Hard and soft. Rational and playful. TWAIN based on an iconic construction principle: that of a hard (wooden) frame combined with soft (textile) structures. The chair is a reinterpretation of the historic safari chair that is sturdy and comfortable, but also easy to disassemble, flat pack, travel with and reassemble. Unique to TWAIN are the spherical elements of the legs, which are both aesthetically playful and functional: they add volume to the section of the legs where the crossbars are inserted, making the joints stronger. When assembled, the custom-made 30mm wide nylon strap is tightened around the legs holding everything together.
TWAIN is available in natural beech or aniline dyed black beech. The seat and backrest use a self-bearing canvas (natural or black), which can be combined with cushions in various fabrics and colour combinations. The arms are in premium grade leather. 

As a special addition, designer Hella Jongerius created a Jacquard-weave blanket for the chair. 

Fifteen years after the launch of the MONZA armchair, we are introducing an elegant upgrade of the original chair. With a renewed wooden frame, an upholstered seat and a coordinated selection of frame and backrest colours, it offers more comfort and sophistication while retaining the pure design of the original.

The exhibition MATCH: Design & Sport - A Story Looking to the Future is held on the occasion of the 2024 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Paris. It is conceived as a launch-pad for thinking about the future of sports by examining sports through the lens of design and exploring how design, in its many forms, is an integral component thereof. Looking at projects from the past, present, and future, “MATCH” aims to prompt a broader understanding of the relationship between design and sport.

The most obvious link between these two fields is found in equipment: sporting gear is how sports and design first became intertwined. Throughout the history of sports, design has created lighter, safer, stronger, performance-enhancing products for athletes - professionally and otherwise. Design has also helped sports become more inclusive through the development of protheses as well as the creation of virtual games like eSports. Yet as design pushes sport forward through the incorporation of the latest technologies, sport also pushes design forward: athletes desire equipment that not only looks and feels good but also - and perhaps more importantly - reflects their personal identity and gives them a boost of self-confidence. The results of the ongoing symbiotic relationship between design and sports, as shown in this exhibition, are aesthetically stunning objects and materials that simultaneously serve incredibly functional purposes.

The Kunstkammer Gegenwart is a public depot for contemporary art located in the Fürstengalerie (royal gallery) at the Dresden State Art Collections (SKD). The exhibition mainly showcases works from the Sammlung Hoffmann, a private art collection that was donated to the Dresden museums. To display these works, we created a modular and flexible exhibition architecture based on existing industrial systems. A bit like a depot or warehouse, the emphasis is on efficiency rather than aesthetics. The exhibition's rotating parts require a display system that can accommodate works of varying types and sizes, from small to large and heavy to light. The display system can be reconfigured as needed, similar to a building kit. The Kunstkammer Gegenwart is a 34-metre exhibition space that includes an exposed workshop area that demonstrates the conservation and restoration approach to contemporary art on concrete projects.

Transformers is the title of Konstantin Grcic's fifth exhibition at Galerie kreo. Over the past four years, he has been working on a project inspired by his fascination with a 'prefabricated' material: a square aluminium profile perforated with a double row of holes on each of its four sides. Intended for use as a measuring gauge in the automotive industry, this profile ensures extreme precision throughout the car production process. A fixture, obtained by assembling several profiles into a complex geometry, holds the pressed steel body panels in such a way as to constantly check their exact conformity with the plan.

"The system allows me to build different types of furniture in an extremely simple, precise and efficient way". With the Transformers series, the designer repurposes the extrusions and reveals their latent potential for form. The result is a collection of nine pieces belonging to three typologies: black aluminium lamps (four hanging, three standing) and two silver aluminium tables. Each perforation becomes a motif representing the possibility of transformation.

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Berlin-based gallery Mehdi Chouakri kindly invited me to stage the work of artist Charlotte Posenenske at Wilhelm Hallen during Gallery Weekend Berlin.
Charlotte Posenenske’s interest in the serial is something I strongly relate to. It is the link between her practice as an artist and mine as a designer. Charlotte Posenenske rejected the idea of the artist as a unique creator of one-of-a-kind objects. Instead, she believed that art should be produced in ways that could be easily replicated and distributed. She has worked with materials and production methods that come directly from industrial manufacturing. Her interest was to make art accessible to everyone and, most importantly, that it should be used.

The Black Flag lamp embodies the rebellious spirit of its namesake, while also serving as a functional and striking piece of design. Its unique ability to extend up to 3.5 metres from the wall brings light to the heart of any space, while its folded form resembles a sleek and powerful sculpture. It's a statement piece that commands attention, yet remains humble in its purpose.

Black Flag, whose name is inspired by the pioneering and rebellious spirit of a famous punk rock band, is an expandable wall light consisting of one vertical and three horizontal bars, designed to take up minimal space when closed and provide maximum illumination when open.

I first came across ALPI when I was training as a cabinet maker in England in the mid- eighties. ALPI veneers were all the rage in the relatively traditional woodworking community. It was a combination of artistic creativity and commercial ingenuity that made Alpi veneer so appealing... and that added a touch of Italian lifestyle to any product using it. One of my very first designs, an ultra-light wooden chair called Kite (1986), was made using ALPI veneer from Crispin veneer merchants in London's East End.

So when, more than thirty years later, Vittorio Alpi invited me to work on a new collection of veneers, I was literally stoked. The production of reconstituted veneers may seem paradoxical, but one quickly realises the enormous creative potential and industrial vision behind it. The production of Alpi veneers is a long and painstaking sequence of individual processes, but it is precisely this that gives rise to endless design possibilities.

The word south suggests the idea of a sunny, welcoming destination where people can gather and enjoy the outdoors in comfort and style. SOUTH is the name of a new outdoor furniture collection for Magis that includes an upright armchair, a 2-seater bench, a low armchair, a low bench, a dining table and a low table.

The curvaceous contour of the wire mesh seats is the most distinctive feature of the collection. The soft curves at the front and top edges of the seats make them both visually appealing and comfortable to sit in. The seats are constructed as a grid of parallel wires held inside a tubular frame that provides two softly curved armrests. The optional seat pads made of braided ropes are a unique and durable alternative to traditional cushions. The four available colours of light blue, dark blue, orange, and dark red add to the Mediterranean lifestyle that the collection aims to capture.

Twelve years after the initial market launch of VENICE, we are introducing a revised version of the chair with a new upholstery of the seat and backrest. In the original version, both elements were separate from each other and using synthetic materials for outdoor use. In the new version, both elements are combined into one large form and available solely in leather. The update is visually elegant and addresses a homely ambience.

Why CUGINO soft? Quality oak is becoming increasingly difficult to find due to a decrease in quantity and a steep rise in prices. This is due to various reasons, including the war in Ukraine resulting in supply shortages, growing competition, and an increasingly protective market economy. The original CUGINO is made from fairly thick solid oak. The stool's character and beauty come from the quality of the wood.  To maintain CUGINO's originality and high-quality materials, it became inevitable to accept longer delivery times and a slight increase in costs. However, this sacrifice led to a Plan B: creating a simpler, more economical version of the original stool. CUGINO soft is made of construction timber, specifically spruce wood, which is the same quality used for roof trusses.  It is lighter in weight and has a softer grain than oak. The timber can be sourced locally, as the trees grow quickly and in large numbers, which affects the price. The geometry of CUGINO soft is the same as the original, but the circular seat is covered with coloured linoleum.

We originally designed REMO as a wooden chair in 2015. A year later, we translated the iconic shape of the seat shell into an injection moulded plastic shell and mounted it on a stackable metal frame. It was an interesting venture that I had never dared to do before: to create the same piece of furniture in two alternative materials. And now we are launching a third version of the chair: REMO soft with a fully upholstered seat. The project illustrates an interesting strategy: a product consolidates its position in the market through continuous expansion and refinement.

Remo Plastic, 2016
Remo, 2015

With a series of seating elements, tables and lamps, including classics such as Chair_ONE (2004) and the mobile lamp Mayday (1999), the solo exhibition Irgendwas ist immer provides an insight into the multifaceted work of designer and HFBK Professor Konstantin Grcic (*1965). In addition to industrially produced objects, development models are also on display.

For the exhibition, Grcic uses furniture from the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK), which he transforms into displays for his objects. Smeared, tagged and scratched, the long-disused cabinets, tabletops and trestles are material testimonies to the history of the HFBK Hamburg's ICAT - Institute for Contemporary Art & Transfer, which opened this year.

This combination illustrates the increasing relevance of scenography in Grcic's 30 years of work. Above all, it is an expression of his careful engagement with space and his sensitivity to the potential of chance, experimentation and processuality.

Located within the Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg (HfbK), this 200sqm multipurpose project space epitomizes contemporary adaptability and functionality. One-third of the area is designated for permanent workstations with associated infrastructure, while the remaining open space caters to a range of activities, from informal gatherings to formal events such as workshops, conferences, parties, and exhibitions. Addressing acoustic concerns, a triple-layered curtain delineates distinct zones within the space. The inclusion of versatile furniture, such as STOOL-TOOL and CHAP stools by Vitra, BELL stacking chairs by Magis, and MAYDAY lamps by FLOS, along with specially designed elements like mobile wooden steps for seating, enhances the space's flexibility. Notably, a striking cantilevered lamp, mounted on a large wooden swivel arm, serves as a focal point, evoking the allure of varieté theater lighting with its array of light bulbs. With its understated elegance and adaptability, this space cultivates an environment conducive to collaborative activities and creative exploration.

The starting point for BENCH was a simple wooden beam to sit on. By extending the ends of the beam down to the floor, the legs of a simple bench are created. The upside-down U-shape looks familiar, but there is an extra detail. The seat and legs are joined by an invisible pin connection that requires no tools for assembly or disassembly.

The BENCH table is based on the same principle and is a harmonious complement to the bench. While the bench is fixed in size and shape, the tables can be configured in different formats and leg positions. The timeless simplicity of the design allows BENCH and BENCH TABLE to adapt to many different environments - public and domestic, traditional and modern, simple and elegant. The use of spruce, sourced from a local forest, was a deliberate choice. It pays tribute to PLANK's heritage as a manufacturer of traditional alpine chairs.

Flexible work routines have been transforming the way we use modern offices. Work is no longer confined to an assigned desk, but takes place at changing locations. DROP BOX is a mobile companion that stores the necessary utensils, anywhere and at any time. Together with the optional Drop Box Tray Set, it provides storage space for all sorts of small items. 
DROP BOX is simple to construct: two sides made of recycled plastic are connected by a series of aluminium tubes. While the upper tube serves as the handle, the others suspend a structure of textile compartments. DROP BOX is absolutely mobile and intuitive. Apart from the work environment, DROP BOX can be useful in children's rooms, the kitchen, the living room, hallways, waiting rooms etc.

ARENAS is a public installation consisting of three circular structures located on the western edge of Logroño's Felipe VI Park. The structures are made of scaffolding and crowned with waving blue flags, giving the place a festive feel. Each "arena" is dedicated to a specific activity: a circular basketball court, a circle of drums, a circle ring of swings. ARENAS is not only a place to meet and spend time together, it also invites people (of all ages) to take part in a collective activity. To come and play ball with friends and neighbours, to get together for a musical jam session or to swing into the sunset. The installation offers great freedom for public appropriation.

An exhibition entitled "Ceci n'est pas un mur" at Spazio NFQ in Milan presented new limited edition furniture for Galleria Giustini/Stagetti. The title of the exhibition quotes Magritte's famous painting of a pipe, which is known to be a painting and not a real pipe. The reference to Magritte provokes us to question our deep perception of the objects we see.

WALL is a large vertical structure made up of three different modules (A-1m, B-2m, C-3m) that can be strung together in a variety of configurations: ABC, BAC, CAB and so on. At first glance, WALL looks like a scaled-up model of a high-rise building. The open structure develops on several levels, including intersecting vertical and horizontal trajectories, forms that alternate open and closed areas. There are elements that resemble a staircase, a service shaft, windows. WALL is not simply a bookshelf, although it could be used as such. Because of its size and formal diversity, it can be interpreted in many ways, depending on the needs or creative imagination of each individual user. WALL is made of wood and hand-painted, revealing the individual brushstrokes. The choice of a particular shade of grey emphasises the piece's architectural character and notion of solidity.

The DAYBED is designed as a self-contained cell for reading, studying, and contemplation—much like a Renaissance studiolo. The mattress is placed inside a wooden box, which is defined by a rectangular platform and two adjoining sides. The wall at the head of the mattress contains a small window with a ledge that projects outwards. The inside of the longitudinal wall features a wooden shelf and a drawer. The shelf expands into a small desk area, which cantilevers to the outside of the box. It would be used by pulling up a chair. The DAYBED's main structure is made of saw-cut oak veneer which is laid in a special pattern. The mattress is covered in a natural-coloured bouclé fabric adding warmth and tranquillity.

