Designer Profile: Rebecca Hein
Danish Creative Director, Designer and Artist, Rebecca Hein, is the creative mind behind Hein Studio, an interior design brand based in Copenhagen with a focus on creating Scandinavian designs “made to last and to beautify everyday living.” Rebecca kindly answered our questions about how she started, how living in Copenhagen influences her work, and what she loves most about running her own design studio.
WW: Can you share a bit about your journey starting Hein studio? What were you doing before and what prompted you to start your own design studio?
RH: I have been creating art since I was very little and I always knew that I wanted to design. It always came natural to me; I simply cannot stop.
I did fashion and creative direction for years. After our third child was born it became more clear to me how important your home is and what you surround you with. At that point fashion was not an option for me anymore, I wanted to move on. My heart has always been in creating something that could last more than one season, so interior design and art seemed like the obvious choice.
WW: How do you approach designing your pieces?
RH: The approach is different from collection to collection. Sometimes it comes to me before I fall asleep, other times I need to clear my head and go to our beach house at the West Coast. I am a city girl, I could never live in the countryside, but I still need that perfect balance of city and nature. I grew up near the forest and water, so the organic shapes of nature is a very natural approach to my designs.
WW: How does living in Copenhagen influence or inspire your work?
RH: What I love about Copenhagen is all of the inspiring people living here and creating new ways of experiencing a café or a bookstore. We also have lots of great museums. I find great calmness and joy in starting my morning routine at one of the museums.
WW: Oh yes, the Louisiana Museum is wonderful!
WW: Your newest collection takes much inspiration from the sea - can you tell us more about that? Where else do you find inspiration?
My recent work has been inspired by the ocean, but it is really about taking something from nature and bringing it to the city in a way of trying to give people both.
WW: What do you enjoy most about running your own design studio? What is most challenging about it?
RH: What I love the most is creating something I love that is meaningful to me, and then find out others like it too. Also to plan the day I want and the ability to make my own decisions.
The challenging part has been how to keep up as our business grows, all the little things you didn't think about, such as shipping, warehouse capacity, and how to manage production in other countries. And we are still learning and finding our way as the brand grows.
WW: What is an object in your home that has particular meaning to you and why?
RH: Before my husband and I were a couple, we had been friends for several years. I hired him to help me restore my former, very small, city apartment. During the process we started dating, so paying him for his work didn't seem right anymore. Instead I bought him a vintage two-seater couch from the danish architect Arne Jacobsen. It is a bright turquoise wool and is one of the original couches created for the SAS hotel in Copenhagen. Later that year we got married and the couch became a central part of our lives. I nursed all our three kids on that couch. Now it’s the smallest couch in the house and really doesn't fit the color scheme... but for some reason it is part of our family history and I can't bring myself to sell it.
WW: Do you have a personal philosophy you live by?
RH: I've always loved the Nike slogan ´Just Do It´ -- life is really too short for regrets.
