One of Germany's leading post-war architects and architectural theoreticians, Egon Eiermann was also one of post-war Europe's most important chair designers, not just in context of what he realised, but also in context of what he worked towards realising and the reasons why. With the exhibition Cologne celebrate that legacy. Der Stuhl des Architekten - Sitzmöbel von Egon Eiermann @ Ungers Archiv für Architekturwissenschaft Cologne Although Egon Eiermann's career as a designer of
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When we spoke with designer Patrick Frey in context of our #campustour, the plan was quite simply to discuss contemporary design education; however, the natural flow of the conversation took us in a raft of interesting directions, including his experiences as a freelance designer, the question of development payments in the furniture industry and the background to his and Markus Boge's joint diploma project, a project in many regards personified by the tables Kant and Marketing. Kant by
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As a fair IMM Cologne 2017 didn't impress, but one or the other product did. Our IMM Cologne 2017 High Five!! And a few words of comfort from Epictetus. IMM Cologne 2017: High Five!! Staged as it in mid-January IMM Cologne is not only the first event in our new diaries, but, coming as it does after a period when we've been distracted by life in its full technicolour glory, often the hardest. How quickly have we come out of the post-holiday starting blocks? Are we mentally and physically
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Back in February we spoke with Richard Lampert and he told us he was planning exhibiting at Orgatec. Had a few ideas he said. Boy, did he have ideas......... Orgatec Cologne 2016: Richard Lampert Established in Stuttgart in 1993 the first product in the Richard Lampert portfolio was Eiermann table frame, and thus, in many respects, the company began as an "office furniture" manufacturer. If largely furniture for architects' offices. The great architect's table frame quickly establishing
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We must start with a confession . This High Five! is a High Four! Not because there weren't good products on show at Orgatec Cologne 2016, there were. But much more Orgatec is an office furniture fair, and therefore: a) most manufacturers offer, in essence, the same range, it is all very homogeneous. Generally of very good quality, but otherwise uninspiring, all very generic, safe and overtly commercial. One reason is that in the contract, so wholesale, business, decisions as to which
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According to Brigitte Eiermann her late husband, the German architect and designer Egon Eiermann, would work so long on a furniture design project until he could say "Das ist nicht besser zu machen" - "That cannot be improved". It was, so Frau Eiermann, rare that he said such, so great was his striving for perfection. Everything could, somehow, be improved.1 However we imagine Egon Eiermann would be very satisfied with the new table trestle Egon from Stuttgart based manufacturer Richard
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Established in 1993 with a primary focus on producing the designs of Egon Eiermann, including most famously the re-edition of Eiermann's 1953 table frame, Stuttgart based furniture manufacturer Richard Lampert have quietly developed over the intervening twenty plus years into one of Germany's most distinctive and idiosyncratic furniture producers, and a manufacturer with a portfolio that effortlessly mixes contemporary design with older, established, pieces. Often in the same object. Whereas
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For many, the darkest, furthest removed edge of the (smow) universe is (smow) Chemnitz. (smow) however reaches further. Much further. To Manly, New South Wales, to be precise and (smow) Australia. More of a cousin than a member of the immediate (smow) family, (smow) Australia offer products by leading European manufacturers including Nils Holger Moormann, Richard Lampert, LoCa, Jonas & Jonas and Kabré-Leipzig to the good people of Sydney and, through their online shop, beyond. And now have
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In numerous mythologies heroes are whisked through space and time on a magic carpet. The carpet project that took Alexander Seifried to Afghanistan may or may not have been magic, but it has treated us to one of the most unique, and hardest to ignore, moments at IMM Cologne. The full story is a little long for a compact blog post; however, in brief, researching carpets Alexander Seifried came across North Afghani yurt designs and was suitably inspired to develop his own yurt, the Kargah Tent.
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Following on from last years "Kids Only" collection, Richard Lampert was/were back at Cologne 2012 with a collection of new outdoor furniture And just as "Kids Only" clearly wasn't. So too can "Living Outdoor" clearly also be used for "Living Indoor" Which is important if you live north of Alicante and can't guarantee your summer will be in any way summary. Featuring four new products from three of the company's roster of young design talents, the new collection can be seen as an extension
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On his 2009 album "Waxing Gibbous" Falkirk balladeer Malcolm Middleton included the song "Red Travellin' Socks" a jaunty - if for us touch too obvious - ode to his love/hate relationship with, well his Red Travellin' Socks. Wearing his socks he's reminded of the freedom of the open road that is currently helping him fulfilling his primitive desires - until such time as the romantic myth of the endless highways explodes and he begins to long for home. The red socks symbolising his frustration
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Luddites! Not a phrase normally associated with (smow) To the best of our knowledge no (smow)employee has ever smashed an iPad or capped a WiFi service in protest at the creeping and increasingly obsessive proliferation of technology into our lives. Despite that, the early summer weeks in the (smow)HQ were dominated by the preparation and production of the very first (smow)catalogue. That's print catalogue. So on paper. With ink. Luddites? Au contraire nos amis! Not only is the
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In addition to his Kids Only Collection, Richard Lampert presented two new products in Milan: Stijl by Alexander Seifried and Stak by Patrick Frey. Just as developing a kid's range was long a wish of Richard Lampert, so too was the rehabilitation of the much-maligned kitchen corner bench, once so popular in alpine homes. We know people who are of the opinion that there is no need to rehabilitate the unparalleled genius that is the corner seat bench. Why have your kitchen chairs standing in
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Richard Lampert is no newcomer to the world of kids designer furniture: products such as the Eiermann Children's desk - a reduced, child friendly version of the Egon Eiermann table frame - or the Turtle kids swivel chair by Peter Horn having become established family favourites. However, irritated by the general lack of high quality, designer furniture available for children, Richard Lampert decided to initiate his own range - with the help of a wonderful array of young international design
read moreBack in October 2010 the design blog pixelgangster.de ran a competition with a Richard Lampert Egon Eiermann desk - supplied naturally by (smow) - as the first prize. Entrants were asked to say why they deserved the desk. In his winning entry Benjamin asked his friends why he deserved the desk - would your friends be so generous? Ours probably wouldn't. But then we already have an Eiermann Desk! Benjamin's winning video (in German with English
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While critics denounce such as an easy and obvious way to generate content - for us reviewing the past year is an important step in planning our activities for the coming year: where to go, who to talk to, what to sit on and, just as importantly, what to ignore or give up. The only real problem for us is that in preparing such we realise just how much material we haven't had the chance to use - and so receive an impression of how much more material we will acquire in the coming year. Heck!
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Fritz Haller against Egon Eiermann. While ahead of the 2010 (smow) designer furniture world cup final many bemoaned the decision of both Switzerland and Germany to play safe with their more technical formations; the match itself was one for connoisseurs. Certainly a Nils Holger Moormann for Germany or a Susi and Ueli Berger for Switzerland could have brought a little more imagination and colour to the match. But what the two old masters lacked in flamboyancy they more than compensated for
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The second semi-final of the 2010 (smow) designer furniture World Cup was for many design critics the most interesting match of the competition Charles and Ray Eames against Egon Eiermann. Not only because of the international stature of the two design teams; nor because of the important role that both played in the development of industrial and furniture design in their home nations. The critical interest was much more if - and when yes to what extent - Egon Eiermann's approach would mirror
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