Chapter  In an interview you said that your process usually begins with an urge rather than with a concept. What can that urge look like?

Fenna Kosfeld  You know the feeling when you dance or move your body and find a really good stretch that you want to stay in because it is releasing or expanding something? You have this natural urge to continue and explore it. That is how I would describe my urge to create and make. It can start with an observation, a movement, a thought or a touch. If it tickles the brain the urge for continuation and play is sparked.

Chapter  Is there a difference between inspiration, as it is often talked about in the context of art, and this kind of impulse you experience?

Fenna Kosfeld  I think it is a synergy of ideas, inspiration, and physical impulse that brings things into movement and existence. The driver for me is mostly that embodied impulse, which can feel like a vibration or shock wave—excitement, curiosity, or fear. It is physical as well as emotional. But from there, it starts interacting with all the influences I carry subconsciously. Things begin to roll and take shape by connecting the dots of subconscious impulses with intellectual ideas and relational inspiration.

Chapter  Does experience—with a certain material, for instance—sometimes get in the way of intuition or curiosity?

Fenna Kosfeld  No, the material itself never really gets in the way of my curiosity. If anything, it is a never-ending fractal to observe, touch, sense, and wonder about. What can get in the way is the necessity to freeze something in time—to go against this intuitive cycle of constant transformation. It is almost unnatural to stop and capture a moment, yet we need to do it to grasp our existence and ground ourselves mentally. Photography does this very literally, but we also do it with materials and ideas. To stop time and change.

So perhaps it is not experience that interferes with intuition, but this act of fixating a moment and state in time. I would rather play and dance with a stone, transform it, and have it transform me in a never-ending process. But of course, that is impossible. Otherwise, I could not act or make decisions.

Chapter  Has there ever been a phase in your life when you felt like you had lost your sense of wonder?

Fenna Kosfeld  No. I would say my sense of wonder has been the one constant, saviour, and driver that keeps me going. You could describe it as my inner child, which I refuse to stop nurturing just because societal or situational conventions might ask for it.

What I have lost at times is the will to make—to add more “stuff” to the world—and I have doubted whether making art is necessary at all. I think those questions are important, but they can also eat you from the inside and shush the inner child’s urge to understand and process simply by doing. That is what art is all about, I think. To relate and to reflect. So the wonder is never really lost, but external or mental circumstances can blur or numb it. That is why it is important to play and not take oneself too seriously.

Chapter  Would it be an oversimplification to say that in your work, the material itself is in control? More so than you are?

Fenna Kosfeld I think it is less about control and more about a dance or conversation. I choose a material for poetic and symbolic reasons, so of course the material has no choice. But rather than manipulating it into a seemingly perfect form, I prefer to trust the process of unfolding. The carbonized bones I currently work with, for instance, change in surface, shimmer, and shape depending on countless conditions inside the kiln. There are many approaches one can take within a practice. One more controlled approach would be to analyze those conditions, choose a desired outcome, and reproduce it. The other is to leave space for spontaneity, unfolding, and expression beyond my control. I switch between approaches as they reveal inherent tensions. But mostly, I am drawn to the latter. That is where it becomes interesting to me.

Chapter  Would you say that there is something ritualistic about the way you work with materials?

Fenna Kosfeld  Yes, but not in the sense of a religious or direct cultural reference. More in an energetic sense: collecting materials, listening to the life around me, making fire, observing transformation, the breathing in between. There is an act of honouring the presence and the moment of transformation. For me, that is meditative. It gives me a sense of connectivity, focus, and peace.

Chapter  What sparked off your interest in light in the first place?

Fenna Kosfeld  I have a strange relationship with light because I feel very sensitive towards it and very much enjoy the darkness or simply the absence of light. Nevertheless, I often find myself acting like a moth, constantly drawn towards light, curious about how it affects me physically and psychologically. Since I started making, I have incorporated light into my sculptural objects, often combining found branches from my forest journeys with simple LEDs. Looking back, I realize I was already interested in the relationship between matter and illumination long before I consciously understood it. When reading Louis I. Kahn’s book Silence and Light, I encountered the statement »Light is the Giver of Presence« in the context of architecture. That idea has stayed with me ever since. Light operates on a spectrum. It is functional, psychological, and aesthetic. For me, it has a spiritual, healing force.

Chapter  How do you know when a piece is finished—when there is nothing that can be added or taken away?

Fenna Kosfeld  When it becomes its own. There is a really interesting moment when sculpting, drawing, or crafting where something shifts from what I intend to do towards the intuition and character of the material itself. At some point, it no longer feels like me adding or taking away, but like an encounter with something beyond and other than myself. That is usually where I stop and pay attention to where this thing might want to go for itself. [SW]

Chapter Coseincorso translates local histories into furniture, objects and accessories. How do you decide which stories are worth carrying forward through design?

Coseincorso We think a story earns its place when it carries something unresolved—something that hasn’t fully found its form yet. We’re drawn to places where history left a fracture, or that hold something hidden: a way of life interrupted, a knowledge almost lost, a landscape that changed so radically that the people living in it had to reinvent themselves entirely.

»The Memory Stool«, »The Axis Table« and »The Flare Lamp« (2026)
from the new Anàphora collection, handcrafted in Italy.

Our last collection, Anàphora, for example, was about Lake Fucino in Abruzzo: in the 19th century, an entire lake was drained by a prince’s ambition. The fishermen who had lived by its rhythms overnight became farmers. That loss—of water, of memory, of identity—is the kind of tension we look for.

Chapter Is there a particular moment or circumstance that usually sets a new project in motion for you?

Coseincorso It often starts with a small trip, and then the urgency to discover a story and translate it into something tangible arrives on its own. We began our studio during the pandemic, in a period of forced stillness that gave us time to look more carefully at the places we were already inhabiting. We discovered the béguinages of northern Europe—communities of women who invented a way of living that was both spiritual and economic at once. That isolation and that independent way of living felt deeply connected to us at that moment.