Part chair, part stool, part sculpture. AKA / Also Known As... AKA is made from three pieces of plywood: a central S-shaped element that serves as the front leg, seat and backrest/handle, and two back legs. Together they form a rigorous geometry that encourages dynamic and unconventional ways of sitting. AKA breaks with the conventional idea of what a stool or chair should be. It will appeal to people who think outside the box.

The stools are stackable and come in three different finishes: natural beech plywood, black stained or stained petrol blue.

Bike manufacturer Canyon invited me to create a limited artist edition of their Ultimate CF SLX 8 Disc LTD, a professional racing bike that has proven itself at the highest level in WorldTour races. The only way to work with the complex geometry of the frame was through a strictly analogue design process. Using coloured adhesive tape, I was able to work very directly on the frame and get a feel for the three-dimensional effect of the graphics. As a final design, I opted to use iridescent decals in specific areas to highlight certain accents on the default white frame, which served as a perfect canvas for this design.

We often find objects and rituals in our everyday lives that we take for granted, but that would have been almost incomprehensible just a short time ago: A smartphone on a desk seems hardly remarkable to us today, but this flat object would have been an inexplicable puzzle to observers from the past. In this way, our respective new realities are constantly altered by objects and the behaviours associated with them, and our lives are constantly transformed by their use and increasing everyday nature.

For the exhibition I have created installations in which my own design objects interact with materials and everyday objects of our present. These so-called "NEW NORMALS" refer to a future in which different constellations of living and working together are being tested, and confront the viewer with his or her own ideas of utopian and dystopian futures.

Dating back to around 4,000 BC, fired bricks can be considered one of the oldest building materials. Rethinking such an ancient product can be intimidating, simply because history has probably found an original and most appropriate form for it.

My new brick for Mutina is a double hexagon - a shape that is both geometric and organic. Beehives are modelled from hexagons - it is the most efficient geometry to achieve an almost infinitely expandable structure.

HIVES can be used in two different orientations - upright and flat. In the upright orientation the hexagon creates the pattern of a wall. Using HIVES in a flat orientation means that the hexagonal shape determines the structure and shape of the wall.

HIVES can be laid in courses and in a variety of patterns, also known as bonds. The bricks can be laid flush or offset. The angels of the hexagon make it possible to build curved walls and columns.

Originally launched in 2000 as an indoor lamp, MAYDAY's enduring popularity led to the introduction of an outdoor-only version in 2022. The new design features a waterproof housing for the LED bulb and an extra thick cable that meets the applicable standard for outdoor luminaires. The lamp is made from post-industrial polypropylene and is assembled without glue, making it fully recyclable. The MAYDAY outdoor models are available in the new colours Leaf Green and Mustard Yellow in addition to the standard Black. The lamp is IP65 rated, ensuring durability in outdoor conditions. 

At first glance, CHAP appears to be a rather familiar thing: a stackable stool/side table. It's generic quality makes it particularly adaptable and flexible, ubiquitous. Made of recycled plastic, it is very light and can be stacked vertically. CHAP functions as a quick to use and versatile stool that can easily be taken to workshops, meetings and gatherings, both indoors and outdoors. Its four-legged construction acts as a support for a small matching tray for storing telephones, cables, papers and other office items.

Agile working has brought about significant changes in the modern workplace. Work no longer takes place at one's own desk, but in different locations - together or alone. LOCKER BOX is a portable storage unit that serves as a comfortable carrier for all your essential work tools.

LOCKER BOX consists of two recycled plastic side panels connected by aluminium tubes. The storage compartments are made of heat-welded fabric suspended between the aluminium profiles.

Located on the 8th floor of the iconic Frank Gehry Tower on the Luma Arles campus Parc des Ateliers in Arles, South France, this multipurpose project space is all about public engagement. Offering uninterrupted access 24/7, the open plan space presents breathtaking views of Arles and the serene Camargue landscape. Embracing the idea of perpetual openness, the interior adopts the qualities of an outdoor public square, utilising the same stone flooring found outside the building, commercial street lamps and litter bins.
The intervention to the Gehry building strips the architecture down to a bare shell, leaving all services (pipes, ducts, electrical) exposed along walls and ceilings. To ensure safety without compromising openness, a membrane of tightly-knit chain-link steel mesh envelops the space at half a metre offset from the walls and ceiling.
Versatile and adaptable, the space embodies agility, capable of accommodating various activities. Whether serving as a casual hangout spot for the public or transforming into a dynamic venue for workshops, conferences, parties, or exhibitions. The space invites visitors to engage, explore, and create, embodying the spirit of “everything is possible”. 

Re:Move is a small but multi-functional cargo vehicle for urban last-mile delivery.

A call from Wallpaper* senior editor Nick Compton initiated the design project, which was set up as a creative collaboration between Wallpaper, myself (KG-Design) and three other partners. The Norwegian aluminium company, Hydro, provided highly recyclable, low carbon aluminium. They were also responsible for the vehicle's characteristic long platform. Electric bike company Cake contributed the electric drivetrain. Finally, Swedish car manufacturer Polestar mobilised its R&D facility in Coventry, combining the engineering expertise of Polestar's Director of Design Engineering Chris Staunton with Corum Technology.

DIN stands for "Deutsches Institut für Normierung", which is the German Institute for Standardisation.

In Germany, an A4 sheet of paper is called DIN A4.

The DIN collection for Mutina consists of 4 different tile sizes that follow a strictly modular logic: the largest format is a 15 x 15 cm square tile; cutting it in half creates the next smaller size, and so on.

The design of most buildings is based on the idea of modularity. Big boxes made up of smaller boxes. Modularity is used to allow diversity within a very strict framework. The concept of DIN is like that. The different tile sizes all fit into the same grid. And they can be combined to create a variety of geometries, surfaces and patterns.

There are a lot of different ways to use DIN - from very simple to very sophisticated. You can choose just one tile size in one finish, or you can combine different sizes in different colours and even vary between matt and glossy finishes.

Designing products that are essential and part of our daily lives in such a way that they do not disturb the unconscious: this was precisely the appeal of the design task for a toilet flush panel. There are two things that are new or different: the design and the material. We have combined the two flush buttons into a single form - with the small flush button formally integrated into the larger one. Simplicity creates a sense of clarity.

For the surface, we use an innovative high-tech material that is soft to the touch and completely opaque, but extremely resistant and, above all, hygienic without leaving fingerprints. The new flush panel is available in six colours selected for the modern bathroom and WC.

BELL is a contemporary monobloc chair made from recycled polypropylene. The patented material is made from industrial waste and is 100% recyclable after use. The aim was to produce a high quality chair with a minimum of material. The ecological ambition behind the project also helped us achieve another goal: we wanted BELL to be affordable for everyone! Weighing only 2.7 kilograms, it is almost half the weight of an average plastic chair. The uncompromising reduction of material reduces the chair's production cycle time (less than 60 seconds) and therefore saves costs. The key to all this is the chair's BELL-shaped shell. It's bulbous geometry not only provides a highly efficient design, it's also exceptionally comfortable and inviting. Up to 24 BELL chairs can be stacked on a specially designed delivery pallet, reducing transport volume and optimising logistics. The bright orange pallet, made from the same recycled PP as the chair, can be reused many times or used as a display for retail partners. The chair is available in three colours: Sunrise, High Noon and Midnight. BELL has its own website: www.bell-chair.com

LAUFEN SPACE in Berlin is a new showroom concept for Laufen, the Swiss brand of high-end sanitary ware. Located on Berlin's Kantstrasse, the space has been designed as an adaptable hybrid. It combines the characteristics of a commercial showroom, a workshop and an event space.

Berlin's LAUFEN SPACE is the model for a new type of showroom - a concept that emphasises dialogue over representation. The plan is for the space to change constantly - just like Berlin, the city that, according to publicist Karl Scheffler, is fated “forever to become and never to be.”

ROKU is based on the correlation of two geometries: a hexagon and a circle. The six sides of the hexagon correspond to the 12 hours of the dial. The round dial symbolises the circular movement of time: the continuous passing of seconds/minutes/hours on the one hand, and the punctuation of certain events on the other.

The stainless steel case is available in black or natural finishes, with a matching strap in coloured calfskin or stainless steel mesh. The watch is equipped with a quartz movement and is water-resistant to 5 bar.

CITIZEN is an unconventional reinterpretation of the traditional lounge chair. The structure and shape of the chair is defined by a bent tubular steel frame, while a free-floating seat cushion offers a completely new seating experience. Suspended from the tubular frame by just three steel cables, the seat can move in all directions, creating a pleasant rocking motion. The relationship between the tubular steel frame and the upholstered elements gives CITIZEN its character. The frame defines the spatial structure of the lounge chair, while the seat and backrest add volume and colour. All of the chair's elements are exposed, giving the design a visual lightness and sporty nonchalance.

CITIZEN is available in two versions: the eye-catching CITIZEN Highback, which offers an extra level of comfort, and the less conspicuous CITIZEN Lowback, which is suitable for conference situations and larger lounge areas.

The concept of L'IMMAGINAZIONE AL POTERE was to create a link between the material invention of Alcantara (sponsor of the exhibition) and the works of four visionary architects: Sergio Musmeci, Giuseppe Perugini, Maurizio Sacripanti and Bernard Khoury. While the first three represent an optimistic post-war period in Italy, Khoury is a contemporary architect living and working in war-torn Beirut/Lebanon.

The invention of Alcantara, a synthetic material used to replace leather on an industrial scale, coincides with the creative period of Musmeci, Perugini and Scaripanti. The common denominator of all five protagonists in the exhibition is an optimistic approach to technological change and a vision of a positive future.

Verdeq is a small company that makes bags from the scraps left over from the production of convertible tops. Looking through the materials in the workshop, I saw two different rear window cut-outs that could be joined together with a few simple seams to create the perfect tote bag: SOFTOTE.
By preserving the beautifully rounded and asymmetrical shapes of the cut-outs, the bag still reveals the story of its industrial origins.

The fashion brand Hugo Boss invited me to design a CAPSULE COLLECTION for their Fall/Winter 2019 season. The project did not involve designing completely new garments, but rather making certain adaptations to existing typologies, such as the men's jacket. I focused on finding a balance between function and elegance. I wanted to create garments that were beautiful but also comfortable to wear. The collection includes a men's jacket, a raincoat and a set of T-shirts with prints inspired by the cities of Milan, New York and Shanghai. The illustrations on the T-shirts are based on my own cartoon creation "Dirty Old".

Moving to Mars, an exhibition at London's Design Museum, explored putting humans on the red planet as the final frontier for design. One part of the exhibition looked at the role of design in keeping astronauts safe during the journey to Mars, which could be a seven to nine month journey locked inside a spacecraft. "It's not just about keeping people healthy and fed. It's also about making it tolerable," says Justin McGuirk, curator of the exhibition. With that in mind, my first instinct when designing a dining table for the astronauts was to do away with the over-engineered feel of the usual spaceship furniture. Instead of seats, POWOW offers a circular rail for the astronauts to sit on, with their feet held in floor straps to prevent them from floating away. The central round table has a telescopic column that allows it to be sunk flush into the floor. With only the circular rail left, POWOW becomes an open social space that encourages the valuable ritual of gathering during the long journey.

In 2019, the revolutionary smart car will be 21 years old. The brand is using this anniversary as an opportunity for a major change: smart will be the first major car brand to convert its entire fleet from combustion engines to electric drive. To mark the occasion, smart commissioned me to design an edition of the very last 21 petrol-powered smartfortwo's to roll off the production line.
The #21 FINAL COLLECTORS EDITION expresses the rebellious spirit of its coming of age. The bright yellow front of the car has already entered the new era of clean engines, while the rear is finished in (dirty) matt black. The project is a cheerful farewell to a glorious era in automotive history.

The City of Bordeaux, in collaboration with the Musée des Arts Décoratifs et du Design, asked me to design a small building to be used as a public reading room during the city's 2019 summer cultural season. The CABINET DE LECTURE is a 15 square metre wooden hut with a 4.5 metre high pitched roof and a large front opening. The structure is prefabricated in flat parts that can be assembled and disassembled on site.

BEAM is a sturdy table for working, meeting and dining. Made from architectural I-beams, the design is reminiscent of a simple workbench. The frame is powder coated in red oxide or gunmetal black and is supplied in three parts (two leg frames plus cross beam) which are bolted together on site. Combined with 40mm thick tops in Oak veneer or Black Fenix (a heat and scratch resistant, high quality finish), BEAM can be ordered in alternative formats and two heights: 74cm (standard seating) and 110cm (standing).

NOCTAMBULE: The night owl or reveler. Mostly invisible during the day, but becomes glamorous at night. The analogy is apt. The new collection of lamps is made up of blown glass modules that are transparent and therefore almost invisible during the day. But when switched on in the dark, they transform into beautiful, illuminated lamps. The cylindrical glass modules form the basic grammar of the collection. The individual module is a lantern. Several modules stacked on top of each other create a light column, or a suspended chandelier in a stairwell. Additional elements, such as a glass dome or a conical head, give extra power to floorstanding uplights and pendants. The carefully calibrated LED technology that powers the luminaires is discreetly integrated into the joints between the glass modules. Almost invisible, but ready to be activated at any (night) time.

