execution are interwoven. Without a manufacturing pattern and standardized manufacturing process the process is slower, but I like it because I don't have to cut back on creativity. If an idea comes to me along the way and I think it's better, I am free to experiment and implement it. 

Of course, from item to item you accumulate experience, add a tool to make it easier to work with and the process is never the same. It's always like the beginning of a long hike and you arrive in front of a mountain - each time you learn and learn how to model easier, how to assemble easier, how to get the desired effect easier. As you venture further you see how much more there is to learn. Both on the making side and the wood finishing side. When I started out I wouldn't have thought there were so many different ways to finish a piece of wood. And I realize I still have a lot to learn.

Of all the projects so far, which one is closest to your heart? And which was the hardest?

At the moment I'm still exploring, still trying to define a style, a look that I want to offer. My desire is to offer an alternative to the minimalist design of now and to offer a different kind of beauty for those people who want to break out of the mainstream. I want to express depth through organic shapes, but in more raw lines, not very finished.

The greatest satisfaction is when you see the customer's reaction. In the beginning he doesn't know exactly what he will get. I always make a proposal, but not a concrete one, not with a concept on paper, but with the promise that I will exceed his expectations. And so far it has worked, the reactions have always been positive. For me that makes the process special and I dedicate myself to each individual product, I put a part of my soul, I put love into that object. The latest creation is always fresher in my mind and it seems natural to love more what I've made recently. At the moment the Epitet lamp is the most heartfelt creation because it is fresh in the mind. I would say it also involved the most effort. Being a massive body there was more handwork in shaping and finishing the form. 

I believe that from object to object I have the chance to discover myself more and more as a designer and as an artist. Each object is an opportunity to show how I feel about design, about the creative work, it is a foray into the soul and mind of the creator. Creativity is the main transportation that takes you and shows you what to do and how to make that object. Of course, the process is refined and cultivated over time, and I'm just getting started. It's a process that takes time to mature, a process that you can't rush. That is why I believe that every creator, artist, designer who loves their creation is at the same time also complexed by some aspects that they know they could have done better.

Describe your studio in a few words: where it is, what it has, what it lacks

The studio... I've had the idea of a studio, a design studio, since college. Even back then I knew I wanted to have an office/workshop/space where I could develop, where I could do what I love. It wasn't clear what I was going to focus on, what products I was going to make and how I was going to do all of this, but I had the idea and the desire. I could say the studio is always in my heart and mind, but sometimes it changes the physical place. 

The studio I am trying to give birth to is called "Tilion studio", under the brand "Tilion". This year I made the decision to move from Cluj back to Turda, where I am from, in order to reduce maintenance and running costs. In the winter of 2015 we had a break in Cluj. I ran out of hand tools. Although it was demoralizing, the event pushed me, motivated me. I was able to purchase other, bigger, more diversified equipment that would allow me to carry out my work. Ideally, I would like to be able to buy new equipment, but for the time being, I make do with second-hand equipment.

The actual studio is just starting. I moved in in September and I'm still catching up with the furnishing and fittings. It will have an office area, a reception area and studio space. It's still far from what I want, but the idea is starting to take shape. I've got a combination machine - circular, router, milling cutter - for the finer stuff, a banzic, electric drill, drill press, drill press with column and other hand power tools. Of course, like any enthusiast I still feel the need for other tools, I'd like a thickness planer, lathe and CNC router. But I am optimistic that they will come in due course. Until then I'm concentrating on setting up the space.

Passionate, direct, lucky

How would you introduce yourself if you had to talk about yourself? Say 3 words that characterize you.

Speaking objectively about yourself is quite difficult, but I will try. However, I would prefer to talk about the image that I want to project outwards. I think that every person I meet perceives me differently than others or myself. This accumulation of perceptions of people close to us and people we know helps us to realize who we are. I can tell you from the start that I am stubborn. I usually choose to do what I like and stick stubbornly in that direction. Of course, I am neither deaf to other people's opinions nor am I foolish to brush aside suggestions. I try to put everything that comes my way through a personal filter and see whether or not it helps me, how I can use that information.

Even if I'm not the most sociable person I know, I'm a lover of people. I like people just the way they are, and if they are honest and warm, so much the better. That's how I would like to be perceived. I'm probably also a dreamer. I don't think I would have discovered what I like to do without dreaming, imagining. And here again comes the stubbornness of staying true to one's desire, of pursuing one's dreams despite the obstacles that get in the way. I am like everyone else - I think, I talk and I try to do the best I can at what I set out to do. I try to be persistent and consistent. Sometimes I succeed , sometimes I fail, but I guess it's part of the maturing process. To summarize in 3 words how I see myself - passionate, direct, lucky.