»The Axis Table«, 2026

With the Fucino, instead, we drove through what is now one of the most industrialized agricultural plains in central Italy. From the plain, you understand that a vast lake must have been there once. That disconnection between what you’re seeing and what you know must have existed—that’s what led us to translate the feeling into a narrative form.

Chapter You work closely with artisans and remain attentive to the origins of materials. What metaphysical role does this physical, hands-on process play in shaping an object?

Coseincorso The hand is where intention becomes real. We always start with drawings and prototypes, then we work through the process together with the artisan. Castelli—a small mountain village in our region—was the pharmaceutical pottery capital of Renaissance Italy. They produced jars for apothecaries and kings, and their craftspeople are still faithfully reproducing those same gestures five centuries later. Working with those ceramists for our Apothecary collection was exactly what we’re after: the moment when making and meaning become the same thing, and the story lives inside the material rather than being attached to it from outside.

Chapter What do you believe is the most important mindset a designer needs in order to create work that feels authentic beyond mere aesthetic refinement?

Coseincorso For us, the starting point is never »what should this look like?« but »what is this place, this material, this practice actually asking of us?« Aesthetics emerge from that listening—and often translate into a genuine connection between us and our artisans.

»The Ember Tray«, 2026; metal bowl and candle holder— »two elements / one ritual.«

We also think authenticity requires a kind of resistance to speed. We both have an introverted side that leads us to step back from time to time in order to work and reflect. In a world saturated with images and trends, clarity comes from withdrawing enough to hear what actually matters to you—not what the moment demands.

Chapter If design has the ability to preserve memories, places and gestures, what do you hope people encounter through your work in their own space?

Coseincorso We think of our work as existing at the intersection of museum and home, function and ritual. What we hope people feel is both the texture of the hand and a sense of poetry behind it—the sense that an object holds a past they can’t quite name. Not because we’ve explained it to them, but because the form itself carries it.

»The Mirror of Simple Souls« was our first object, and mirrors are at the heart of our practice—not only as a recurring form across our collections, but as a symbol of what we’re trying to do. Every piece asks you to look at yourself in relation to something larger, something older.
If someone lives alongside one of our pieces and occasionally wonders about it, that’s enough. Memory doesn’t have to be explicit to be felt. [Ed.]

INNENKREIS

At the gallery Innenkreis, founded in 2026 by Zeynep Rekkali Jensen, two exhibitions were shown in parallel: the textile presentation »You can’t see it from there« by Trine Tronhjem and Liv Marie Rømer, and the group exhibition »Vanitas in Use I«. While Tronhjem and Rømer work at the intersection of surface, atmosphere, and space—understanding textiles not as a mere covering, but as a spatial medium—»Vanitas in Use I« expanded the art-historical concept of vanitas to include the perspective of functional objects and lived-in spaces. Featuring works by Indio Möglich, Lasse Sylvest Lilleoer, Et Arrangement, Maral Taşkırıcı, Clara Schweers, and Thomas Woltmann, complemented by historical designs, the exhibition asked how ideas of time, memory, transience, and use live on in things that are made, touched, and used.

Ukurant

Ukurant—an exhibition platform and creative community for young, experimental design positions founded by Kamma Rosa Schytte, Kasper Kyster, Josefine Krabbe, and Lærke Ryom—grew out of the question of how to position yourself in the industry after studying design. In this spirit, during 3daysofdesign, Ukurant’s contribution »Ukurant Makes Room« showcased fresh perspectives from 26 emerging talents from the design and creative scene. The exhibition presented experimental approaches to craft, material, and tradition, and put processes, test setups, and the craftsmanship behind the works at the center—very much in line with a material-matters mindset that pays as much attention to how an object comes into being as to its finished form.

FRAMA

FRAMA—founded in Copenhagen in 2011 by Niels Strøyer Christophersen—is known for a pared-back aesthetic, natural materials, and uncompromising quality. The newly presented Sectional Sofa translates this design language into a softer, more generous form of seating comfort, showing how the brand brings material, form, and everyday living together.

Royal Copenhagen x Griegst

With »Triton: A Masterpiece Resurfaces«, Royal Copenhagen celebrated the return of the legendary Triton collection by artist and goldsmith Arje Griegst—50 years after its first presentation at the flagship store at Amagertorv 6, where it was now on view again. Together with the Griegst family and based on the Griegst archives, the shell-like porcelain collection was reissued in three new glazes—Sand, Ocean, and Celadon. Curated by Noam Griegst and Dan Thawley, the exhibition made the creation process visible: from shells, tools, models, and historical molds to finished porcelain and unglazed bisque from the Royal Copenhagen workshop, complemented by a soundscape and scent composition.

STELLAR WORKS

Founded by Yuichiro Hori, the design brand Stellar Works is known for furniture and interiors shaped by Asian sensibility, international design, and hospitality culture, as well as collaborations with studios such as Neri&Hu, Yabu Pushelberg, David Rockwell, and Space Copenhagen. Together with the latter, Stellar Works developed the THOUGHT / FUL installation for 3daysofdesign at Odd Fellow Palace, an 18th-century Rococo palace in the heart of Copenhagen. As part of FRAMING, a curated group exhibition of international design brands, the presentation understood hospitality as a spatial rhythm of calm, encounter, and interaction.

»Objects of Desire«

Curated by Birgitte Due Madsen, Objects of Desire at Thorvaldsen’s Museum brought together international designers and makers working outside of mass production. Featuring contributions from, among others, August Wille, Birgitte Due Madsen, Boris Berlin, Bureau Parso, Corkinho, Corpus Studio, Edoardo Lietti, Eric Landon, Francesca Torzo, Germans Ermičs, Kevin Hviid, Kim Richardt, Maison Arpelli, Rahee Yoon, Rasmus Fenhann, Sausset Leou, Seamus Kowarzik, Sofie Østerby, Uncommon Ancestor, VAVA OBJECTS, and Vibeke Fonnesberg Schmidt, the exhibition put material awareness, longevity, and craftsmanship precision center stage.