Imagine a table, the simplest of all tables: a top and four legs, one in each corner. The minimalist outline of this table is made up of uniform aluminium profiles and finished with a thin, solid-core tabletop. A closer look at the frame reveals the table's modular construction: each corner has a solid aluminium corner joint connecting the extruded crossbars and legs. Very long tables would have two additional joints, adding a fifth and sixth leg. An even longer table might have eight legs, or twelve... and so on. FILA is a technical system. The joints are milled, not cast, creating a seamless precision between the elements. A distinctive chamfer running along the outside edge of each corner leg is FILA's signature detail and a testament to the attention to detail and quality. FILA comes in a range of standard sizes or can be made to measure, with the aluminium frame anodised in silver, gold or black. The Fenix® table top offers an extremely durable material that is soft to the touch and anti-fingerprint.

CUGINO is the result of many experiments; it evolved over time with the desire to create an object that we don't already know. We designed it over and over again, making many variations, trying things out and learning from each new model. I wanted to make an object for Mattiazzi that was 'not a stool' and 'not a low table', but could be both. In CUGINO I see an object that is open to interpretation, that is not given a function at the outset, that finds its use and its place over time. It is not about structure, it is not about economy. It is not appropriation - I was careful not to quote directly from primitive objects. Because we worked on it for so long and made so many iterations, it came into its own.

In early meetings with the two founders of AEANCE, I noticed that they combined the technical clothing of their own brand with more ready-to-wear pieces from their personal wardrobes. This, I thought, was the perfect strategy for approaching AEANCE's Collection 03: to fill these wardrobe gaps with garments that hadn't been available from the brand before. I made the first silhouettes by pinning pieces of canvas onto mannequins until they started to look like garments. Making a jacket is an act of construction, not unlike making a chair. The 2D material (the fabric) is shaped into a 3D form. We ended up making 9 different garments, five for women and four for men, including coats, jackets, blazers, trousers and skirts. Each garment is simplified to its basic proportions. They are light, breathable and comfortable. The silhouettes are constructed using taped seams, laser cutting and bonding. 96% of the textiles used are recycled, all natural, biodegradable or bio-based. The collection has a subtle yet strong colour palette of black, blue, grey, red and mauve.

The most daunting aspect of designing glasses is that people (with very different physiognomies) will wear them on their faces. Glasses become part of their identity, of who they are. The ALL ROUND collection is inspired by historical models that were round because of the circular shape of the lenses. The round shape of eyewear is timeless, versatile and fits most people's faces. Our collection explores eight different formal interpretations of round eyewear: BIKE, BRACE, CARTOON, INLAY, NEEDLE, LINK, PRETZEL, SAFARI.

The agile office is a modern workspace concept designed to promote flexibility, collaboration, and efficiency. It moves away from traditional fixed workstations and embraces dynamic, adaptable environments. In an agile office, employees have the freedom to choose where and how they work based on the task at hand. This can include open workspaces, quiet zones, collaborative areas, and even remote work options. The goal is to create a fluid, responsive workspace that supports diverse work styles, fosters creativity, and enhances productivity. By breaking down physical barriers and encouraging interaction, the agile office aims to optimize teamwork, innovation, and employee well-being.

Vitra commissioned me to design such a space for their presentation at ORGATEC / Cologne in 2018. 

SCALA was inspired by the great staircases that act as perfect grandstands. By transferring this idea to upholstered furniture, a stair-like sofa was created. SCALA defines an open space that can be used by individuals or groups: reading, working, talking, listening to music, watching a film, etc. 

Thanks to its vertical orientation, the sofa allows many different activities to take place simultaneously. Small loose cushions can be freely positioned on the tiered structure. Soft on one side and hard on the other, they offer enhanced comfort and also function as a storage surface or tray table. Separate tablet elements are fitted with power sockets and USB ports to provide the necessary infrastructure. 

I designed ROOKIE to be small, agile and - by office standards - unconventionally simple. It offers instant comfort with as few adjustments as possible. ROOKIE is all about flexibility and change; its design language symbolises the moment you start something new, that magic moment when everything is up in the air. A student could use a single chair at their desk, or you could find it on a corporate campus - the chair is made for environments that stimulate the generation and exchange of ideas.

VOLUMES is a collection of six monolithic objects made in natural bluestone. The pieces are cut away from a solid block creating six distinct forms, approximately of the same volume as a stool or chair. Each type is hinting at a suggested purpose, but not enough to reveal an exact function.
“There is a novelty and daring in this non-prescribed use. In that sense, VOLUMES is an experiment in abstraction and one that is quite different to other collections that Grcic has created for Galerie kreo.” (Johanna Agermann Ross).

STOOL-TOOL combines a chair and a table to form a monolithic workstation. The need for stackability has determined its overall geometry. It can be used as a solitaire, but works equally well in multiplication (put a group together to create a spontaneous meeting space). The project follows a strictly pragmatic concept: to achieve the largest usable sitting/working area with the smallest possible footprint. The two terraced surfaces are designed to allow not only different seat heights, but also different orientations. The console-style backrest can be used as a work surface (laptop table) or as a perch. The polypropylene plastic (available in poppy red, industrial green and light grey) is easy to handle and makes STOOL-TOOL safe to use both indoors and outdoors.

As a traveller, one has come to appreciate the benefits of plastic shell suitcases. They are extremely light and flexible, yet strong and good looking. Suitcases made of thin, vacuum-formed plastic sheets have revolutionised a whole category of products. As a furniture designer, I was struck by the ingenuity of this technology when I considered its suitability for the production and performance of modern chair shells. The creative potential was obvious. However, translating it into a successful chair formula took time and learning. With CUP we have developed an elegant shell geometry that combines structural strength with a high degree of flexibility and lightness. The upholstered interior of the shell gives the chair a well-balanced ergonomic quality, making it a perfect choice for conference situations, waiting and dining areas. The shell, in black or white plastic, can be combined with an infinite range of fabrics and colours, depending on whether it has to blend in with the environment or to be the protagonist.

It takes courage and vision to venture into a category of furniture typically associated with sturdy tool cabinets and office filing systems. The challenge was to create a design that remained true to the utilitarian genotype of this furniture, while domesticating it with carefully targeted interventions. The type-specific destinations in the home (kitchen, living room, bedroom, children's room, etc.) laid the foundation for what these cabinets became.
CHESS comes in different sizes and offers a choice between drawers and sliding doors. The cabinets are powder-coated in signal white (RAL 9003) or wine red (RAL 3005) and all models have solid oak handles. As well as providing a pleasant interface with the furniture, the wood provides a tactile contrast to the cold metal. Solid oak is also used for the recessed plinths that elegantly lift the cabinets off the floor. Each model in the CHESS range can be used as a stand-alone storage unit or as a module within a larger cabinet arrangement.

METEO marks the beginning of a new collaboration with Kettal. It aims to explore the largely untapped design potential of modern parasols. Protection from direct sunlight is becoming essential to our health and well-being. The increasing importance of parasols and other sun protection systems in the design and furnishing of modern cityscapes, holiday resorts and private homes calls for a new approach to this specialised product category. Building on Kettal's expertise in outdoor furniture, the project was driven by a genuine quest for quality in design and performance: a contemporary product, comfortable to use and made with the most intelligent materials to provide effective and long-lasting protection.
METEO is available in two versions: a basic model with a manual pulley system and a high-end model with an integrated gas piston to assist in opening and closing the parasol. Kettal's own range of parasol materials is used in combination with the brand's standard colour palette. The parasols can be fitted with two alternative types of base plate: sheet metal or cast iron.

Commissioned by smart, the main sponsor of the Night Fever exhibition at the Vitra Design Museum, we turned one of the world's smallest cars, a smart fortwo, into a life-size boom box: the SMART MOBILE DISCO. Given the importance of the disc jockey to any successful club night, we mounted a hydraulic crane arm on the back of the car that lifts a DJ booth 3m into the air and over the heads of the dancing crowd. Equipped with an impressive sound system, professional DJ equipment and state-of-the-art lighting, we have transformed the smart car into a powerful disco machine for partying anywhere, anytime.

The exhibition "Night Fever. Designing Club Culture 1960 - Today" at the Vitra Design Museum is the first comprehensive exhibition celebrating the nightclub as one of the most important design spaces in contemporary culture. In designing the exhibition architecture, we tried to internalise a specific design logic that had developed in the respective decades. Following the chronological approach of the exhibition, we designed spaces that evoke the aura of famous nightclubs without ever copying them.
A real challenge was to integrate music into the exhibition. Disco music has to be loud, but how do you do that in an exhibition? We worked with Matthias Singer to create a space where the visitor stands on a raised dance floor with an animated light installation projected onto mirrored walls to create the illusion of infinity. Using headphones, visitors can choose from different playlists of famous disco tracks and get lost in the music. Although the installation uses modern technology, it remains abstract in terms of space and time.

The key reference for my proposal is the fishing vest, which transforms a garment into a kind of bag - the material nylon is best known for. My first thought was to recreate Joseph Beuys' famous fishing vest in Prada Black Nylon. In a second step, I have worked on a design that interpreted the theme in a freer, more abstract way: APRON.

The MAGLIANA furniture project was created for "Privato Romano Interno" (PRI), a programme that commissions designers to develop interior projects in response to specific architectural buildings in Rome. PRI is curated by Emanuela Nobile Mino.

My project is based on a small pavilion by the architect Pier Luigi Nervi (1899-1965) on the southern outskirts of Rome. Built shortly after the Second World War, the 21 x 10.5m Magliana Pavilion represents Nervi's first experiments with reinforced concrete. In the same year that he built the pavilion, Nervi patented his technique (ferro-cemento), which was to become the key signature of his architectural practice.

ANIMAL FARM is the title of an exhibition that brings together more than 15 years of my projects for the Italian furniture manufacturer Magis. It was first shown in Tokyo in October 2016 and again in Milan in April 2017.
ANIMAL FARM is a playful way of describing the herd of different creatures in the exhibition. Like ETTORE, the mule, each piece of furniture can be considered an animal or species. Although the title Animal Farm refers to George Orwell's novel of the same name (published in 1945), the exhibition has no allegorical intentions.

MONZA BISTRO is clearly inspired by Thonet's No.14, the world's most popular café chair (since 1859). Designers call it the "chair of chairs", not only because it was the first industrially produced chair, but also because its innovative construction has created its own distinctive typology. BISTRO adopts the circular seat frame and curved legs (both in beech) and adds an injection-moulded polypropylene backrest and a soft seat cushion in integral skin polyurethane foam. The chair is available in natural or black stained beech wood, with coloured backs and seats in black, white, caffe latte, caramel or terra brown.

A sofa will always play a central role in the home, but it is increasingly being used in public areas, creating situations where people can come together and communicate in a shared space. SOFT PROPS creates a territory for human activity, private or public, alone or with others. I wanted this space to be able to appropriate very different situations.
The sofa is made up of modular seating elements in two sizes that can be combined in numerous configurations. Starting from its most abstract element, the ottoman, the piece can be composed in various combinations and layouts. The large tubular rail, which recalls the handrails in public buildings or railings on the large transatlantic ships, provides a protective boundary that defines space within space. The user can continuously interact with the sofa by arranging the loose cushions against the rail.

PRIMO is the archetypal chair. Its design consists of only the most basic elements: four legs, seat and backrest. The strict vertical orientation of the legs gives the chair a strong architectural presence. However, the formal rigour is broken by the curved backrest, which seems to float on the ends of the chair's back legs. Standing alone, PRIMO has an unmistakable sculptural quality. When multiplied, the chair conveys an unassuming rationality - making it ideal for a wide variety of uses in the domestic and contract markets (dining, working, auditorium seating, waiting, etc.). The basic PRIMO model is made of solid beech. The black lacquered version emphasises the chair's strong and elegant silhouette. In gold, PRIMO is the ultimate icon. For added comfort and refinement, the chair is also available in solid American oak with an upholstered leather seat. All PRIMO models are stackable.

The four-legged PRIMO table matches the minimalist design of the chair. It is available in various sizes and finishes. Its square-section legs, fixed to each corner of the tabletop, are detachable for space-saving and environmentally friendly transport.

HEAD IN THE SKY is an outdoor space for working and thinking: a safe place of concentration for people who don't want to retreat into their own private domain, especially mentally. The title refers to the possibility of keeping a clear head, dreaming and imagining. While the object is open at the top to allow thoughts to flow freely, the verticals along the sides limit the space. The hot-dip galvanised mesh structure provides a bench to sit on, a table of sorts and a shelf in a very confined space. The weatherproof material shields but remains permeable.

