Karo Sulej, designer, R&D Toyota
Designing with industrial waste
Karo Sulej belongs to a new generation of designers who reject the linear “take-make-dispose” model and propose regenerative design. Her passion and experience show how the role of the designer is changing in the third decade of the 21st century.
The projects she has designed are not merely aesthetic proposals-they are manifestos for change, proof that industry and nature are seeking a new understanding.
The projects she has designed are not merely aesthetic proposals-they are manifestos for change, proof that industry and nature are seeking a new understanding.
Magdalena Małachowska (MM): Before we talk about your current successes, I would like to start with your beginnings, because today we are meeting in Szczecin, where you come from.
You studied here, and I had the opportunity to be on the examination committee when you applied for college. I remember the moment when you arrived at the Academy of Art in a wheelchair. It was 2018-you had a motorcycle accident and all your life plans had to change. And what I remember from the exam is that you were actually the only woman since I've been working at the Academy who openly said that she would like to design cars for the automotive sector.
KaroSulej (KS): Yes, that's true. Because I'm from Szczecin, I wanted to leave and study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Unfortunately, the motorcycle accident thwarted my plans, and as a last resort, I ended up applying to the newly established Faculty of Design at the Academy of Art in Szczecin. So I actually came to the recruitment process in a wheelchair. And I got one of the highest scores on the Product Design exam, which I also remember.
MM: On your Instagram profile (@karo_sulej), you show lighting objects. One of these projects was carried out at the Faculty of Design in Szczecin, and another at the Industrial Design Department of the University of Lund. Tell us about these projects.
KK: In Szczecin, at Maciej Karpiak's Multidisciplinary Design Studio, during one of the semester exercises, we went to the Pienińska Glassworks in Łużyce. The lecturer sponsored the trip. At that time, we were learning about glass blowing technology and how to adapt a design to the technology. I learned that when designing with glass, you should avoid complicated shapes and decide whether the glass form should be hollow or not. If so, what is the process for processing such glass and how to properly design wooden molds for blowing. Thanks to these experiences, I designed my first lamp. This exercise and the motivation of my lecturer pushed me to design a modular lighting fixture for my bachelor's degree. And that's how Light Up was created. Then I followed up and started my master's degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Szczecin. Discussions and consultations with lecturers led me to become interested in studying abroad. That's how I chose Industrial Design at the University of Lund in Sweden.
In Lund, as part of a semester project, we had a project with Toyota Material Handling (Toyota Industries Corporation), which designs and manufactures forklifts. The students were tasked with designing an object from production waste and spare parts left over from the production process at this Toyota branch. And that was our only limitation – the only material available for the project was basically trash. While searching through the industrial trash, I realized that I wanted to design an object that used only what I found. That is, I immediately thought that I would like to limit the number of new elements in this project. I didn't want to buy new elements or produce additional ones. I limited myself to what I found in the Toyota dumpster. This is how the TILT project was created. As a result of the design process, I was ultimately able to use 90% of the materials from waste, while 10% were elements that had to be purchased for product safety reasons, namely the light source and the cable.
MM: So, this process resulted in a sustainable design.
KK: Yes, exactly. That was my main assumption. Other students did projects that used more new materials. I immediately, somehow intuitively, wanted to make the most of what I found.
MM: In fact, you gave yourself permission to choose a more difficult design process.
KK: Yes, I definitely chose the more difficult path. Although, in reality, it was fun – like a Lego puzzle. Of course, in order to assemble the object, I had to redesign and rework each of the collected elements. In this particular case, I didn't have any assembly instructions. I had to come up with them myself for the purposes of this project.
MM: When did you realize that you were designing another lighting fixture in your career?
KK: At first, I had no idea what I was designing, but as I played around with these elements, arranging them on the floor and recreating some of the structural elements, my imagination led me to a lighting fixture.
MM: Did you know who you were designing this solution for?
KK: While working on this project, I thought about the luminaire being used for technical work. The assumption of the project was a luminaire for technical work, hence the use of a neutral 4000K light source and a light output of 1000lm. The luminaire is used for manual work, such as construction or drawing. So it is an object for an architect at a drawing board in a studio and for a locksmith working on a technical drawing in his workshop.