TYPE-XIII Atelier Oï project

A–POC ABLE ISSEY MIYAKE, the experimental line of the Japanese fashion house that takes Issey Miyake’s concept of »A Piece of Cloth« further in an interdisciplinary way, presented new lights from the »O« Series from the TYPE-XIII Atelier Oï project together with the Swiss design studio atelier oï. The project combines »a piece of cloth« and »a piece of wire« into flexible light objects with interchangeable pleated fabric shades, translating textile research into a poetic form of light, structure, and atmosphere.

Project Materia x Mater

Initiated by TABLEAU and Edition Solenne, Project Materia x Mater sees material as the starting point for artistic and design processes. For the 2026 edition, the format partnered with the Danish design brand Mater and put Matek in the spotlight — a circular composite material developed by Mater from discarded resources such as coffee husks, sawdust, and recycled plastic. Nine international artists and designers translated the material into sculptures, furniture, and collectible design, showing how differently a shared material framework can be interpreted.

DEORON

DEORON, founded in 2021, is an independent curatorial platform at the intersection of design, research, and lifestyle culture. Originally conceived as a digital project and webshop to make design feel slower, more conscious, and more accessible, DEORON has since expanded into physical space as well. At 3daysofdesign, the platform brought together more than 30 designers, brands, and independent studios on Paper Island, presenting collectible and industrial design, furniture, lighting, homeware, technology, and objects in dialogue with sound — including a sculptural sound system, listening sessions, and live performances. The result was less a classic product showcase than a space for exchange, encounters, and new connections between design, music, and people.

THE BEGINNING

A pivotal moment in Vitra’s early history was Willi Fehlbaum’s encounter with the designs of Charles and Ray Eames in the 1950s. During a trip to New York, he discovered the innovative fiberglass chairs in the Herman Miller showroom and was particularly struck by the technical ingenuity of the “shock mount” connection. Herman Miller, one of the leading American furniture manufacturers of postwar modernism, held the international production rights to these designs. Fehlbaum therefore approached the company to establish a licensing agreement for Europe. Vitra subsequently began manufacturing and distributing selected designs by Charles and Ray Eames, as well as George Nelson, across the European market.

In continuous production: The complete range of designs by Charles and Ray Eames.

Nelson, a key figure in American Mid-Century Modern, had served as Design Director at Herman Miller since 1945, shaping the company’s design direction for decades. In this role, he helped define its program and worked closely with designers such as Charles and Ray Eames and Isamu Noguchi. For Vitra, the partnership with Herman Miller marked a decisive transition from a regional enterprise to an internationally operating design manufacturer.

After the partnership with Herman Miller was amicably concluded in 1984, Vitra secured the rights to manufacture and distribute the designs of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, and Alexander Girard in Europe and the Middle East. Girard—an architect and designer known for his distinctive use of color, textiles, and graphic expression—shaped the emotional and visual dimension of American modernism as head of Herman Miller’s textile division from the 1950s onward.
With the acquisition of these rights, Vitra entered a new phase, increasingly positioning itself as an independent brand and refining its identity beyond that of a licensed producer.

THE NEW BEGINNING

A devastating fire in 1981, which destroyed large parts of the factory in Weil am Rhein, paradoxically marked a new beginning for the company. In its aftermath, the Vitra Campus began to take shape—an ensemble of buildings by internationally renowned architects that reached an early milestone in 1989 with the opening of Frank Gehry’s Vitra Design Museum. From the outset, the museum was conceived not as a conventional corporate showcase, but as an independent institution, deliberately distancing itself from purely brand-driven exhibition formats. Collection-building, research, and public education became integral to the company’s identity.

In the days when Vitra still had its own volunteer fire brigade, Zaha Hadid was commissioned to design a building that would house the fire engines and also provide social facilities for the firefighters.

In parallel, Vitra developed new content-driven formats. With the Vitra Edition—featuring contributions by designers such as Frank Gehry, Shiro Kuramata, and Ron Arad—the company positioned design explicitly as a cultural practice. The collaboration with Jean Prouvé not only led to the reintroduction of historic pieces such as the 1930 Cité chair—now the oldest design still in production in the collection—but also prompted a renewed engagement with the constructive principles of the 20th century. Later projects, including the Joyn system (2002) by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, inspired by the communal farmhouse table, reflected Vitra’s responsiveness to evolving workplace dynamics and broader societal shifts.

THE TRANSFORMATION

With the founders’ children joining the company’s leadership, Vitra entered another phase of transformation. Rolf Fehlbaum, son of Willi and Erika Fehlbaum and a defining figure at the company’s helm since the 1970s, further shaped Vitra’s strategic and cultural direction and initiated the Vitra Design Museum in 1989. His daughter, Nora Fehlbaum, later assumed the role of CEO, representing a new generation of leadership. The acquisition of Artek is described in the book as a strategically significant step; at the same time, it signals a new priority: »our generation’s fingerprint is the environmental strategy.« Sustainability thus became an explicit part of the company’s mission, alongside a broader outreach and the development of new digital formats.

The complete Vitra product range, presented outside Frank Gehry’s museum building in 2007.

Particularly striking is the book’s reflection on collection-building and cultural responsibility. Rolf Fehlbaum emphasizes that museums often preserve innovative and even radical designs—even when some of these pieces were initially dismissed as »flops« in the marketplace. The collection is conceived as a living organism, sustained by significant archives such as those of Charles and Ray Eames, Jean Prouvé, and Verner Panton.

THE VITRA WORLD

Last but not least, the book explores the company’s visual identity in depth. A brand, it argues, is not the result of artificial image-making but evolves organically from its inherent values and actions. In keeping with this view, Vitra has long combined product development with content-driven formats such as the »Workspirit«publication series, which brings together interviews, architecture, and design. The »Atlas of Furniture Design,« published in 2019 and spanning more than 1,000 pages, further exemplifies this connection between research, design, and narrative—significantly privileging images over text.