The project was originally commissioned by the Design Museum, London, where it was shown as part of the NEW/OLD exhibition. The exhibition explored how design can help people live fuller, healthier and more rewarding lives into old age.

Our contribution to the London Design Biennale 2016 takes its title from a quote by John Malkovich: "Utopia is elsewhere". The project draws on the fact that there are few recurring situations that allow people of all cultures and ages to fall into a similar state of daydreaming: sitting in front of a fire and gazing into the flames; lying in the grass and looking up at the sky; looking out at the sea and watching the waves break.

Divided into two rooms, the installations begin with the John Malkovich quote, set in classic typography on an oversized easel in a bright white room. In an adjoining darkened room, visitors can sit in comfortable chairs in contemplation around a flickering, hypnotic digital fire, encouraging the mind to drift 'elsewhere'. The idea is to encourage collective dreaming and evoke humanity's primal fantasy of a better world.

EPOCSODIELAK is a 3x2x1 metre freestanding disco totem designed in collaboration with graphic designer Mirko Borsche. Made of black powder-coated steel profiles, it is equipped with a cluster of strobe lights, lasers, a fog machine and a mixing desk. Powered by a 1200 watt dynamic sound system, the project proposes a self-sufficient sound/light unit with enough whack to turn any room into an ad-hoc disco.

The installation was put to the test at a special party night hosted by Kaleidoscope and ZEITMagazin during the 2016 Salone del Mobile in Milan (see images).

Iron casting is one of the oldest uses of ferrous metals. It is heavy and strong. It performs best under pressure, which is why it is used as a structural material for building bridges and, on a smaller scale, as a base for heavy machinery. For Magis we have developed a collection of contemporary furniture consisting of a large rectangular table, a height-adjustable trestle table, a round table, a small bistro table and an upholstered bench/sofa.
The name BRUT means raw and untreated. A solid piece of iron, heavy and uncompromising. At the same time, it evokes the sweetness of sparkling wine, which speaks of refinement and sophistication, which is also inherent in our project.

For Eugenio Perazza, founder and director of Magis, the mule is the perfect emblem to represent his company: Magis, the tireless and hardworking mule. When we were working on the BRUT collection of cast iron furniture, Perazza asked me to draw a mule that could be made in cast iron for the company's 40th anniversary.
ETTORE is the size of an Oxford dictionary and weighs 4.5 kg.

"Piastrelle", ceramic tiles! While working on my first collection for Mutina, I began to appreciate the beauty of this ancient and simple craft. A piece of clay that becomes a floor, a wall. The idea that matter is made up of discrete units is fundamental. It is as much a philosophical concept as it is a biological fact. The ceramic tile represents just that: a small unit that, when multiplied, becomes something greater than the sum of its parts.

NUMI is a collection of square tiles in two sizes (30x30cm and 60x60cm) and six colours. Each of the six is partially glazed with a different geometric shape. When multiplied, these shapes create a pattern that is magnified in architecture. The smaller NUMINI (5x5cm) are based on the same principle but have a relief pattern instead of glazing.

I am a great admirer of Chinese wooden furniture from the Ming Dynasty. What I find so compelling about it is the combination of structural logic and formal beauty. The MINGX chair collection is inspired by historical Chinese furniture, but the transition from wood to tubular steel has opened up a contemporary, industrial and, admittedly, European interpretation of the classical theme.
Note: the seat frame in laser-cut & folded sheet steel holds the whole chair together. Note also: the thin diameter tube transforms the classical outline of the Chinese chair into a fluid and light silhouette.

I wasn't convinced that it would work: taking the geometry of a plywood seat shell and turning it into a plastic injection moulding. The two materials couldn't be more different. While plywood lamination imposes a lot of constraints on the shape of the shell, plastic injection moulding allows a great deal of formal freedom. After much discussion and careful evaluation, we decided to try it - and succeeded, which proves an interesting point: Thanks to the "unorthodox" transition from a wooden chair to a plastic one, we have unintentionally created a simple and beautiful plastic chair - one that we would never have done otherwise. There is now a REMO plywood chair and a REMO plastic chair. Both types stand on their own merits, which means that they can be used in very different ways. While the plywood version is the more sophisticated and elegant chair, the plastic version offers a more economical, more durable (for public use) alternative, especially for outdoor use.
The REMO plastic chair comes in twelve new colours. The tubular frame is either chromed or galvanised (for outdoor use).

ULISSE is a modern interpretation of the classic chaise longue. Combining simplicity and elegance, it fuses the silhouette of a chaise longue with the meticulous craftsmanship of the modernist tradition. Inspired by the iconic designs of Charlotte Perriand and Eileen Gray, ULISSE is characterised by its slightly sagging longitudinal contour suspended between four solid legs. The mattress is supported by a flexible slatted frame and has an adjustable headrest. ULISSE is the first piece of furniture I have designed for ClassiCon in 15 years. Despite visible differences, it continues the series of my earlier work.

I am fascinated by the idea that industrial design can enable transparency and individualisation. Can we collaborate with our users to create products that they can finish? The concept is captivating: the industry produces a product, and the user then adds to it or changes it. This idea is not new. Everyone has kept things they are attached to alive - whether by repairing them, giving them a fresh coat of paint, or reupholstering them. This subversive form of creativity is captivatingly beautiful. Interestingly, the industry has not yet consciously taken this path. HACK is a desk or workstation system for large offices that allows for individual interventions, upgrades, improvements and personalisation. It is a raw industrial product that invites you to make it your own. 

PROPS are furniture elements outside the usual typology. PROPS are hardly self-sufficient, but in relation to other pieces of furniture they become functional extensions of them: next to a chair, next to a sofa, next to a shelf. The PROPS range consists of five alternative elements. Each has its own specific geometry and size, which, when combined with another piece of furniture, creates a variety of uses. All elements are made from 5 mm thick raw sheet metal, which is laser cut, milled and folded.

The briefing I received from RADO was simple: redesign their most iconic watch, the Ceramica. Redesigning a classic is always a challenge. As a designer, you have a clear responsibility not to spoil the legacy of the original. The design process forces you to decide how close to the original you want to stay and how far you want to go? The original Ceramica still looks pretty amazing today. It is absolutely iconic and pure, and that clearly inspired my new design - not only in a formal sense, but also in terms of its uncompromising attitude. I decided to approach the project from a very subjective point of view. I asked myself what would transform the original Ceramica into a watch I would wear today?

Hugo BOSS asked me and my office to create the visual branding for a sailing boat to compete in the Vendée Globe: a round-the-world, single-handed, non-stop, unassisted yacht race. Alex Thomson, skipper of the Hugo BOSS sponsored boat, is aiming to become the first British sailor to win what has been described as the Mount Everest of sailing. In preparation for the 2016/17 edition of the Vendée, he and his team (and Hugo BOSS) have had just over two years to build a completely new boat. The naval architecture of the HUGO BOSS was developed by VPLP and Guillaume Verdier. It is a first of its kind, a 60-foot carbon fibre monohull with foils - huge appendages that protrude from either side of the hull to lift the boat out of the water in strong winds.
Our job? We painted the boat black, the whole thing: the hull, the mast, the sails. HUGO BOSS is a racing boat, it is about speed and competition.

The monographic exhibition KONSTANTIN GRCIC, ABBILDUNGEN/FIGURES at Kunsthalle Bielefeld is a deep homage to the architecture of the museum: the extraordinary building designed by the American architect Philip Johnson in 1968. In worship of Johnson's vision of a museum dedicated to art that is predominantly hung on the wall or placed on pedestals, I have done exactly that: all the exhibits are presented either as flat images on the wall or on pedestals (interpreted in various ways). Thus freed from their functional existence, the design exhibits take on a surprising autonomy. A selection of works from the museums' art collections included in the exhibition explore the inspirational relationship between art and design (see images). The show is neither a survey nor a retrospective, but a compilation of works inspired by the subjective narrative of the exhibition.

A catalogue of the exhibition was designed by graphic designers Strobo and published by Lars Müller.

The exhibition THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY was conceived in three parts: the first showed the (almost) complete genesis of 'Chair_ONE' (1999-2004), consisting of twenty-five 1:1 scale mock-ups and prototypes. The models, made of wire, cardboard, sheet steel or 3D-printed nylon, were displayed in specially designed sulphur yellow display cages. Alongside the models were examples of the final production chair (manufactured by Magis Italy). The second part of the exhibition presented a cross-section of industrial design projects from over two decades of my career. The selected projects represented a personal list of favourites.
The third and final section was conceived as a scenographic installation for the TT Pavilion, a project we designed for the launch of the Audi TT model in 2014. The small building combines a wooden structure with seven original hatchback doors and fuel caps from the TT model. The pavilion was positioned in front of a utopian landscape painted on canvas exclusively for the exhibition. The title of the exhibition is borrowed from a classic Western and ironically refers to the highly emotional potential of design and its reception.

The VAL bathroom collection is based on the conceptual studies we realised for Laufen in 2014 (SaphirKeramik project, Salone del Bagno, Milano). The experience gained from the original process has now been applied to a highly industrialised range of products. The strong architectural shapes are enhanced by the exceptionally thin wall sections characteristic of the innovative SaphirKeramik material.

The basic element of the new collection is a rectangular wall-mounted washbasin available in different widths (450, 550, 650 and 950 mm). VAL also includes two asymmetrical washbasins and two small trays, all of which are the direct result of the experimental studies of our original project. To complete the collection of ceramic pieces, we have designed a freestanding bathtub in Sentec, a solid surface material that perfectly matches the filigree SaphirKeramik.

SAM SON is a simple armchair with a touch of cartoon character. Standing on 4 stilted legs, the chair features a softly suspended seat shell between a giant horseshoe-shaped sausage, the chair's characteristic arm and backrest. Made from two different rotational mouldings, the chair combines a rigid plastic for the base and a more elastic polymer for the top. The exaggerated dimensions of the arm and backrest provide comfort and support, creating a protective space for sitting. SAM SON is available in 5 different colours. It is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

REMO is a plywood chair that combines the craftsmanship of the manufacturer with the latest manufacturing technologies. The chair's defining feature, the T-shaped back, is made possible by an ingenious interlocking joint that connects the curved seat to the horizontal back. This two-piece construction results in an ultra-light yet strong shell that offers exceptional comfort. REMO is produced in two versions: an all-wood version combining the laminated seat shell with curved plywood legs, and a stackable version with a tubular steel leg structure.

The "Chaise A" by the French company Tolix is an icon in the history of chairs. Made of sheet metal and tubular steel, it combines lightness and strength, industrial aesthetics and craftsmanship. When Tolix invited my office to create an object based on the Chaise A, it was clear to us that whatever we did, it couldn't be a chair. Charlotte Talbot, my assistant, came up with the construction of a large vessel made of the chair´s sheet metal spine (in Tolix lingo referred to as "Palmette"). 14 x Palmettes determined the size and shape of the bucket. The object could not have been made without the chair, but it doesn't conform to it. It is simply a large bucket made of sheet metal and tubing in the Tolix factory.

ZIGZAG was originally put on the market in 1996. Almost twenty years later its re-launch introduces a series of novelties to the original project. The shelf's zig-zag shaped structure is as simple and fresh today and remains untouched. However, we took advantage of changes in technology and taste to update both manufacturing and material trim. A palette of new colours for the metal work - black, white, bronze and polished stainless steel - is complemented by two kinds of wooden shelves, oak and American walnut. The clip-on bookends are available in matching colours to all other metal parts or veneered in the same woods as the shelves. An additional, fluorescent red colour is reminiscent of the orange bookends of the 1996 original. ZIGZAG comes in two heights and is assembled without any tools.

"When you see the ZIGZAG shelves you see that Konstantin was just trying to work something out; it’s old-fashioned in that way. It’s a piece of old-fashioned design and a very thoughtful design: the coincidence of idea, technology and the tectonic. It’s a real piece of furniture making."
David Chipperfield

The CLERICI collection of wooden benches exudes religious serenity. CLERICI's philosophy and construction are in line with our first collaboration with Mattiazzi (MEDICI, 2012). The manufacturer's excellence in technology and workmanship allows the interpretation of a classical typology with contemporary perfection. The precision and simplicity of the solid construction of the benches manifest a calm intensity that lives up to the architectural grandeur and clarity of the spaces for which CLERICI is intended: museums, waiting rooms, restaurants, boutiques, etc.
The CLERICI collection includes a classic bench (available in 2-, 3- and 4-seater versions) and a lower, more reclining version (from armchair to 3-seater, with optional upholstered cushions). The benches are available in natural oak or stained ash. The lower version is available in leather or woven fabric.

