Part of our motivation for visiting Neue Räume Zurich 2011 was to try to gauge and get a feel for the current state of the designer furniture industry in Switzerland.
Hidden as it is behind its Alpine shroud, it's all to easy to assume everything is always rosy in Confoederatio Helvetica, and that it's furniture designers and producers have little to do all day but count their cash and try to avoid losing their fillings to chewy, pointy, chocolate. However as the Swiss Franc rose skyward like a Bearded Vulture this past summer we all got a view of a slightly different reality....
Impetus enough for us to take a closer look.
Among the people we spoke to was the young Zurich based designer Nikolas Kerl. After graduating from the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK) in 2010, Nikolas immediately established his own company, producing his own designs in small series in cooperation with local tradesmen.
Focusing on products from natural materials, principally wood, clay and glass, Nikolas Kerl has already garnered his first public attention: the glass bowl "Flat O" was nominated for the Swiss Design Prize 2011 and his table T1 for the equally coveted "Die Besten 2011"
All of which bodes well for the future.
At Neue Raäume Zurich we caught up with Nikolas and started by asking him, why the decision for a career in furniture design?
Nikolas Kerl: With 16 I started a carpentry apprenticeship and during that had my first contact with furniture and the design process, and it was more or less love at first sight. And so from that moment on it was fairly clear that my future would be in the furniture industry. However, for me carpentry was too little and so I started studying Industrial Design at the ZHdK here in Zurich.
(smow)blog: And can you remember what is was that first fascinated you?
Nikolas Kerl: It was simply working with materials, plus the smells and the vibrancy of the wood. It's such a warm material which can really enrich a living environment.
(smow)blog: But presumably at the ZHdK you then started working in non-furniture disciplines....?
Nikolas Kerl: Yes, during the course we went through all aspects of industrial design, so, for example, mobility, service design, product design...
(smow)blog: ... but you remained loyal to furniture. Did the other aspects just not catch your imagination or...
Nikolas Kerl: I think furniture design is just part of who I am and for me working with materials such as wood or stone or glass is something that I have to do.
(smow)blog: And then once you were finished, the decision to stay in Zurich was that deliberate?
Nikolas Kerl: Yes. For me it was a clear decision to stay in Zurich, and for all Switzerland, because I believe in Switzerland there is more recognition for good handwork and more acceptance that quality has it's price. People here are prepared to pay more for a quality product. And so for my furniture, which is produced in small and medium size series, by hand, in Switzerland - it made sense to stay here because its fits better to the Swiss market.
(smow)blog: And how easy has it been to establish yourself as a new, young producer in what we presume is a relatively small market?
Nikolas Kerl: The market is relatively small, but it is also relatively easy to be accepted and the dealers are very open to new work. But then the next step to actually selling regularly is very difficult, and that's where I currently am.
(smow)blog: In that context, was there any business studies elements to your studies?
Nikolas Kerl: Unfortunately not! It's all learning by doing now. This is in effect the best Masters degree that I could have chosen!
(smow)blog: And to end, you've been nominated for the Swiss Design Award. Firstly congratulations. And secondly what does that mean for you?
Nikolas Kerl: Alone the nomination has opened several doors for me, and so regardless if I win or not the nomination has already been very positive. And also it caused a large media echo which means that a lot of people are aware of my work before they actually see for the first time, which helps immensely. And also of course it is a nice bit confirmation that what I am doing is going in the correct direction.
More Information can be found at www.nikolaskerl.com