Vitra – Anatomy of a Design Company is therefore far more than a corporate history. Numerous historically significant archival images, newly edited documents, and personal testimonies trace Vitra’s evolution from a regional enterprise to an internationally connected design brand. Spanning 410 pages and featuring 300 color and 100 black-and-white illustrations, the publication interweaves industrial, architectural, and cultural history into a multifaceted panorama of modern design as seen through the lens of Vitra. [Ed.]

Vitra – The Anatomy of a Design Company
Published by Phaidon
Hardcover, 270mm x 215mm, 401 pages
vitra.com

Designed by Austrian glass designer and Josephinenhütte co-founder Kurt Josef Zalto, the Josephine No 3  is considered one of the most technically challenging designs in the Josephine series. The distinctive kink in the bowl is not a decorative detail but a functional intervention: it combines the generosity of a Burgundy glass with a more focused aroma guidance known from Bordeaux glasses. In the Black Line, the shape remains unchanged, as does the production process: each glass is still mouth-blown.

»My passion for the interplay of light and shadow led me to the idea of designing a limited series of black glasses. The Black Line is an emotional statement that celebrates the aesthetics of the moment—a glass that deliberately focuses on design and sensuality,« Kurt Josef Zalto tells Chapter. The method of production is also crucial: »The glass is made in a dedicated melting shop in the harbor furnace—as a small, controlled batch rather than in a large-volume tank system. The smoke black tone is created directly in the glass, not through a subsequent coating: a special additive develops the color during the melting process. Each glass receives its color gradient through the craftsmanship of the master glassblowers—and is therefore always unique.«

Form follows function. The wide lower bowl initially gives the wine a large surface area, allowing the aromas to open up quickly when swirling. At the same time, the kink directs the wine in a controlled way along the glass wall, enabling the aromas to unfold evenly without dissipating abruptly.

In the upper section, the bowl tapers slightly. This geometry concentrates the aromas and guides them precisely to the nose, making it easier to distinguish fine nuances. When drinking, the shape of the glass guides the wine at a specific angle onto the tongue, allowing fruit, acidity, and structure to be perceived in a more balanced way. Both powerful and complex wines are thus rendered with precision in their depth and balance, without tying the wine to a classic glass typology.

The current Black Line edition was limited to just 2,800 glasses worldwide and sold out within a short time. With the Josephine No 3  in smoke black, the edition logic has been consistently continued. The result is less a completely new glass than an intriguing new interpretation of a well-known glass design. [TVR]

»Great people. Great design. Great fun.« Chuck Pelly declared in 1972, when he turned his garage into a design studio and laid the foundation for »DesignworksUSA«. 54 years later—and as part of the BMW Group since 1995—this motto still feels remarkably current. During Chapter‘s visit to the Designworks Studio in Santa Monica, it becomes evident that the spirit of this early self-conception remains deeply embedded in the studio’s working culture. Progressiveness, creativity, openness, and a genuine enjoyment of the work shape the atmosphere. Between models, sketches, prototypes, and screens, a working environment is lived that is less characterized by hierarchies than by dialogue and, despite all the diversity, always revolves around the same question: How can design be rethought, how can boundaries be shifted, and how can fresh impulses be set beyond short-term trends?

However, all of that sometimes disruptive spirit should not contradict the responsibility within a global corporation. At Designworks L.A., it is not just about completing design tasks, but about testing even unusual ideas, consciously questioning assumptions, and having the courage to allow unconventional things. Especially in this early phase, in which not everything is defined, calculated, or secured, lies the actual value of the studio for the overall system of the BMW Group.

The scope of Designworks L.A.’s work extends far beyond classical automotive projects. Alongside early vehicle concepts, urban mobility scenarios, digital systems, interfaces, spatial applications, and experience formats are created here, often in close collaboration with start-ups, public institutions, or local communities—an aspect that is repeatedly emphasized in our on-site discussions. Topics such as urban development, wayfinding, new mobility services, or AI-supported tools play just as important a role as questions about innovative materials, their manufacturing, and use. The individual result is less decisive than the moment before. Designworks usually works where questions and possibilities are still open and framework conditions have not yet been defined in detail.

Julia de Bono also describes this role very clearly. After several positions within the BMW design team, she took over the management of Designworks L.A. in 2023. In her function, she moves at the interface between management, strategic orientation, and creative freedom, with the aim of not smoothing out friction, but using it productively. She sees the studio in Santa Monica not as an extended arm of the Munich design center, but as a consciously positioned, sometimes disruptive, source of inspiration within the global design organization of the BMW Group. In conversation with Chapter, Julia de Bono speaks about the special role and ambition of the studio, the influence of American management and corporate culture, and how local radicalism can be translated into a global design language without being softened.

Julia de Bono, CEO/Studio Director Designworks L.A.

Chapter Looking back at your time in Germany and now here in Los Angeles: are there differences in management culture—for example in leadership style or in how teams work together in the U.S.?

Julia de Bono  Leadership in the U.S. is definitely different from leadership in Europe. Here it is much more collaborative, very open-house, open-doors. We don’t want to close the doors, but keep them open for people who want to work with us or contribute something. For me personally, there is also the fact that I have a different job here as CEO. This means that I not only deal with design or experiences, but also very specifically with numbers, with structure, with responsibility for the whole—that is a different challenge. And of course, there are those cultural differences in leadership style that I mentioned: there is a lot of communication, a lot of open discussion. In addition, the hierarchies are much flatter, dialogue is central. But perhaps a lot of it is also specific to Designworks. We don’t work in silos, but very comprehensively, very fluidly. That can certainly also be an American background. The approach in the USA is less transactional, but strongly collaborative. Without wanting to judge other leadership styles—it simply works better here. I already see this with the children in school, a lot of emphasis is placed on what you have done well and less on what may have been bad. The view of what has been achieved is simply very different here.