With ALLSTAR, we have developed an office chair which makes a strong reference to chairs outside the office. Its rational construction and emblematic appeal yield a form of de-acceleration from the fast-paced dynamic of most work environments. We were keen to design a chair which defies the typical office stereotype. ALLSTAR expresses a sense of familiarity and casualness which make it suited for a wide variety of settings, both professional and domestic.
ALLSTAR performs almost all functions of a fully fledged office chair: it has a five-star swivel base, an adjustable synchronised mechanism, seat depth and height adjustment, and an adjustable backrest. The large loop armrest, which shapes the identity of ALLSTAR, also represents the main structural element on which the mechanical unit of the chair is hinged.

ALLSTAR is available in different colour versions. The polyamide armrest comes in five finishes (black, white, red, blue or green) which is combined with a wide range of coloured backrests. The swivel base and seat cushion are always black.

Think of London and the Routemaster Bus. The iconic red double-decker with its open rear platform that allowed you to hop on and off anywhere it stopped. When I lived in London in the early 90’s, the old Routemasters were still in service. They had a narrow spiral staircase at their back which connected the lower and the upper deck. I vividly remember countless travels across town, sitting upstairs in the front row, and watching London’s big city lights as they passed by below me.

Of course, LONDON CALLING is not about bus travel. However, the title evokes fond memories I have for the city I once lived in. LONDON CALLING are spiral-shaped library steps. Five steps that take you to a height of 90cm, in a half circle around their central pole. The stairs are made of solid oak. They are constructed to be freestanding, and mobile.

A bottle opener as key ring.
It used to be a common thing.
Used to be …
Time for a revival.

For the occasion of Design Miami/Basel 2014, Audi commissioned us to design a presentation of their brand new third generation Audi TT coupé. I conceived the TT PAVILION as a small polygonal building in wood and aluminum. With a reference to the new-generation Audi TT, the pavilion incorporates seven original TT hatchback doors as wing-like entrances. I think of the Audi TT as a car which you drive from the city out for a tour of the countryside. My response to this experience is a small building that symbolizes the remote destination of such a drive. Conceptually, I was interested in applying the high technology used in automotive manufacturing to an architectural context. I consider cars to be very sophisticated industrially produced pieces of architectures. They not only provide a protective shelter but also are perfectly equipped functional spaces for working, communicating, eating and relaxing. The free-standing TT-PAVILION is pre-fabricated and mounted on adjustable pylons, allowing it to be installed in even the most imponderable terrain."

Arflex Japan, originally founded in 1969 as sole distributor of the Italian mother brand Arflex, is also producer/manufacturer of an exclusive furniture collection for the Japanese market. The company´s distinguished cultural background inspired me to create a radically contemporary chair for Japan which combines values of both traditional craftsmanship and modernist aesthetics. DAHLEM is characterized by a strictly geometric language, reminiscent of the beautiful chairs by Gerrit Rietveld, Charles Rennie Mackintosh or Frank Lloyd Wright. The chair´s construction is legible in all its parts. Lightness and economy are prime motivations for the way it was designed. The chair, which is exclusively available in Japan is made in walnut or oak, the seat is upholstered in soft leather or fabric.

PANORAMA at the the Vitra Design Museum has been the most comprehensive solo exhibition of my work to date.
The show included several large-scale installations, rendering my personal visions for life in the future: a home interior, a design studio and an urban environment. These spaces were staging fictional scenarios confronting the viewer with my inspirations, challenges and questions, as well as placing my work in a greater social context. The highlight of these presentations was a 30-metre long panorama (conceived in collaboration with artist Neil Campbell Ross) that depicts an architectural landscape of the future.
A fourth area of the exhibition took a focused look at my office’s daily work. This section presented many finished products, but also prototypes, drawings and background information along with artefacts that have inspired me – from an old teapot and an early Apple computer to works by Marcel Duchamp, Gerrit Rietveld and Enzo Mari. In the shift of perspectives between larger and smaller scales, the exhibition demonstrated how design is more than mere problem solving, but a highly complex process that integrates coincidences, ruptures, chance discoveries and a profound engagement with the visual culture of our time.

Even though our collaboration with Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek started nearly two years before the company´s marriage with Vitra (August 2013), the original briefing from Artek couldn´t have better anticipated its future destination: the chair RIVAL was designed for home working. In the use of materials RIVAL reflects its roots in the historic company founded by Alvar Aalto 80 years ago. However, the swivel mechanism, invisibly integrated into the seat of the chair, owes strongly to the technical ingenuity of Artek´s new partnership with Vitra.

"Being able to swivel offers a psychological clue as to the purpose of the chair. Just as pulling an adjustable desk light into position, and pressing the switch is a symbolic prelude to concentration and work, so is the sense of being able to adjust your seating position at a desk. It is a gesture that can almost be seen as giving the user permission to leave their domestic setting behind, and to start work." (Deyan Sudjic, design critic and director of the London Design Museum).

There are two different versions of Rival, a high back and a low back. The chairs come in different wood finishes and with upholstered seats in either leather or 3D knitted fabric.

A series of wash-bowls mark the beginning of our collaboration with Laufen, a Swiss producer of premium sanitary ware. Working with a truly innovative material, SaphirKeramik, opened up unprecedented possibilities. The revolutionary ceramic formula, developed and patented by Laufen, is characterized by exceptional hardness and strength, which in terms of design allows for thin sectioned shapes and a high definition of detail.
The current designs give an outlook on a complete new product range to be launched at ISH/Frankfurt in 2015.

In an attempt to reach a broader audience of coffee drinkers, Nespresso recently launched VertuoLine, a new capsule system which can make single cup espressos as well as 'Grand Cru' coffees. Nespresso have developed a new form of barcoded capsule which can be read by the machine to optimize the brewing cycle for each specific blend.

We were commissioned to design a family of complimentary products (cups, spoons, travel mug, capsule dispenser) for VertuoLine.

Three years ago the Tom and Jerry stools started The Wild Bunch collection. In the meantime two different tables (Butch and Topsy) and the shelving system (Tyke) have been added. Finally, we introduced a chair to the family. TUFFY is based on the original Tom & Jerry stools, using the same nylon spindle for height adjustment. The chair has four legs (instead of the stool´s three) and a T-shaped backrest, which is made in gas injected plastic to provide comfortable resilience. TUFFY is a versatile chair which can be imagined at the studio/office, in schools, at a lunch café, around the kitchen table or the child´s bedroom. Seat and legs are made in solid beech, the plastic parts are available in the typical colours of The Wild Bunch - black, white, orange and blue.

Continuing our collaboration with Marsotto edizioni, KEYBOARD is a minimal desk with a rotating top extension that allows for different working configurations. The piece is manufactured using white Carrara marble slabs.

MAN MACHINE is a collection of furniture pieces developed for Galerie kreo in Paris. Like the CHAMPIONS tables, my previous project for kreo, I based the entire collection on one material (and technique): glass. Glass is surely not the most obvious material for making furniture. Apart from being cold and heavy, there is a prevalent stigma about its fragility. However, if you think about it, glass is one of the most commonly used building materials in contemporary architecture. The idea of MAN MACHINE (named after Kraftwerk´s 1978 album) started to formulate when we began introducing moving elements to the glass furniture. The movement is achieved by using industrial gas pistons, a kind of magic muscle. The performance and leverage of each gas piston is customized according to the exact movement required. On the CHAISE (chair), the piston is used to alter the position of the backrest, on the round TABLE_M the piston makes the table top fold away. The large TABLE_XL has four synchronized telescopic pistons which allow the table top to be cranked up or down. The big boxes (CRATE) have pistons lifting the glass lid, the book SHELF incorporates pistons pushing wooden blocks like sprung bookends. All pieces are made out of tempered glass jointed together with silicone glue. The MAN MACHINE collection is produced in a limited edition of 8 pieces each.

There is not much to be said about this project other than - it is what it is. A small side table with a round top, central column and conical base. The table was originally designed to compliment our BENCH_B project (also BD Barcelona), but its distinct elegance and useful proportion make it a perfectly valid product in its own right. Made in architectural concrete it is moulded in one single piece. The table can be used indoors and outdoors and it weighs 14kg.

TRAFFIC is a collection made of wire and upholstered furniture. The correlation between the three-dimensional line drawing of the metal rod and the geometric volumes of the cushions marks a significant departure from the usual connotations of wire furniture. The understated simplicity of the design conveys a pleasant casualness. The refinement of the details and the carefully tailored proportions evoke a resounding elegance. The inherent logic of the construction creates a formal grammar that allows a series of functional declinations to form the TRAFFIC collection: an armchair, a two-seater sofa, a small bench (which doubles up as an ottoman), a chaise longue, all available with fabric or leather upholstery. The metal structure is either powder-coated (in high-gloss colours) or chrome-plated.

When Michael Maharam (Maharam textiles) got us thinking about a new collection of bags, THREE bag was the very first design we did. We didn´t really design it, we just made it on the old Singer sewing machine in the office. The very direct, hands-on approach surely informed the bag´s straightforward construction. THREE bag is made from waxed, water-repellent cotton canvas with contrasting nylon trim. It comes in two sizes (medium and large), and three different color combinations (Amber/Neon, Vellum/Neon, Indigo/Black).

The experience of THREE bag led to the idea of creating soft geodesic structures, which became FRAME bag. A lattice of black webbing creates an outer framework for the actual bag, which is made of tissue thin synthetic material. FRAME is made of ripstop nylon (orange/Safety or blue/Indigo) with black webbing lattice and a durable vinyl base.

TYKE, a modular shelving system in laser cut steel forms another addition the The Wild Bunch family (see: TOM & JERRY, TOPSY, BUTCH). Its uprights are partly standing on the floor and partly leaning against the wall, which allows for an absolutely minimal construction.
The system can be fitted with shelves in alternative depths/lengths, each of which can be adjusted to various heights. The uprights have a standard height of 2,2m and the shelves are available in widhts of either 45cm or 70cm.

MIGONG is an installation commissioned by the Humboldt Lab Dahlem.
The Berlin-based laboratory was established by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes (German Federal Cultural Foundation) and the Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz to prepare the relocation of two major museums, the Museum für Ethnologische Kunst (Ethnological Museum) and the Museum für Asiatische Kunst (Museum for Asian Art), to the reconstructed Berlin Palace, the future Humboldt Forum. The lab brings together a team of museum curators, designers, artists and scientists to work on a series of concentrated, short projects in the field of exhibition design and scenography.
MIGONG examines the presentation of a Chinese imperial throne from the Kangxi period (1662-1722), owned by the Museum of Asian Art. The installation is a man-sized labyrinth (Chinese: migong) leading to the throne at its centre. Visitors must navigate the maze of industrial balustrades to approach the throne.

There is an apartment in Le Corbusier's famous Cité Radieuse (Radiant City) in Marseille that has been almost completely preserved in its original 1952 condition. Appt.N°50 is privately owned and thanks to the generosity and passion of its owner/occupant, it is open to the public during the summer months of each year. Proving that Le Corbusier's visionary Unité d'Habitation is as relevant today as when it was first conceived, the apartment becomes a temporary stage for the ideas and works of contemporary designers. A short series of scenographic installations has been realised over the years; my project is the third in the series after Jasper Morrison (2008) and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (2010).

The evolution of an iconic design: Pio Manzù's original idea of creating a "light source that could slide vertically from floor to ceiling and rotate 360 degrees on its axis" was adapted by Achille Castiglioni after his friend's untimely death in 1969. A beautiful illustration shows the painstaking process of refinement that transformed the first schematic concepts into the final product. The Parentesi lamp was launched by Flos in 1972 and has been in continuous production ever since. Forty years later, a lot has changed. The world of lighting has undergone a fundamental shift from traditional incandescent lamps to a variety of new lighting technologies, which in turn have created new opportunities for the design and manufacture of lamps.

Working with Herzog & de Meuron Architects on the Parrish Art Museum (Long Island, New York) provided an opportunity to develop a bespoke chair for the new building. I was convinced that a chair that would fit the specific context and needs of the museum would also have great potential as a universal product. The search for a suitable manufacturing partner led us to Emeco, makers of the iconic Navy chair. Emeco has a strong history and expertise in producing contemporary chairs that combine industrial process and craftsmanship. Their powerful statement 'First, Let's Make Things That Last' became the mantra for our own ambitions.

 The shape of the chair is characterised by the lines of round section aluminium tubing, gently curving around a separate seat element. The whole construction comes together in a single element under the seat, which we call the 'heart' of the chair. Made of die-cast aluminium, it is the link that holds everything together - the legs, the arm/backrest, the seat. Conceptually, it determines how the chair is made: in prefabricated parts that are mechanically joined together. The dry assembly of the elements requires a high degree of precision, but offers additional flexibility in the production process and facilitates future repairs and recycling. Craftsmanship is no longer defined by manual labour, but by machine processes that produce precision parts: die-casting, extrusion, injection moulding.

The stand for Magis, the Italian furniture brand, was designed to showcase their new product launches on a central stage. A large black and white photograph of a cheering crowd served as the backdrop, adding excitement to the display. To the left and right, scaffolding displayed older Magis products, creating a dynamic and engaging presentation that celebrated both new and existing designs.

