Each year the international interiors show IMM in Cologne invites a world-renown designer to put the spotlight on their vision of living. “The project looks at contemporary furnishing trends but also the aspirations of the public and social change,“ designer Dick Spierenburg wrote in the editorial for the Das Haus press kit.
In 2016, a German designer was asked, for the first time, to conceive the “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage.” Now that the show has come and gone, Sebastian Herkner talks to ArchiExpo about his creation from conception to final result.
Sebastian Herkner: This is really a high respect to be the guest of honor. We were really curious and started to work right away on the Das Haus, and worked for about nine months. We wanted to do a different house, away from the normal or typical one. We wanted to do a statement about open hospitality.
Herkner created a round, mostly transparent house. The interior of the house exhibited textiles and patterns, lighting and light. He selected his own product designs along with some of his favorite pieces from other designers to create a harmonious space.
Sebastian Herkner: For about 60% of the space, we used products we did over the last year and some novelties. We did a chair for Linteloo called Mark, a new bed for Schramm and we did a new lamp, Boule, and a daybed for German editor Pulpo. Also, the new outdoor collection Mbrace for Dedon. We launched around ten products.
Pallet for Puplo. Courtesy of Studio Sebastian Herkner.
“Open to all” was an important concept for Herkner. The movable curtains that replaced wall elements made the house accessible to anyone passing.
Sebastian Herkner: This is a big difference from the houses before, which were more like a museum. We wanted to have a house people could use, to sit and eat their soup. It was really a very unique atmosphere at the fair. People would sometimes sit there for an hour, reading a book or a magazine. We could see this drinking their tea or eating their lunch. It was a good place for communication.
This space for relaxing and meeting in a very personal way can translate into professional opportunities. Herkner explains how the house opens up the possibilities for people to meet people.
Sebastian Herkner: It’s about communication and the curiosity to meet new people, to get in contact with new techniques and crafts. This is always a goal when I travel to other companies or even to other cultures like South America or Africa. It’s interesting to get in contact with local people, tastes, smells, countryside, music and food.
Herkner has been commissioned by brands like Moroso, Fontana Arte, Sitzfeldt, Very Wood by Gervasoni, Sancal, Böwer, Gubi, Leff Amsterdam, Carl Mertens, Pulpo, La Chance, De Vorm, Rosenthal or Nya Nordiska assign him with the task of designing furniture, lamps, tableware and showrooms.
Sebastian Herkner: We did textiles last Autumn in Columbia; Nobsa Rugs for Ames Sala that we also launched and exhibited in Das Haus. The rugs were part of the home collection for Ames. It’s a German brand with Columbian origins. They asked me if I’d be interested in doing something with the local craftsmen in Columbia. We did a range of products from ceramic pottery to blankets to baskets. We also presented this at Das Haus.
Click to check out some other goodies from IMM.
Onno for Nya Nordiska. Courtesy of Studio Sebastian Herkner.