Chapter  This constructive, more proactive culture of dealing with mistakes in the U.S. is something Europe is often said to be able to learn from.

Julia de Bono  Absolutely. Failure is viewed very positively here. »Failing is great«—it’s almost a badge of honor. The more you have failed, the more experience you bring with you. This is particularly evident in the collaboration with start-ups. From a German perspective, it takes some getting used to seeing that as something positive. And it’s precisely this openness that shapes our work as well. The more we question things, the further we can ultimately leap. This attitude is closely linked to Designworks L.A.’s role—to be, to some extent, disruptive.

BMW »Dimensions of Real«, immersive Installation, CES 2022 Las Vegas

Chapter  In today’s conversations with designers here in the studio, the term »anarchy« even came up at one point. It sounds as though the designers at Designworks L.A. are something like the »punks« within the global Designworks network. Is the work here really the most progressive?

Julia de Bono Yes—because we have to break rules. That’s exactly what’s expected of us. And that’s not a bad position to be in, but you first have to learn how to handle it. The goal is often stated very clearly: I want you to challenge me, to make me uncomfortable. When I take our work to Munich and present it, you can sometimes see how these impulses initially land—and then start to work on the other side.

Material study from an ongoing development process at Designworks L.A.

Chapter  The individual Designworks studios are also in competition with each other, there are even actual pitch processes—both among themselves and with the in-house design team at BMW. How exactly can you imagine that in practice and where exactly is the boundary between Designworks Studios and the In-House Design Team?

Julia de Bono  In the end, there is a design presentation for a vehicle. All the designs from the most diverse studios are on the table, all the sketches are examined—and then the best solution wins. There is often talk about internal competition, and of course we are a design agency, we have to win competitions—but above all against other agencies—and these are also financially important competitions. At the same time, Designworks, as a Creative Lab, specializes in developing new perspectives, rethinking design and pursuing innovative approaches. Our mission is to push boundaries and set fresh impulses that go beyond the ordinary.

BMW M Hybrid V8 design sketch

Chapter  The Designworks L.A. Studio in Santa Monica is surrounded by a wide range of other creative studios. How does this environment influence your work?

Julia de Bono It starts with the fact that everyone who walks in wants to make your ideas better. A kind of cumulative process emerges, in which ideas build on each other. This creates an enormous speed. Aesthetically, the entertainment, wellness and lifestyle industries have a major influence. This has always been the case in California, but it is becoming even stronger. In the USA, a very pronounced masculinity can currently be felt in the expression. Products should show presence, profile, strength. This influences materials, shapes, surfaces. In addition, there is the proximity to the aerospace industry, such as SpaceX, and a large start-up ecosystem. New materials, new manufacturing methods, 3D printing—all of this is incorporated. And of course, digitization and AI. The high speed here strongly influences our product development.

Chapter How can such different local influences—both from Designworks L.A. and from the other Designworks studios worldwide—be translated into a global design language that works in all markets? Especially against the background of sometimes strongly diverging aesthetic preferences.

Julia de Bono In theory, that is a challenge, yes. In practice, we mainly develop world cars. There are only a few local models, with the exception of China. In Munich, there is an early phase in which we contribute our inputs. Large teams bundle these perspectives and prepare them for strategic decisions. Then we look at: Where are there overlaps between the markets? Where not? This results in a formal, final statement. This is an iterative process with market research, so-called clinics and feedback loops. At some point, of course, a decision has to be made—and apparently good ones are being made, otherwise we wouldn’t be as successful as we are.

Sidewalk Transit Amenities Program (STAP) for the City of Los Angeles

Chapter Do you share the impression that design is becoming an increasingly important factor in brand identity—and how does that change your work?

Julia de Bono Absolutely. Design experiences are actually becoming more and more important. It’s no longer just about the exterior or dashboard. It’s about how the systems interact: UX, light, sound, haptics. How does something feel? How do you understand the user? Connecting these systems in such a way that they do the right thing at the right moment is challenging. It’s almost an art. If you look at what’s happening in the entertainment sector—for example in the Sphere or in IMAX theaters—then you can see how much people are getting used to immersive experiences. A lot has already been implemented in the vehicle sector in China. An intense, but healthy competition is emerging, which we live very strongly here in the USA.

Chapter  Looking at the diverse portfolio of Designworks, are there any projects that you personally find particularly formative?

Julia de Bono  For me, the BMW GINA Light Visionary Model was extremely formative. It was radically different, with a strong story. That’s one of my all-time favorites—and one of the reasons why I studied automotive design. And when I look ahead, our AI developments are certainly particularly relevant. We started very early and are providing important input to Munich. It’s less about individual vehicles than about systems and tools that ensure the integrity and recognizability of the brand—today and in the future.

BMW GINA Light Visionary Model

Chapter Is there also a highlight project for an external customer that you would like to highlight?

Julia de Bono  We work a lot in the field of urban development. Los Angeles is undergoing a massive transformation, especially in terms of mobility. For example, we are developing wayfinding systems, apps and are working on the ramp-up to the Olympic Games. One example is bus shelters, which we developed together with the communities—with people who depend on public mobility. Such projects open up the view, they lead back to clear, robust solutions. But to be honest, it’s hard to pick out a single project. The variety is what’s interesting about Designworks.

Chapter  Are there any disciplines in which you would like to get more involved with Designworks L.A. in the future?

Julia de Bono  At the moment, I’m particularly interested in everything around robotics. I find AI-based devices for older people or young people particularly exciting. We have a generation that suffers from permanent sensory overload. I think technologies that help to stay calm or provide orientation—for example in the case of dementia—are very important to me. We also work a lot with students from disadvantaged communities. As a large company, we have a responsibility to give something back. That’s taken for granted here—and it’s particularly important to me personally.  [CPS]

Staging and Substance

From the outset, the project’s official launch event left little doubt about the ambition Mercedes-Benz and Binghatti attach to their second joint venture. On the evening of January 14, 2026, the area in front of the renowned Meydan Hotel in Dubai was transformed into an expansive stage of light and choreographed drone formations. that even turned the city sky into a projection surface. It was that form of staging that is almost a matter of course in Dubai, but even here it set new standards.