The lone wolf starts a happy family. The MEDICI chair is now accompanied by a round side table and (foot) stool. Notice also the new colour red (PANTONE 032c) for MEDICI.

I started working on this project during my bursary at the German Academy Villa Massimo in Rome in 2011. My first inspiration came from the wrought-iron benches that line the courtyard of the Academy. Structural considerations soon led to the cross-shaped leg in cast aluminium, which inevitably created an image reminiscent of the famous Barcelona chair (1929). The logic and beauty of this leg detail was so definitive that it overrode any initial reservations about Mies van der Rohe's iconic design. Ironically, my project was to be manufactured by a company based in Barcelona. Nearly a century later, we have been able to reinterpret this classic piece of furniture, making it more ergonomic and at the same time more systematic and technologically advanced. The use of aluminium extrusions for the curved seat/back profile and the slats is a logical continuation of my previous work for BD, but also adds a great deal of flexibility to the production of the bench.
BENCH_B can be manufactured in any length from a single seat to a maximum length of six metres. It can be fitted with optional armrests, upholstered or left in pure aluminium.

The so-called "mirror test" is used by neurologists to test the self-awareness of animals, based on whether or not they can recognise themselves in a mirror. Among the 'lesser' creatures, only great apes, dolphins, elephants and rats have been confirmed to recognise the image in the mirror as themselves.
Dogs have been judged a complete failure at self-recognition, which can be explained by the simple fact that they rely primarily on senses other than sight. However, there is a group of poodle owners who congregate in internet forums who vehemently disagree with this assumption. They claim that their poodles respond positively to mirrors and show unmistakable signs of self-awareness. If true, this would perfectly underline two qualities of poodles: that they are notoriously fastidious about their appearance, and that they are highly intelligent

Over the course of three years, we have been working with architects Herzog & de Meuron on the PARRISH ART MUSEUM on Long Island, New York. Inspired by the house-shaped artist's studio typical of the Hamptons, the architects created a single 600-foot-long shed with a low-slung, double-pitched roof. Our involvement in the project was to design the furniture for the museum's public programme areas (reception, lobby, café, shop) as well as the administrative offices. Most of the furniture is made locally from 100 year old reclaimed pine (heart pine), in keeping with the building's use of simple materials and straightforward construction principles.

Muck Petzet, architect and general commissioner of the German contribution to the Architecture Biennale in Venice, commissioned us/KGID to design the exhibition for the German Pavilion. Entitled REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE, the show highlights the hierarchical logic of waste management and how the same value system can be applied to the restructuring of building stock.

The exhibition features sixteen projects that exemplify strategies that recognise the undervalued buildings and housing estates of post-war Germany as an important cultural, social and architectural resource.

Muck Petzet: "The quality of the projects shown here lies in the intelligence of their strategies, not in their interventions. In the long run, the ability to study and identify with the existing inventory counts more than confronting it with something new".

IN PERIFERIA is the title of a silk scarf printed in colour, published by Filed Under /.
The motif is based on a photograph I took of the "Padiglione alla Magliana", a beautiful small building designed in 1945 by the Roman architect Pier Luigi Nervi. It is Nervi's first building in ferro-cemento, a technique for free forming reinforced concrete that later became the distinctive signature of his work.

Located on the outskirts of Rome, the pavilion is now a large car park. In order to prevent damage to the building's fragile skin caused by cars driving backwards, the owners have placed a series of used tyres against the facade.

"This paradoxical, and still touching, sense of apprehension and protection, is reported by Grcic in his photo portrait of one of the tyres that he decided to replicate on the scarf as a repeated pattern: the sequence of the revolved image makes the tyre appear moving along the silk surface, as an animated picture."
Quote from a text by art critic and curator Emanuela Nobile Mino.

Designing for Mattiazzi was like a personal time travel. It took me back to my professional roots. At the very beginning of my career, I trained as a cabinetmaker. I learned to work with wood from scratch. This is where everything started for me.

Mattiazzi makes furniture in wood, using both traditional production methods and the latest digital production technologies. MEDICI was born in Mattiazzi's workshop. The chair was inspired by the material, the machines and, of course, the skill and craftsmanship of the people we worked with.

From the beginning, I was looking for a specific grammar for my design, a language that would express the characteristics of wood. I liked the idea of working with planks. They represent the very beginning of the production process - a tree trunk cut into slices. I like the way a carpenter joins wood. It is immediate and direct. The construction remains visible and easy to read. Structure becomes form.

James Irvine, designer/art-director for Marsotto edizioni wanted the company´s 2012 collection to be composed of large dining tables. Made of simple slabs, my design reinterprets a classic, round pedestal table. Depending on its size, the table is supported by either three (diameter 90 cm & 110 cm) or four legs (diameter 130 cm & 150 cm). All tables are made of white Carrara marble.

When we started working on the chair, we tried to talk to (almost) everyone who would be involved in our project: children, teachers, school caretakers, school furniture purchasers, even insurance companies. We wanted to learn as much as possible about the characteristics of school chairs, the industry that makes them and the school furniture market.

School furniture is a very national issue. Each country not only has its own standards and regulations, but also its own school furniture industry. In Germany, 3-4 players dominate a highly consolidated market. Without external competition, there doesn't seem to be much pressure on these companies to innovate or implement the findings of recent studies on schools as workplaces.

More recently, and as part of a general attempt to improve public health in schools, much attention has been paid to ergonomic seating and working. The German Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth recently published an in-depth study entitled "Workplace School". The study found that dynamic sitting is the most important condition for physical, mental and emotional well-being. This in turn is a fundamental requirement for healthy learning. While traditional furniture encourages children to sit straight and still, dynamic sitting allows children to change their posture frequently, even to stand up during lessons.

8-PACK is what it is: a rectangular top propped up on a set of legs. Eight, to be precise. The project is about designing what normally would not be designed, producing what normally would not be produced. A plain piece of furniture, almost too obvious to be considered. Doing what I like to do in its most basic form while focusing on quality and precision. Exactly eight, exactly right. A piece of work, pure and simple.

CHAMPIONS is a collection of lacquered tables that we designed for Galerie Kreo in Paris. The tables are made of aluminium (extrusions and folded sheets) with float glass tops. PODIFY, the largest table, is 3.5 metres long.

The graphics on the tables are fictitious. They have no other meaning than to create an illusion that transcends the objective reality of the product. The tables are obviously inspired by sports equipment such as bicycles, skis and racing cars. In the world of sport, speed, power and strength are essential. Graphics are used to emphasise these attributes. The project is not just about surface decoration. I am interested in the psychology of graphics on products and, more specifically, how the semantics of certain colours, words and symbols change the perception of an object.

The graphics are spray-painted by Walter Maurer, a lacquerer whose extraordinary skill and craftsmanship became a crucial factor in the realisation of the project.

I made this illustration in response to German art magazine MONOPOL´s request for a comment about Donald Judd´s furniture.

Wallpaper* magazine’s invitation to design a bespoke suit for Brioni, one of the world’s finest tailors, turned into an unexpected discovery. At Brioni, they speak of a suit as a made to measure-home. The idea struck me as beautifully modern. In a way, this is the ultimate interpretation of mobile architecture: to live inside a well-fitted, tailored piece of fabric

The CAPPA suit was specially conceived for the “Wallpaper* Handmade” exhibition. It was sewn at Brioni’s tailoring workshop in Penne. The exhibition took place at the Brioni HQ in Milano from April 13-17, 2011.

The unique suit was made with the generous help of Angelo Petrucci, master tailor at Brioni.

Continuing the enjoyable collaboration with Marsotto edizioni from last year, I’ve added a small, wall-hung table (diameter 40cm) to the collection. As is typical for Marsotto, the table is made in white Carrara marble, using a combination of high technology and craftsmanship. BEBEK is made of two slabs, one square, and one round. The table is mounted on the wall with an invisible double-wedge lock normally used in the shop fitting trade.

TOM & JERRY is the redesign of a classic furniture typology – the workshop stool. The three-legged stool comes in two different heights. It is made of solid beech wood with mechanical parts in self-lubricant plastic. Because of its smooth-running mechanism, the stool is easy to adjust and convenient to climb. TOM & JERRY is a versatile addition to working, recreational and private environments alike: an office canteen, a health-food restaurant, or the kitchen counter at home. It’s the working stool of an architect or a scientist, the resting place of a museum guard. It can serve as telephone stool, as valet in a changing room, or as a seat for children at kindergarten.

Seven years after launching Chair_ONE, it was quite a challenge to design a second die-cast aluminum chair for Magis. Even though we decided on using fundamentally the same technology as we had for Chair_ONE, I wanted the chair to be markedly different from its predecessor. VENICE has much softer, more fluid lines. The carefully shaped seat-cum-armrest casting provides for elegance and comfort. A backrest made from flexible plastic molding emphasizes the chair’s typology and allows for play with color and materials. VENICE is stackable and can be used both in- and outdoors.

AVUS pays tribute to the characteristic qualities of the leather club chair: great comfort, attention to detail and refined elegance. However, the use of modern materials processed with the latest technology from the automotive and sports industries makes AVUS a radical reinterpretation of the lounge classic. The rigid ABS base is a two-sheet moulded shell reinforced with a polyurethane foam core. The flexible upper shell is a single sheet of the same material. The soft leather upholstery is zipped into the upper shell in one piece, using a technology commonly used in the manufacture of high-end luggage. AVUS is a compact and physically light piece of furniture with a high level of comfort. It is suitable for both the contract market (waiting areas in hotels, airports, offices) and the home. The combination of plastic shells and leather upholstery creates an exciting variety of surfaces. This allows AVUS to be produced in a wide range of colour combinations, from monochrome to strong contrasts.

CAPE is the first industrially produced sofa I ever designed. I chose a very typical geometry. This allowed me to focus all my attention on the refinement of comfort and the quality of manufacture. For the cover, I was inspired by the informal way in which loose fabric is draped over furniture in hotels or country estates to protect it in the off-season. There are a number of fabric options available for CAPE to make it more usable all year round. There is a choice of heavier fabrics for winter warmth and lighter fabrics for summer comfort.

I want. You want.

WAVER is the first product we have designed for the Swiss design company Vitra. Aesthetically, WAVER is influenced by the world of outdoor sports. Its construction principles are inspired by windsurfing and paragliding. Both of these sports require lightweight but high performance solutions. By adapting these solutions to our needs, we were able to create an armchair that combines high seating comfort with a simple technical construction. The large swivel base further accentuates the chair's sweeping dimensions and unconventional lightness.

A first project for the historic Milanese brand Azucena (founded in 1947). It is the result of a careful and sensitive reflection on the company's existing collection, which includes over 150 pieces designed by Luigi Caccia Dominioni, Ignazio Gardella and Corrado dell'Aqua. A small project called ENTRE-DEUX was born from this engaging process. It is a rare object, without a defined typology, which only reaches its maximum expression in close dialogue with other products. The anodised aluminium screen highlights the object, creating a space or territory around it.

Wouldn´t it be great to listen to ...

The exhibition BLACK2 is a self-initiated project that first came to me when I was working on the DESIGN REAL show for the Serpentine Gallery in late 2009. I was fascinated by the idea of the completely man-made object. The phenomenon of the black and square form and its eternal adaptability to so many different kinds of objects seemed astonishing and at the same time liberatingly simple. A black/square shape or form cannot be found in nature. This is what interested me: "creation" as a deliberate and conscious act of human intelligence.
It is well known that the black/square has passed through the millennia of cultures: from the Egyptian steles to the tablets of Moses engraved with the Ten Commandments; from certain Chinese ceramic traditions to the Islamic Kaaba, to alchemy and the philosopher's stone, which, according to tradition, was in the form of a black cube. There is the metaphysical connotation of black/square as used by Malevich and later by Kubrick's Black Monolith. The Islamic Kaaba in Mecca is a black rectangle, as is the (Protestant) Bible.

Each year Design Miami/ commissions the Designer of the Year a new work as part of the award.
As winner of the 2010 prize my project is NETSCAPE, an installation of 24 swing seats made of polypropylene netting and fibre glass. The seats are suspended from a purpose built metal structure in the entrance area of the temporary exhibition tent structure (designed by Moorhead & Moorhead architects, New York). More than a seating element, NETSCAPE is designed to act as a catalyst for social interaction enjoying warm Miami sunshine during days of exhausting trade fair rountine.

Constance Rubini, Chief Curator of the Biennale Internationale Design Saint-Etienne 2010, asked me to curate and design an exhibition on COMFORT. My interpretation was to decipher the material aspect of comfort by showing the tools and devices that guarantee it. A series of very tangible objects that allow the visitor to relate the abstract theme back to their own reality.