MM: What was the most difficult part of this project for you?
KK: The most difficult part of this project was the materials, which are sometimes one-offs, meaning I had one piece of metal, one element of a larger structure, and I had to rethink my design decisions in such a way as to design individual elements so that they could be combined and assembled into an object. In other words, one that looks the way I designed it and works. So before I started assembling the final prototype, I first scanned all the collected elements in 3D, assembled paper models, and for this project I had to design connecting elements such as hinges. Then I printed everything in 3D to check if the joint mechanisms actually worked and what else needed to be refined. The most difficult part of this process was the fact that in the design process, the margin of error for the designed hinge, which was ultimately milled on a CNC machine, was so small that I wasn't entirely sure if everything would work the way I wanted it to. An additional challenge was that some of the elements were made of aluminum and some were made of steel. And these elements cannot be welded together. Therefore, I had to find a way to connect them. However, what was most important to me in this process was talking to specialists: engineers and technicians. From them, I learned what solutions were available, how I could solve technical problems, and how to implement them. Their knowledge allowed me to make the design decisions that were best for this project.
MM: What I like about the TILT object is that it is made of trash – production waste that we usually turn away from because it is dirty, ugly, and usually emits an unpleasant odor that simply repels us. Your design is more reminiscent of Dieter Rams' minimalism and his designs for the Braun brand than a unique work of art. Can your design be replicated in industrial production?
KK: It's interesting that you ask that. I recently had a conversation with one of the larger design companies in Milan about work, and during the conversation I was asked the same question: Is my design a one-off and how do I imagine its production in the future? The material for the production of TILT is available at the factory for as long as production continues, so there will be material for its manufacture for as long as production continues. And actually, what is worth working on is the base of the light fixture, and the light source and cable should be new for safety reasons, although I'm sure that could be worked on as well. After completing this project, I feel that its success lies in the fact that a design made from waste is being replicated. This means that landfills are modern mines, waste is production material, and manufacturing companies can produce from them on a scale allowed by their production capacity.
MM: Exactly, which also means that designing a new product is a new way of doing business. Using waste as a raw material allows companies from different sectors and industries to collaborate on a whole new scale. By building new connections in supply and value chains, they can transform the implementation of projects such as TILT into sustainable ventures and projects.
MM: What is also interesting about both of these projects you are talking about is the fact that they both involved cooperation with industry. And this situation applied to studying in Szczecin and Lund.
KK: Yes, exactly. In both cases, the university lecturers had contact with industry, and as part of the classes, we explored the given topic together with other students. Light Up was created for the purposes of a bachelor's thesis and as a result of cooperation with industry. The TILT project is another project with industry, but as part of a semester exercise. In this project, there was no pressure, burden, or stress of a diploma. Maybe that's why it's good; there is a certain lightness and fun in it that accompanied me in the design process. Collaboration with industry as part of semester exercises gives a lot of joy and space for exploration, and ultimately brings interesting design results. As a result of my work, I presented Light Up at Gdynia Design Days in 2023, at the Elle Decoration exhibition for young designers, and TILT at Design Milan Week 2024 at the Curating Parts student exhibition.
MM: How did studying in Poland differ from studying abroad for you?
KK: In Poland, I first enrolled in a bachelor's degree program. At this level of education, in my opinion, a designer must learn what design is. Students need to learn which direction they want to go in with design, what interests them about it. And they should also listen to their mentors and superiors. At this stage, you definitely need to be more humble. Besides, our group was small, so we felt like we were at a private university. We had a good relationship with our lecturers. In my second year, and here I am referring to my studies at the University of Lund, I learned that I am a designer and that I have to make decisions. In this sense, I felt what risk and responsibility for my project, which I am implementing for industry, mean. This built my self-esteem as a designer.
MM: Today, you are moving on to Europe. What draws you so far from home?