With all the visual bombast, it should not be overlooked that the evening was less to be interpreted as an end in itself, but as a visible expression of a partnership based on substantive content. Because Mercedes-Benz and Binghatti are connected by more than a lucrative business relationship and strategic co-branding. Design excellence, the pursuit of constant innovation and a clear commitment to the highest quality form the common ground.

 A Market in a Permanent State of Exception

Hardly any real estate market is developing as dynamically as Dubai’s. In recent years alone, billions have been invested there in high-quality residential, hospitality and mixed-use projects, and numerous new luxury quarters are under construction or in planning. International developers, luxury brands and investors are competing for attention, location and relevance. In such an environment, financial clout and size alone are no longer enough. Visibility only arises where architectural clarity, design vision and brand authority come together. And this is precisely where the collaboration between Mercedes-Benz and Binghatti comes in. Both partners have a high level of recognition, but also the necessary credibility to transfer this to a project of this magnitude. The fact that Mercedes-Benz recently demonstrated its design expertise once more with projects such as the Vision Iconic (whose influence is now also reflected in the concept of Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City) further reinforces this ambition.

Binghatti: Developer with its own signature

While Mercedes-Benz’s design and technological expertise has been established internationally for over a century, Binghatti has also consistently earned its status in the Real Estate market in recent years. Regardless of who you talk to in Dubai, one point comes up again and again: Binghatti stands for architecturally clear and immediately recognizable projects. In a city where formal exaggeration is omnipresent, the company has established its own design-driven visual signature, with a clearly recognizable commitment to architecture as an art form. This development is largely driven by Muhammad BinGhatti, whose charismatic presence and entrepreneurial talent sharpen the brand’s profile.

Muhammad BinGhatti (CEO of Binghatti) and Mathias Geisen (Member of the Board of Management Mercedes-Benz)

As CEO and Chairman, he embodies a form of developer role that brings together architecture, brand management and media impact. Binghatti is not a typical developer, but a trained architect: he graduated from the American University of Sharjah  with a degree in architecture and took over the management of the family business, which his father founded in 2008, at an early stage. At the presentation in Dubai, Muhammad BinGhatti says that he has always wondered why, for example, the design of cars effortlessly fascinates even children, while buildings hardly receive any attention in perception. His conclusion: buildings must be able to have an earlier, more immediate and emotional effect.

He wanted to achieve exactly this potential for buildings that evoke reactions beyond pure function and remain anchored in the collective consciousness. At the same time, he transferred the principles of strategic brand management into his work at an early stage by combining architectural identity with brand identities that are otherwise more familiar from the world of luxury goods. This is also demonstrated by previous collaborations with brands such as Bugatti or Jacob & Co. Against this background, Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City  can be seen not only as a logical continuation but also as the most far-reaching formulation to date of a strategy in which a globally established brand identity and clear design language become the design basis for an entire district.

Gorden Wagener, Chief Design Officer of Mercedes-Benz, at the presentation in Dubai. One of his last public appearances in this function — he is leaving the company on January 31, 2026.

A city within a city

Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City is designed as a »City within the City«. Not in the sense of a closed enclave, but as a structurally independent urban structure. The project covers approximately 836,000 square meters in the Meydan  area and comprises more than 13,000 residential units, spread over twelve towers. At the center is the so-called Vision Iconic, which functions as a spatial and visual reference point and connects the surrounding structures.

The entire building composition follows a clear, recurring design language derived from the Mercedes-Benz design philosophy of Sensual Purity. The successively rising volumes create a dynamic skyline that suggests movement and progress, while metallic accents in silver and chrome tones are intended to subtly reference the brand’s industrial heritage. An additional level of meaning is created by the naming of the individual towers: each bears the name of a Mercedes-Benz concept car—from the Mercedes-Benz Vision One-Eleven, the historical Vision Mercedes Simplex  to the Vision AVTR.

Design, Landscape, Community

This approach remains consistent inside as well. According to the developers, the residences should follow a reduced, timeless design that avoids contrasts and instead works with a few, controlled materials. Black and silver tones form the basis, complemented by leather and wood. Technological integration is an integral part, but does not take center stage, but supports comfort and everyday usability. The residential offer is complemented by a finely tuned system of communal, sporting and landscape spaces. The Grand Promenade  is intended to form the green backbone of the project and offer, among other things, wellness and sports facilities as well as event areas and family-oriented areas. It goes without saying that mobility and EV infrastructure are also integrated as an important part of the overall concept.

Mercedes-Benz Places | Binghatti City  is therefore less a collection of individual building blocks than a thoroughly composed luxury quarter in which architecture, use and brand identity are coordinated. And this is precisely where the actual claim and the special feature of the project lie: In a market like Dubai, which is characterized by ever more extreme luxury stagings and a competition to outdo each other in terms of size and effect, the project deliberately focuses on design stringency, coherence and long-term relevance—regardless of the spectacularly designed staging of the launch event. [CPS]

Curator Marlies Wirth (MAK – Design Collection), together with Lilli Hollein (General Director of the MAK), has developed an exhibition concept that breaks open the category of »fashion« and instead understands Lang’s work as a processual design of identity, strategy, and visual language. The title »Séance de Travail«—»working session«—is not only a historical reference to Lang’s own show formats of the 1990s, but also a programmatic statement: a laboratory in which production, advertising, brand development, spatial design, and audience experience are conceived as interconnected fields of design.