"Modernity is comfort. Yet, with every new accomplishment of comfort the prospects and expectations are increasing even further. Sustaining comfort of our modern lifestyle is becoming a provokingly complex scenario; keeping up with its ongoing development is creating fundamental challenges to all of us. One of the most striking phenomena related to comfort in the western world is the progressive dematerialization of our physical environment, even to the extend of defying the limitations imposed by gravity, geography and time. Comfort is the ability to be here and there at the same time. Comfort is having access to information anytime, anywhere. Comfort is when difficult things are becoming easy. Comfort is the assurance of safety, and health. Comfort is being independent of constraints (whether they are physical or mental)".

Exhibition texts: Eckhart Nickel

A pressure cooker, SUBITO, is the most recent addition to the collection of kitchen tools I have created under the name "Passami il sale" (pass me the salt). The title of the collection reflects both, the familiarity and ordinariness of a situation, yet the quest for something more. More salt! SUBITO comes in three different volumes - 3Lit./5Lit./7Lit. The body is available in either natural or blackened stainless steel.

Last in the 360° family is an adjustable work table. Just like old technical drafting machines it has a central column which conceals a mechanism for height adjustment (73cm - 95cm). The base is die-cast in aluminium, the tops are made of laquered MDF (dia. 120cm or 140cm x 90cm).

Chair_B is the extension of last year’s Table_B project. The chair in solid wood features a flip-up seat which allows for horizontal stacking. The underside of the seat is covered with Abet laminate in a range of colours.

BLOW is a set of small tables designed for Established & Sons and manufactured by Venetian glass makers Venini. The project explores the physical limits of hand-blown glass. The main body of the tables is conceived as a freeform balloon to which the handmade glass tabletop is attached. The sensation of the piece lies in the large scale of the blown glass and the combination of Venini's translucent colours.

The key characteristics of CRASH are its generous dimensions; it is wide and spacious ... and extremely comfortable. To crash out is a nice English expression which comes to mind. Something I’ve been concerned with for years is the way how upholstered furniture is made. There is a huge industry out there producing endless upholstered furniture all made in the same banal way; gluing foam onto cheap wooden structures, then stapling fabric over it. CRASH consists of the same elements, a supporting structure, a piece of foam and the fabric cover. However, we do not bond these elements together. There is a supporting framework made of tubular steel, very simple and straightforward, and a loose piece of moulded foam that gets pushed over the frame. The fabric completes the whole thing, it is stretched over the foam like a jumper.

Marsotto edizioni is a beautiful collection of furniture made from CNC-machined white Carrara marble. The project, which includes pieces by James Irvine, Jasper Morrison, Maddalena Casadei, Naoto Fukasawa and Thomas Sandell, is art directed by designer James Irvine and was launched during the 2010 Salone del Mobile in Milan.
My own contribution to the project is a reclined chair (SULTAN) and two different side tables (GALATA and TAKSIM).

In 2010, Nespresso created an exclusive new sailing regatta for Wally's maxi racing yachts: the NESPRESSO CUP. Inspired by their shared passion for creative innovation, cutting-edge design and new technology, Nespresso and Wally seemed the perfect partnership for such a premier event.
I was asked to design two types of trophies: the main trophy for the overall winner, a challenge cup, and a (smaller) trophy for the winners of the individual Wally Class races. Before I started sketching, I looked for any information that would help me understand the specific world of yacht racing: what is its history, who are the people involved, what are the boats, the places. Studying the structures and functions of high performance yachts and exploring their use of particular types of materials was as much a part of my design considerations as observing how athletes would pose with their winning trophies. Ultimately, the design of the NESPRESSO CUP was driven by the same essential elements as competitive sailing: performance, precision, excellence.

Complementary to the 360° chair and stool comes a simple storage container on castors. The container consists of a singular plastic drawer unit which swivels out from a vertical pole to open. The 360° container in ABS is available with five or ten drawers and comes in various colours (black, white, light grey, yellow, green, pink, blue, bordeaux).

"Konstantin Grcic: Decisive Design, on view at the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, is the first comprehensive presentation of my work in a US museum.
Curated by Zoë Ryan (Neville Bryan Curator of Design at the Art Institute of Chicago), the exhibition is conceived as a studio-like environment.
The exhibition, which covers the entire wall space of the gallery, is very didactic in its approach, with a variety of drawings, models, prototypes, photographs, films, texts, etc. to illuminate the objects. In addition, there is an open stage in the centre of the exhibition where some of the objects are put into use; visitors are invited to sit on furniture, touch materials, experience the spatiality of the products, their geometry and scale.

Art Institute of Chicago, Modern Wing
November 20th 2009 – January 24th 2010

Like contemporary art, design both shapes and reflects our ever-changing society. Good design understands human behaviour, offers pragmatic solutions to problems and enhances our everyday experience.
As the curator of the Serpentine Gallery's first design-related exhibition, DESIGN REAL, my concept focuses on 'real' objects, industrially produced products that have meaning in everyday life.

As well as displaying the physical objects, DESIGN REAL includes an information space that expands on the themes developed in the exhibition, allowing visitors to explore the origins and applications of the products on display. A dedicated website, www.design-real.com (Discontinued in 2020), designed by Alex Rich and Jürg Lehni, is the central resource of the exhibition and an integral part of its concept.

Serpentine Galleries, London
26.November 2009 - 07.February 2010

A ULD (Unit Load Device) is a container used to load luggage, freight, and mail on wide-body aircraft and specific narrow-body aircraft. It allows a large quantity of cargo to be bundled into a single unit. ULD containers, also known as cans and pods, are closed containers made of aluminum or combination of aluminum (frame) and Lexan (walls).

"Almost all the objects that you can see have at some point been inside a shipping container. In fact, today, 90% of cargo travels by container."
Taken from: www.design-real.com (Discontinued in 2020)

360° is neither a stool nor a chair, but something in between. Its name implies that it swivels and that you can sit on it in all directions. It is designed for seated activities that require a constant change of posture. 360° is not designed for long periods of work in a static position. Instead, it encourages a form of dynamic sitting, short term, ad hoc, improvised - moving.

360° is available in two versions, a chair on castors and a high stool. Both versions have a gas piston for height adjustment.

Following the MIURA and MYTO projects, this chair represents the evolution and deepening of my collaboration with Plank. MONZA combines wood and plastic injection moulding, and thus Plank's artisan roots, with the characteristics of modern industrial design.
The MONZA chair is conceived as a simple wooden construction that formally refers to a chair typology that originated in Scandinavia. The main character of the chair is defined by a back/armrest in injection moulded plastic, which on the one hand serves the structure of the chair and on the other hand provides comfort and colour.

For years I have been longing for the opportunity to work with aluminium extrusions - an industrial technology that combines superior structural properties with an elegant, slender aesthetic. Inspired by the work of Oscar Tusquets and Lluis Clotet for BD Barcelona since the early 1980s, I designed a wing-like tabletop using extruded aluminium profiles. TABLE_B spans a maximum length of 3.6 metres and comes with three optional bases in solid oak, stainless steel or engineered stone.

Structural engineer: Jesus Jimenez

Origionally designed in 1991 for SCP Ltd., TAM TAM & TOM TOM were amongst the first work of mine ever to go into serial production. After modest success in early years the pair of tables were re-released in 2009 featuring their characteristic sliding mechanism of the central beech wood column and wing nut fastening.

TOM TOM has a circlular top (turquoise) and square base. TAM TAM has a square top (purple) and round base.

AUTOBAHN is the title of a window display I designed for Maison Hermès in Japan to inaugurate the new spring/summer collection. Hermès' annual theme for 2009 is "The Beautiful Getaway".

The windows were on display from 22. January - 22. March 2009 at the Maison Hermès in Ginza, Tokyo.

Breuer and Bauhaus inspired me to study design in the first place, but they both marked such untouchable territory in design that you don't dare go near it. Through a joint project between Muji and Thonet, it suddenly became realistic to revisit this part of furniture history. PIPE is a series of tables/desks and a matching cantilever chair, based on the tubular designs of the twenties and produced by the same company as their inspirational source. Muji, manufactured by Thonet.

Working with Serafino Zani exposes me to a scale of industrial production which is typical for postwar Italian design. It is a culture which is especially attentive to contemporary design and technology while at the same time having strong links with artisan traditions.

Produced as a limited edition for the Galerie kreo in Paris, KARBON exploits the structural possibilities of carbon fibre to create an object that combines the element of high-tech with that of handicraft. I was interested in achieving an extreme aesthetic that could only be achieved using composite materials. The slight deflection of the large surface, supported only by four very thin legs, creates a visual fragility that seems to defy any experience of gravity.

"The KARBON long chair is tempestuous, perhaps even offensive. Here, we will find no calming orthogonality and the succession of straight lines is too curved to rest our eyes. The softness of the lines of the seat is endlessly troubling in its (supposed) submission to the laws of gravity. In its opposition to straight lines and to the deviant axis of the backrest, the chaise longue becomes an equivocal object. The rigidity that retains the memory of a certain suppleness (not without a certain rigor mortis), expresses a strange strength, an authority: it presents a type of threat, straight and precise. (...) KARBON is a resting place for warriors".
(Excerpt from a text by design critic and writer Pierre Doze, published in "GALERIE KREO, Sixteen New Pieces / A New Place", Archibooks 2008)

Technical consultant: Cem Koeylueer

PACKAGE is a stack of 2.000 DIN A4 sheets of plain white paper wrapped in pink craft paper. A quote by Charles Eames, taken from the Charles Eliot Norton Lectures in 1971, is printed on the face of the package.

"What you do really with paper can never quite come up to with what the paper offers. It's something about that broken package, in the way carton is torn, sort of invites you to come in. There's something about taking out that first sheet, that sort of changes that thing."

The work was submitted to a charity auction held by Miami design store Luminaire in December 2008. Proceeds from the auction were donated to the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

CAST_1 is the start of my tenure as unofficial design curator of the 032c gallery space in Berlin. The idea behind CAST is to bring together new, forgotten, anonymous, commissioned, or reissued industrial objects and products.

On show were a special 032c edition of folded sheet metal tables DIANA_A,-B,-C (manufactured by ClassiCon) and a selection of eight historical and contemporary designs.

The lamps were: Fortebraccio by LucePlan (1998), BL_2 by Bestlite (1930), L-1 8155 by Luxo (1937), Pino T by Baltensweiler (1972), Hebi by Valenti Luce (1970), Cloe by Lumina (1975), Bill by Tobias Grau (2004), and Loft by Jieldé (1950).
The special edition of DIANA tables can be inquired directly through 032c.

"Yii" is a collaborative project organized by NTCRI (National Taiwan Craft Research Institute) and TDC (Taiwan Design Center) and led by project creative director Jeff Shi. In Chinese philosophy "yii", meaning change and transformation, is believed to be the underlying law behind nature through the flow of time. Inspired by this understanding the project aims to create a new forum for traditional craft techniques in the contemporary context.

The cantilever chair '43 is comprised of fourty-three laminated bamboo slats (hence the name) utilizing the structural potential of this fast growing material to create comfort and flexibility.

LUNAR provides an intricate solution for lighting big architectural spaces. Inspired by stage lighting the concept comprises of a tubular space frame or rig which can accommodate an indefinite number of light sources (neon, halogen, hqi, etc.) as well as classical designs, such as the Achille Castiglioni Taraxacum lamp.

This documentation of the MYTO project shows the process of its creation in a time lapse of photos, drawings, computer diagrams, interviews. The project is told as a story in three chapters relating to the three partners BASF, KGID and PLANK. Cologne based art director Mike Meiré designed the concept and layout of this 80 page publication. The Dutch artist Viviane Sassen was commissioned for the opening sequence of photos.

In the summer of 2006, BASF asked me to design an application/product using the BASF material Ultradur® High Speed. Its complementary properties led to the idea of developing MYTO, a cantilever chair designed as a monoblock plastic injection moulding. The design was significantly influenced by the material. Chemically speaking, this material belongs to the polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) family. Its high flowability, combined with the strength of this plastic, allows an elegant transition from thick to thin sections. The chair's construction is based on a supporting frame that seamlessly merges into the net-like perforations of the seat and backrest.

In late 2006, Absolut Vodka commissioned me to design a range of glasses for professional bar tenders.
When you think of Absolut, you can't help but think of the iconic bottle (designed by Carlsson & Broman in 1979); it's so simple, yet it can't be confused with anything else. This is what I wanted to transfer to the glasses, without trying to compete with the bottle. The feeling of both simplicity and distinctiveness. When you hold the glass in your hand, see it on the bar or drink from it, there is a sense of natural elegance.
The result is a glass series that is modern yet timeless, with the Absolut logo discreetly embossed into the base of the glass without being invisible or obscure. We have taken great care to balance volume and weight into a perfect form.
The ABSOLUT GRCIC series consists of four glass types. With the exception of the cocktail glass, all are available in two sizes: Long Drink Glass, 20 & 33 cl, Rocks Glass, 20 & 33 cl, Cocktail Glass with stem, 16 cl, Shot Glass, 3 & 6 cl.