KK: When I graduated from Lund in June this year, I immediately submitted my portfolio to lighting companies in Europe. I had several job offers. Ultimately, I chose an internship in Toyota's R&D department in Brussels, as I had always wanted to design for the automotive sector. I don't know what's next, but I'm sure that Europe is my job market today.
MM: Thank you for talking to us.
KK: Thank you. See you soon.
You studied here, and I had the opportunity to be on the examination committee when you applied for college. I remember the moment when you arrived at the Academy of Art in a wheelchair. It was 2018-you had a motorcycle accident and all your life plans had to change. And what I remember from the exam is that you were actually the only woman since I've been working at the Academy who openly said that she would like to design cars for the automotive sector.
KaroSulej (KS): Yes, that's true. Because I'm from Szczecin, I wanted to leave and study at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. Unfortunately, the motorcycle accident thwarted my plans, and as a last resort, I ended up applying to the newly established Faculty of Design at the Academy of Art in Szczecin. So I actually came to the recruitment process in a wheelchair. And I got one of the highest scores on the Product Design exam, which I also remember.
MM: On your Instagram profile (@karo_sulej), you show lighting objects. One of these projects was carried out at the Faculty of Design in Szczecin, and another at the Industrial Design Department of the University of Lund. Tell us about these projects.
KK: In Szczecin, at Maciej Karpiak's Multidisciplinary Design Studio, during one of the semester exercises, we went to the Pienińska Glassworks in Łużyce. The lecturer sponsored the trip. At that time, we were learning about glass blowing technology and how to adapt a design to the technology. I learned that when designing with glass, you should avoid complicated shapes and decide whether the glass form should be hollow or not. If so, what is the process for processing such glass and how to properly design wooden molds for blowing. Thanks to these experiences, I designed my first lamp. This exercise and the motivation of my lecturer pushed me to design a modular lighting fixture for my bachelor's degree. And that's how Light Up was created. Then I followed up and started my master's degree at the Academy of Fine Arts in Szczecin. Discussions and consultations with lecturers led me to become interested in studying abroad. That's how I chose Industrial Design at the University of Lund in Sweden.
In Lund, as part of a semester project, we had a project with Toyota Material Handling (Toyota Industries Corporation), which designs and manufactures forklifts. The students were tasked with designing an object from production waste and spare parts left over from the production process at this Toyota branch. And that was our only limitation – the only material available for the project was basically trash. While searching through the industrial trash, I realized that I wanted to design an object that used only what I found. That is, I immediately thought that I would like to limit the number of new elements in this project. I didn't want to buy new elements or produce additional ones. I limited myself to what I found in the Toyota dumpster. This is how the TILT project was created. As a result of the design process, I was ultimately able to use 90% of the materials from waste, while 10% were elements that had to be purchased for product safety reasons, namely the light source and the cable.
MM: So, this process resulted in a sustainable design.
KK: Yes, exactly. That was my main assumption. Other students did projects that used more new materials. I immediately, somehow intuitively, wanted to make the most of what I found.
MM: In fact, you gave yourself permission to choose a more difficult design process.
KK: Yes, I definitely chose the more difficult path. Although, in reality, it was fun – like a Lego puzzle. Of course, in order to assemble the object, I had to redesign and rework each of the collected elements. In this particular case, I didn't have any assembly instructions. I had to come up with them myself for the purposes of this project.
MM: When did you realize that you were designing another lighting fixture in your career?
KK: At first, I had no idea what I was designing, but as I played around with these elements, arranging them on the floor and recreating some of the structural elements, my imagination led me to a lighting fixture.
MM: Did you know who you were designing this solution for?
KK: While working on this project, I thought about the luminaire being used for technical work. The assumption of the project was a luminaire for technical work, hence the use of a neutral 4000K light source and a light output of 1000lm. The luminaire is used for manual work, such as construction or drawing. So it is an object for an architect at a drawing board in a studio and for a locksmith working on a technical drawing in his workshop.
MM: What was the most difficult part of this project for you?
