Boontje lights way in world of design

Tord Boontje (left) and his Ice Branch crystal chandelier at Montage this week. At right is a detail of his Blossom chandelier. (photos by David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

It may be hard to believe now, but there was a time when prolific Dutch designer Tord Boontje was a minimalist whose designs were starkly modern and, well, rather bland. The 40-year-old Boontje is responsible for iconic pieces such as the highly ornamental Garland Light, a cluster of intricately cut, paper-thin Tyvek flowers that circle a light bulb on a flexible metal vine. The lights resemble luminous growths found in a fairy tale forest. If you haven't seen Boontje's original, then you've surely seen the knockoffs.

But before his Garland and Midsummer Night lights, Boontje was designing without ornamentation. It was only after the birth of his daughter in 2000, when he entered a nesting phase, that he asked himself the question "What do I want to live with?"

"That was a real breaking point for me," he said. "I started experimenting and suddenly all the limits that I grew up with in design fell away. I realized that there are no boundaries. It's perfectly fine to use ornament and nature in contemporary design."

Boontje, who has collaborated with everyone from Alexander McQueen to Target, was in town this week to celebrate the release of a line of dramatic crystal chandeliers he helped design for Swarovski. Before he sipped champagne and mingled at a party at Montage held in his honor, he talked about design inspiration.

Why did you decide to incorporate nature in your design work?
I've always had a strong fascination with nature, and joy with nature. When I was a little boy, I was always outside and playing in the woods. I grew up in a little village in the Netherlands. In the summer we always went camping in Holland and in Sweden. I always loved being outside.

You're here celebrating the release of your crystal chandeliers, but it was the Garland Light that's really been a huge success. Where did the idea come from?
I had this idea to make a light surrounded by flowers. You see a light bulb surrounded by flowers, and you think there's something logical about it. But why? There's really nothing logical about it. It's a pretty, poetic statement that creates a strong emotional response in people. It seems to touch people deep down. There are pieces of Hitchcock, David Lynch, and Tim Burton films in it. Those are the things that really touch me and inspire my work.

Do you ever worry about your designs becoming too ubiquitous?
I can't deny or stop anything like that. What I did was an icebreaker, and I was really glad that people came along with me. They didn't want to stay in this straightjacket of modernism. So I look at it in a way that it's a fantastic acknowledgement that I could create something meaningful and inspire people.

Are you inspired by other designers?
Not so much other designers. There are some designers I feel close to, and others that are my peers, but bigger influences are artists and fashion. I'm excited by the work of Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, and artists like Willem de Kooning. I'm also inspired by music. I've been listening to a lot of Goldfrapp lately, and also Joy Division.

Why is it that people from your corner of the globe are
so much more design-savvy than other areas? I know I'm stereotyping, but you nodded your head when I asked the question, so I think you're OK with it.

No, I think it's true. In Scandinavia I think it has to do with the winter being so long and dark. They spend so much time indoors. I see it with my mother as well. All summer she's out in the garden, and during the winter she sets up her loom and starts weaving. I think because people are inside so much of the time they become very aware of their surroundings. I think what it comes down to is that they start to go a little crazy. But the craziness inspires some good design.

Christopher Muther can be reached at muther@globe.com.