A central element of the exhibition is the MAK Helmut Lang Archive, which Lang donated to the museum in 2011 and which is today regarded as the largest and only public archive of its kind worldwide. It comprises more than 10,000 records, including not only selected garments but also prototypes, lookbooks, advertising campaigns, photographs, Polaroids, production samples, backstage materials, and internal documents. This breadth makes visible how Lang understood fashion not as an isolated product, but as an interdisciplinary design process in which cut, material, communication, space, and brand were always part of a coherent system.

In keeping with this approach, the exhibition deliberately forgoes a chronologically ordered retrospective. Instead, the material is organized according to thematic fields that render Lang’s working method legible as a constructive, analytical, and experimental practice. Particular emphasis is placed on mixed-media installations and site-specific presentations: sculptural displays, reconstructions of shop architectures, and visualization surfaces create a spatial experience that makes Helmut Lang’s overarching conception of design—ranging from fashion collections and retail architecture to brand communication—tangible.

Helmut Lang (*1956 in Vienna), who worked internationally from 1986 and became one of the most important representatives of minimalist, analytical design in the late 1990s, withdrew from the fashion industry in 2005 to devote himself entirely to the visual arts. This shift is also considered within the exhibition: Lang’s current artistic practice, which draws on the thinking of his earlier work, presents him as a designer who understands and continues to shape form, material, and identity across disciplinary boundaries.

His collections are based on reduction, functional clarity, and a conscious engagement with material and the body, with clothing always understood as part of a broader design context. All of this also informs the presentation at the MAK, where fashion appears as an applied design practice between design, communication, and cultural analysis, underscoring the enduring relevance of Lang’s work.

»Helmut Lang. Séance de Travail 1986–2005 / Excerpts from the MAK Helmut Lang Archive« makes visible how a designer continuously redefines his own categories of design and how his working method continues to resonate in fashion, communication, and art to this day: fashion is not reduced to form and surface, but understood as a cultural asset. [Ed.]

The horizon serves as the exhibition’s guiding metaphor. It marks the outermost limit of what is visible, yet shifts with every movement. Accordingly, the show invites visitors to broaden their perspective. Each work tells its own story regarding intention, material, and meaning. «Future Horizons. Glass in Contemporary Art» includes pioneers such as Stanislav Libenský/Jaroslava Brychtová or Dale Chihuly, as well as contemporary works by Mona Hatoum or Alicja Kwade.

Mark Bradford, Borsa, 2024

Los Angeles-born and based artist Mark Bradford combines the everyday object of a shopping bag with the Venetian glassmaking tradition in his work Borsa (2023). As often in his artistic work, he addresses socio-political issues. Engraved tally marks refer to prison labor in Venice, where similar bags are produced, thus connecting everyday life, craftsmanship, and social reality in a single artwork.

Philip Baldwin / Monica Guggisberg, First Memories, 2010

The boat First Memories (2010) by Philip Baldwin/Monica Guggisberg evokes the association of overcrowded refugee boats in the Mediterranean, while Jessica Loughlin’s glass sculpture Between Spaces 5 (1999) is inspired by the salt flats of Lake Gairdner and reflects the fragility of ecological habitats.

Monica Bonvicini, In my Hand, 2019

The spatial staging also underlines this approach. Bruzkus Greenberg Architects created contrasting areas: a silver-black BlackBox  and a color-intensive FirstFloor. Mirrors at the end of the rooms double the perception and blur the boundaries of the exhibition space, a spatial metaphor for openness to new horizons.

Tony Cragg, Listeners, 2015

In the interplay of curatorial concept, works, and spatial design, the ambition of «Future Horizons» unfolds: Here, glass becomes visible not only as a material but as a medium for societal and artistic questions. The exhibition presents design as a discipline that opens up spaces for reflection and sparks debates.

Alicja Kwade, Hemmungsloser Widerstand, 2019

Complementing the exhibition, the publication «About Glass. Contemporary Sculpture and Installations» will also be released as part of the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung’s anniversary, edited by Eva-Maria Fahrner-Tutsek and Petra Giloy-Hirtz, with contributions from Andrea Lissoni and Tina Oldknow, among others — the first comprehensive inventory of the role of glass in contemporary art.

Mona Hatoum, Basket V, 2014

«Future Horizons. Glass in Contemporary Art» will take place from October 10, 2025, to May 28, 2026, at the Alexander Tutsek-Stiftung in Munich. The exhibition will be accompanied by a diverse supporting program, which includes artist talks, lunch breaks, and guided tours, among other things. [RED.]

When directors of science fiction films envision the future, they create worlds that no one has ever seen in this form before. However, to draw viewers into these unknown environments, the connection to the real world must not be entirely lost. Often, it is familiar objects, including design classics, that serve as links between the new and the familiar. Because even the most absurd world remains connected to reality to some extent if it features an armchair on which one might have already sat.

Eero Aarnio, Pallo / Ball Chair, 1963, © Vitra Design Museum, Photo: Andreas Sütterlin

For example, in the 2010 film »Tron: Legacy«, it is the Barcelona Chair  by Mies van der Rohe and the Eames Lounge Chair  that subtly establish a connection between past and future. In short: film directors and set designers are aware that design classics can act as gateways to previously unknown worlds. Conversely, many designers are also inspired by the environments and technologies depicted in science fiction films. After all, it is also their job to imagine the future – to give it a form that is forward-looking, yet simultaneously anchored in the present.

Eero Aarnio, Tomato Chair, 1971, © Vitra Design Museum, Photo: Roland Engerisser

Thus, it was primarily the so-called Space Age, which began with the launch of Sputnik 1  in October 1957, that brought forth a surge of furniture in which the intense engagement with space travel was clearly reflected. Designers such as Gae Aulenti, Eero Aarnio, Luigi Colani, Joe Colombo, or Verner Panton designed furniture and living landscapes that looked futuristic with their organic forms and shiny plastic surfaces, while fundamentally rethinking living and housing habits of that time.

