Katerina Kamprani aims to break down the unnoticed design of everyday objects and change their basic features to surprise and amuse people. She also hopes that through her work, people will gain a deeper appreciation for how complex even the simplest objects can be.
The journey into creating uncomfortable objects began around 2010. Kamprani explained that it started right after she completed a design postgraduate program, though it was never something she truly enjoyed. Before getting into design, she was studying architecture, but being an architect comes with a lot of responsibilities—and Kamprani admits she really hates responsibility.
"I always wanted to be playful. I was going to start design because it’s more playful, more fun. When I went to study design, the teachers warned me that there’s even more responsibility, because you have to create things people actually use. And when you think of design, it’s not just the quirky art I had in mind—quirky chairs and weird things—it’s about the things we use every day. That was eye-opening for me because I always thought design was just a fun way to play with materials, shapes, and forms."
After finishing her postgraduate program, Kamprani started taking design more seriously but felt frustrated, thinking she might never become a designer. Then, one day, she imagined an uncomfortable situation and thought, "That's it, I'll design things that are meant to be uncomfortable."
At that time, the most important lesson Kamprani learned about design was user experience—that an item should be comfortable and easy to use. "I thought, what if I make it difficult? Then I have no responsibility; I’m doing whatever I want. That was liberating, and I just kept doing it."
These days, many people are excited about innovation, but Kamprani aims to shift the focus to the everyday, conventional things that we often take for granted. "I like it when things take a funny or ironic turn!”