KK: The most difficult part of this project was the materials, which are sometimes one-offs, meaning I had one piece of metal, one element of a larger structure, and I had to rethink my design decisions in such a way as to design individual elements so that they could be combined and assembled into an object. In other words, one that looks the way I designed it and works. So before I started assembling the final prototype, I first scanned all the collected elements in 3D, assembled paper models, and for this project I had to design connecting elements such as hinges. Then I printed everything in 3D to check if the joint mechanisms actually worked and what else needed to be refined. The most difficult part of this process was the fact that in the design process, the margin of error for the designed hinge, which was ultimately milled on a CNC machine, was so small that I wasn't entirely sure if everything would work the way I wanted it to. An additional challenge was that some of the elements were made of aluminum and some were made of steel. And these elements cannot be welded together. Therefore, I had to find a way to connect them. However, what was most important to me in this process was talking to specialists: engineers and technicians. From them, I learned what solutions were available, how I could solve technical problems, and how to implement them. Their knowledge allowed me to make the design decisions that were best for this project.
MM: What I like about the TILT object is that it is made of trash – production waste that we usually turn away from because it is dirty, ugly, and usually emits an unpleasant odor that simply repels us. Your design is more reminiscent of Dieter Rams' minimalism and his designs for the Braun brand than a unique work of art. Can your design be replicated in industrial production?
KK: It's interesting that you ask that. I recently had a conversation with one of the larger design companies in Milan about work, and during the conversation I was asked the same question: Is my design a one-off and how do I imagine its production in the future? The material for the production of TILT is available at the factory for as long as production continues, so there will be material for its manufacture for as long as production continues. And actually, what is worth working on is the base of the light fixture, and the light source and cable should be new for safety reasons, although I'm sure that could be worked on as well. After completing this project, I feel that its success lies in the fact that a design made from waste is being replicated. This means that landfills are modern mines, waste is production material, and manufacturing companies can produce from them on a scale allowed by their production capacity.
MM: Exactly, which also means that designing a new product is a new way of doing business. Using waste as a raw material allows companies from different sectors and industries to collaborate on a whole new scale. By building new connections in supply and value chains, they can transform the implementation of projects such as TILT into sustainable ventures and projects.
MM: What is also interesting about both of these projects you are talking about is the fact that they both involved cooperation with industry. And this situation applied to studying in Szczecin and Lund.
KK: Yes, exactly. In both cases, the university lecturers had contact with industry, and as part of the classes, we explored the given topic together with other students. Light Up was created for the purposes of a bachelor's thesis and as a result of cooperation with industry. The TILT project is another project with industry, but as part of a semester exercise. In this project, there was no pressure, burden, or stress of a diploma. Maybe that's why it's good; there is a certain lightness and fun in it that accompanied me in the design process. Collaboration with industry as part of semester exercises gives a lot of joy and space for exploration, and ultimately brings interesting design results. As a result of my work, I presented Light Up at Gdynia Design Days in 2023, at the Elle Decoration exhibition for young designers, and TILT at Design Milan Week 2024 at the Curating Parts student exhibition.
MM: How did studying in Poland differ from studying abroad for you?
KK: In Poland, I first enrolled in a bachelor's degree program. At this level of education, in my opinion, a designer must learn what design is. Students need to learn which direction they want to go in with design, what interests them about it. And they should also listen to their mentors and superiors. At this stage, you definitely need to be more humble. Besides, our group was small, so we felt like we were at a private university. We had a good relationship with our lecturers. In my second year, and here I am referring to my studies at the University of Lund, I learned that I am a designer and that I have to make decisions. In this sense, I felt what risk and responsibility for my project, which I am implementing for industry, mean. This built my self-esteem as a designer.
MM: Today, you are moving on to Europe. What draws you so far from home?
KK: When I graduated from Lund in June this year, I immediately submitted my portfolio to lighting companies in Europe. I had several job offers. Ultimately, I chose an internship in Toyota's R&D department in Brussels, as I had always wanted to design for the automotive sector. I don't know what's next, but I'm sure that Europe is my job market today.
MM: Thank you for talking to us.
KK: Thank you. See you soon.