Serafino Zani (founded in 1963) is a family business located in the small town of Lumezzane (northern Italy). In 2006 we started to work on a three year program developing kitchen products and utensils made in steel. The first result of our collaboraton is a collection of laser cut products exploiting basic geometries, asymmetries and sharp cuts, like metal origamis of extreme simplicity.

LANDEN is a large freestanding structure that defines a place to sit/stay outdoors - in public. Rejecting the inappropriate patterns of domestic furniture, it proposes a structure more closely modelled on the context of its destination: the urban environment. The main structure is made of heavy steel sections and metal grills - all painted black. Its physical presence and strong visual reference engages the public in an immanent experience of urban reality. LANDEN is a meeting place, a retreat/shelter... an anchor point.

Users of LANDEN climb two steps onto an octagonal platform raised 60cm above the ground. The platform is covered with industrial rubber matting to provide a sturdy yet comfortable seating surface. A large circular cut-out in the centre of the platform allows open legroom onto a lower suspended platform. Four outward-facing metal shields form a protective fence/enclosure around the seating area.

Prototype execution: Ludwig Michl GmbH

The work MARMARA was made as a limited edition for the exhibition BLOCK, curated by Murat Patavi of Haaz Gallery in Istanbul.
Working with marble for the first time I was intrigued by the possibilities of carving a form out of a solid ... which complies to the most ancient idea of 'sculpture'. Normally I work quite in reverse - constructing/building a three dimensional form up from elements. Also I liked the fact that marble is 'heavy'. Again, I normally work towards making things light and mobile. This time the weight became an integral part of the design.

Somewhere between a curiosity cabinet and a multimedia treasure room, the SPACE/-1 project is a suspended glass capsule that houses the physical and digital collection of the museum's multimedia archive (MUDAM). The computer cables are not hidden, but integrated into a technological environment that is completely open.

The three-legged MIURA table was designed to accomodate the MIURA barstool. The table can be stacked by folding the top into a vertical position. The structure in powder coated metal is manufactured in different heights.

TOP adds to the family of waste management products for the Authentics catalogue. It can be used either as an individual waste bin or linking it up for the separation of plastic, glass, paper and bio-degradable or non-recyclable waste.

Sometimes it‘s more difficult to resist than to act. As designers we‘re easily tempted to renew, replace or change things. One of the virtues of working with Japanese no-brand Muji is using what already exists, simplifying, even leaving things alone, creating objects that blend into the environment rather than making a strong mark.
This idea is exemplified in the umbrella project we did as part of our long standing collaboration. The only intervention we made to an existing umbrella is drilling a hole into the end of the handle.

Design of a necklace strap/cap for an existing MUJI pen.

Hermès Japon commissioned me to design an exhibition for a collection of photographs taken by Kimura Ihei (1901-1974) in Paris in the 1950s. The 174 colour photos had been edited from the original analogue material and digitally printed on the newest generation of CANON ink jet printers. The photos show a very personal account of the Japanese photographer's travel to Paris just after the Second World War. I decided to have the photos printed in a rather small format (a common size at the time they were taken) and framed in white passe-partout frames. All photos were arranged freestanding on a series of steel/glass tables, which we had designed reminiscent of the traditional French garden table. The tables, which were made in different formats and sizes, helped to group the photos according to various themes/sets.
The exhibition was shown at 8F Forum (Maison Hermès, Tokyo-Ginza) from Oct.28 2006 - Jan.21 2007 and at Hermès Midosuji Gallery (Osaka) from Apr.6 - Jun.3 2007.

VENUS contributes to the extensive heritage of plywood furniture, a tradition that dates back to the early 19th century and has produced a large number of iconic chair designs. Our chair consists of two moulded parts, a horseshoe base and a seat shell. Unlike typical designs that emphasise the visual lightness inherent in the material, our focus is on achieving a more plastic and sculptural form. Viewed from behind, the chair appears as a solid form, only revealing its thin wooden shell material from the front.

This project is the result of an idea workshop organised by Stylepark and Merten GmbH to explore the future of domestic switches.

The simplest adaptation to the Merten catalogue is the addition of a round light switch to the square socket system. With a small investment, the round light switch adds a touch of variety to the existing square sockets. The difference gives each function its own form; square sockets, circular switches. Creating diversity in such a place enriches all the products, giving those that used to look alike their own identity.

A fork and a knife both belong on the table, but each retains its own function and form. Their shapes tell us what we can do with them - lift and cut. The distinction between a light switch and a socket now allows us to recognise each as an individual part of a larger system of electrical management.

JUNIOR & SENIOR are plant pots in rotational moulded polypropylene. Both designs are constructed of two parts - an upper vase/vessel and its matching base (for water drainage).
JUNIOR is the smaller type with a nose-like handle and a set of wheels . SENIOR, its big brother, has a crown-shaped base. Both products are suitable for use indoors and outdoors.

For some weeks Puppy had been sitting in one corner of my office feeling bored and kind of under-challenged. Finally I trained him how to stand up on his nose and spin around like those cool New York kids doing break dance in the early 80s.

NOSE JIVE THREE SIXTY is an interpretation of Eero Aarnio's PUPPY stool for Magis.
The project was realized as a one-of-a-kind piece for an auction to benefit the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

KGID (Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design) showcases a comprehensive portfolio of products and design concepts with especially commissioned photographs and original drawings. It also offers a rare insight into the design process by showing the various stages of a product’s development through sketches, models, computer renderings and snapshots at the workshops of KGID and several manufacturers. With texts by Konstantin Grcic, Pierre Doze, Francesca Picchi and conceived by Florian Böhm and Konstantin Grcic, this is the first publication on the work of Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design (KGID).

Commissioned by Stylepark in Residence, organisers of the major fringe show at the Cologne Furniture Fair, we created a temporary restaurant with a kasbah-like design that became the social hub of the week-long festival. The ORIENT EXPRESS was located in the central atrium of the building (a former German Railway headquarters). It combined white chair_ONEs, OSOROM seating and DIANA tables with Persian rugs. MAYDAY lamps were suspended from two huge mosque-like chandeliers. During the day, the space was a hub of activity, with visitors sipping coffee, eating spinach quiche and admiring the lighting. In the evening, tables and chairs were cleared away and the restaurant was transformed into a dance floor, with partygoers swinging from the chandeliers (see film).

ON/OFF was the first comprehensive overview of my work as I see it – very subjective and free. Projects from the past ten years are presented in an order that adheres neither to chronology nor linearity but rather to my personal perspective. The finished products are accompanied by images and drawings that tell of their underlying development. By exhibiting photographs, which are arranged as image sequences or video clips, prototypes, cardboard and foam rubber models, sketches as well as excerpts from correspondence between us and our clients, the steps that led from conception to production of the designs are made visible and comprehensible. The exhibition was held at the Haus der Kunst in Munich from 16.03.-09.07.2006.

Isn't the future of cars all about 'clean' ?

CLEAN MACHINE is an interpretation of the origional Playsam toy car. The project was made as a one-of-a-kind piece for a charity auction to benefit the World Childhood Foundation.

Hanae Komachi, a Japanese design journalist and friend, invited me to take part in an unusual project. She asked me to design a new bottle label for the 200-year-old Hachitsuru sake brewery, where her grandfather had been the master brewer of Hachitsuru sake. In the long history of Hachitsuru (founded in 1786 during the Edo period), I was to be the first non-Japanese designer to work with the company.

There are many kinds of sake. In short, all sake can be divided into two groups: those with added alcohol and those made from rice alone. Most mass-produced sake today has pure distilled alcohol added. Cheaper sake has more added alcohol. The type of sake contained in the SAKE 8 bottles is 'yamahai-junmai' - Hachitsuru's artisans brew SAKE 8 using an authentic sake-making process using only 100% rice. For the label, I played with two circular elements to form the number '8' - in Japanese culture, '8' is a metaphor for the flow of tradition, without beginning or end. Hachitsuru also means 'eight cranes' in Japanese - even the name of the city (Hachinohe) refers to the number '8'.

ODIN is an oblong-shaped sofa designed for intimate conversation between two people. A slight angle in the front edge of the seat platform establishes two facing seats at either end of the furniture. With its geometric volume, ODIN achieves an architectural quality that not only provides a comfortable posture for its occupants, but also creates a defined space within a larger room.

In 2002 we were contacted by the French Groupe SEB to conceive a range of products for Krups. Unlike the microwave (CHEF) for Whirlpool, which was focused on the future, our work with Krups was centred on the present, with technical and cost constraints, production in China, and strategic marketing considerations. The great thing about the work for Krups is that it was for real. We were building machines with a cable and a plug on the end. They have to function and be safe. The only way to achieve this was through research and development. The process involved laboratory situations that I loved: testing rigs, transformers, electric wires, nuts and bolts. The work for Krups embraced the design of a whole range of household appliances: coffee machines, blenders, mixers, toasters and kettles. We were designing a set of formal codes, used across the different product typologies, that would rebuild the brand image. In a situation like this, design becomes a strategic tool for shaping a market identity.

The enormous public attention we received for chair_ONE inevitably led to a certain categorisation of my design. We were suddenly identified with the angular/facetted style of the chair. Although I love the stealth-bomber aesthetic, I felt threatened by the trap of repeating myself with this successful formula. A commission from Plank to design a monobloc plastic barstool was the perfect opportunity for me to reinvent my vocabulary of shapes. I wanted to move away from the hard edge to a much softer design. The MIURA stool is strongly based on structural principles. However, its form was conceived by working in a much more sculptural way. The complex freeform surfaces were all designed on the computer.

MIURA is part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

YOU ARE HERE is a permanent installation I realized for a collective art project curated by Salvatore Lacagnina for the Sicilian nature reserve Parco delle Madonie.

I believe that no object ever exists on its own. This way of looking at the world makes even the simplest little thing part of a hugely complex system. It would be strange to talk about a door handle without talking about the door. The door, in turn, relates to space - or rather to two kinds of space: inside and outside. Each space has its own sound and light. Then there are all the things, the objects and the furniture that are part of the space. And, of course, there are the people who inhabit it. We can never talk about objects without imagining people using them.

It may be a simple ballpoint pen, but it took four years to design and develop Vivo for Lamy. During this time, we ventured deep into the world of specialist pen manufacturing, which revealed an unexpectedly sophisticated macro-level technology usually used in medical equipment or Formula 1 racing. Our aim in designing this pen was to reduce the number of mechanical components from four to three. This may not seem dramatic, but building a mechanical pen with 25% fewer elements is a considerable challenge. Doing it on a fully automated robot added to the excitement. Each design step we took on each component of the pen was rigorously monitored for technical feasibility and production cost.

In 2004 curator Didier Krzentowsky invited me to make a work for 'Missing Object', an exhibition at his gallery in Paris. A short text by Christian Schlatter provided the creative framework for the project. According to Schlatter, the Latin root of the word ‘object’ means something that is thrown in one’s way - a definition containing an inherent violence that I found intriguing. The 'missing object' would thus be something that had a strong physical presence, while at the same time being absent (missing). I was immediately attracted by this beautiful thought, but paralysed by what it would mean actually to design such an ambitious object. The result is a solid block of oak with two excavated handles. The purity of the wood, its weight and raw beauty, define its intense physical power. The carefully thought-out proportions of the wooden block and its two handles give the object the enigmatic charm of something that appears legible but whose purpose remains mysterious.

Chair_ONE is constructed just like a football: a number of flat planes assembled at angles to each other, creating the three-dimensional form. I think my approach was a mixture of naivety and bluntness. Given the chance to work with aluminium casting I thought that I should take it all the way. The more we worked on the models the more we learnt to understand the structural logic behind what we were doing. What began as a simple sketch, a series of cardboard models, prototypes, is now a real chair.

JET is a compact mirror-cabinet system designed to be used with washbasins. The lower part of the unit conceals a mechanism that enables the mirror to rotate, allowing easy access to the storage container behind. Single elements can be combined in various ways, emphasising either the vertical or horizontal dimension, depending on the position of the surrounding 'satellite' elements.

A fork for French-fries restaurant 3_Frits in Cologne was one of those small commissions that sometimes turn up out of the blue. I really enjoy these little projects, which I use to exercise my creative thinking. A good result is usually born out of a single idea or thought. Adding a fourth tine to the commonly used three-pronged pick gave the fork an unexpected charm. We used a laser to cut out the forks from the stainless-steel sheet and for engraving the floral pattern.

GRAN PRIX for Biegel is based on the most essential and basic element of jewelry: the chain link. The necklace and bracelet are made in gold, white gold or platinum.

The entire Coup series is based on two elements: flat plates and bowls. We took great care to evaluate the proportions of each item according to its use. The second step was to link every plate size to a certain bowl type, creating a family of correlating pieces. Even the teapot was derived from a bowl, and its lid has the shape of a small plate.

Graphic design: Valerie Kiock