Roland R-World Online | Fall 2007

Nordic Cool

There’s an air of cool around the designs of young Danish designer Kasper Salto. It comes out in his lines and in the materials he chooses. But ‘cool’ is not just a shallow façade for Salto. It runs much deeper than that.

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK – In the natural world, ‘cool’ does not co-exist with warm. But that is exactly the sensation you get when meeting Salto in his atelier. The cool interior design complements the building’s rich architectural history. Salto’s cool appearance contrasts with his warm gestures.

Originally educated as a cabinetmaker, Salto studied at the Danish School of Design where he graduated in 1994. His background includes work as both a craftsman and an artist. This gives him a unique perspective when designing chairs.

“If you only draw the objects, you are confined to a visual understanding of the object,” he said. “But that’s not enough when you are dealing with three-dimensional objects. Design is more than just drawing some lines and adding colors. It’s about knowing the dynamics of the object you are designing and choosing the exact materials needed to realize your vision.”

To accomplish this goal, Salto always makes a full-size model of the chairs he designs in the exact materials he plans to use. He perfects these models before showing them to anyone or authorizing their reproduction.

Kasper Salto adjusts MDX-650 settings in his workshop

“You need to sit in a chair to really feel it,” he said. “It’s not enough to just draw it and then make a display model. If you can sit in it, you can feel the dynamics of the chair and find the weak spots in the design as well. You learn your materials, your chair, and your designs a lot better when you go through the whole process.

”To create his full-size models, Kasper Salto relies on the Roland MDX-650 milling machine which supports the wide range of materials his designs require.

“It’s fantastic,” he said. “When you consider all the complexities of the design, you can create them with the MDX. If you can’t mill in the exact same material, you can get very close to it. You can mill an aluminum block, for example, if that’s what you need. If you need something in Teflon which is often used for bearings, you can also make those. That capability is very valuable. Using the right materials in the right places plays a critical role in designing.”

Salto’s MDX has changed the way he works significantly. Previously, he used subcontractors to create prototypes for him. This was problematic for two reasons. First, he had to explain his vision for the model repeatedly when requesting a prototype. Second, outsourcing this process was very expensive.

The Ice chair by Kasper Salto

“Prototypes are very important to product development and they are expensive to produce,” he said. “If you’re able to cut those costs, it has a big impact. By making the prototypes in house, I also have the opportunity to decide which aspects of the chair require additional focus and energy on my part.”

Salto first considered purchasing a milling machine while designing the ICE chair.

Example of a seat created with the MDX-650

“The idea was to have one machine that could do everything but didn’t take up too much space, since our space is limited,” he said. “We had to consider also that we still needed other machines to help ‘feed’ the milling machine – like a band saw to cut the material into a reasonable size for the machine to mill. And of course we still needed tools to apply the finish. But when all of that is taken into account, it’s still possible to operate the MDX in a relatively small space. It’s a tremendous creative tool and asset to my business.”

After this story was written, Salto moved in to a bigger atelier where the MDX milling machine operates today.