Still image from the film set of Star Trek, 1968, © CBS Photo Archive, via Vitra Design Museum

Influenced by the rapid developments in space travel, designers in turn began to create furniture that seamlessly integrated into the science fiction films of that era. In Stanley Kubrick’s »2001: A Space Odyssey«, Olivier Mourgue’s Djinn Chair  became a screen star, while Eero Aarnio’s Tomato Chair  perfectly fit into the world of »Men in Black«. In the 1960s series »Star Trek«, Eero Saarinen’s Tulip Chair  can be seen.

Marc Newson Orgone Chair, 1993, © Vitra Design Museum, Photo: Jürgen Hans

However, the dialogue between science fiction and design continued in the following decades. Again and again, design icons conquered the cinema screens, including Orgone Chair‘s Marc Newson in the 2012 film »Prometheus«, but also unexpected design objects like Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s Argyle Chair  in the 1982 blockbuster »Blade Runner«. The extraordinary form of Nemo Chair  Fabio Novembre’s, which resembles a classic Venetian theater mask, has also fascinated directors and set designers for many years.

Andrés Reisinger, Hortensia, 2021, © Vitra Design Museum, Photo: Andreas Sütterlin

At the Vitra Design Museum (Schaudepot), the exhibition »Science Fiction Design. From the Space Age to the Metaverse« can be seen until May 10, 2026. The Argentine artist and designer Andrés Reisinger, who himself designs furniture for the Metaverse, has collected 100 collection objects, which he presents on a futuristic stage. The scope ranges from the Space Age  to the question of how suitable the Metaverse is as a new space for projections and experiments. Reisinger’s digital dreamscapes, which show clear references to the visual worlds of earlier science fiction films, are also part of the exhibition. [SW]

Header Photo: Andrés Reisinger, The Shipping, Tangled, 2021, © Reisinger Studio

Lily – Vripack & Oceanco

With Lily, the Dutch shipyard Oceanco and the yacht design studio Vripack presented a 101-metre-long concept that is unconventional in several respects. The design follows an asymmetrical, half-storey deck organization, which is intended to optimize lines of sight, air circulation and the spatial experience on board – a break with the otherwise strictly symmetrical world of superyachts.

The name says it all: the design language quotes the water lily, whose petals wrap protectively around a center. The decks of Lily  overlap in an organic way and create curved contours that are reminiscent of a closing calyx. A motif that is also continued in the interior: Offset half decks and a glass atrium staircase create a spatial experience that dissolves conventional deck structures.

The Dutch design studio Vripack emphasizes that Lily  was conceived in the area of tension between visionary design and technical feasibility. The aerodynamic lines of the two-level steel hull are intended to optimize lines of sight, air circulation and the experience for the owners. According to the designers, the concept not only pushes boundaries, but also removes them completely.

Lily  is also thinking ahead in functional terms—including with a pioneering drive mix. The yacht concept is to be powered by an innovative hybrid drive system consisting of methanol reformer fuel cells and dual-fuel engines (methanol/diesel), with separate tanks for each fuel type.

Project LAYRA – Allstars Design

The Project LAYRA concept, presented by Finnish studio Allstars Design, is scalable between 70 and 90 meters in length and, according to its developers, is aimed at »visionary shipyards and discerning owners«. Project LAYRA‘s unusual profile catches the eye at first glance: The silhouette appears to be made up of horizontal layers, which is actually the program—the stacked deck segments reveal the ship’s tween deck structure and become the defining design element. This structured »layering« not only gives the yacht a high recognition value, but also follows a clear design logic: the horizontally emphasized lines of the hull with a slightly protruding bow and the integrated, ribbon-like structural elements are intended to convey constructive clarity and calm. Allstars Design describes the concept as »visual intelligence«—the modularity and functionality of the architecture should go hand in hand with an appealing aesthetic.

In terms of color, Project LAYRA relies on a clear white exterior for the hull, tinted glazing and accents in light blue, while cool stone tones, light oak, stainless steel and black details create a modern, understated ambience inside. One of the many special features of the superyacht is the beach club on the lower deck, which is positioned centrally in the hull and offers direct contact with the sea via fold-out terraces on both sides of the boat.

Sustainability is also considered right from the design phase: the yacht can optionally be equipped with solar panels as a shade roof and a hull prepared for hydrogen propulsion. »The initial idea behind Project LAYRA was to design a vessel with engineering clarity, modularity, and layered build logic to attract shipyard interest, intended more for ownership than for charter. Conceived exclusively for MTB Superyacht 2025, it reflects Allstars Design’s drive to challenge convention and craft new benchmarks for beauty and purpose on the water,« the responsible designer Nicola Olivieri, Head of Allstars Design, explains to Chapter.

Project Velor – Nauta Design

With Project Velor, the Italian design studio Nauta Design presents a 75-meter concept that challenges conventional room layouts. At the heart of Project Velor  is an innovative architectural concept: the engine room has been removed from the usual stern area and relocated to a lower technical deck. This gives the yacht considerably more volume on the upper four decks—Nauta talks about accommodating the comfort and functions of a five-deck yacht in a four-deck design.

On the outside, Project Velor  has an elegant openness. Clear, long lines and gently curved shapes define the side view, while sharp-edged chamfers and overhanging louvre panels characterize the design in detail. Large areas of glazing and open atrium staircases attempt to visually interlock the floor boundaries as well as the interior and exterior spaces. The stern is particularly characteristic: here, an open-air water patio opens directly onto the sea: a partly covered but laterally open terrace area on the lower deck, flanked by fold-down platforms.

In terms of propulsion, the concept relies on an economical diesel-electric hybrid with four generators to ensure efficiency and range. Project Velor  thus embodies a modern interpretation of the superyacht theme: with great flexibility, functionality and livability—openly designed and strongly focused on the connection with the marine environment.

Dragonfly – Lürssen & Germán Frers

Unlike the others on this list, the 142-metre Dragonfly  is not actually a pure concept, but a yacht actually built by Lürssen. Nevertheless, it deserves a place here among the most exciting design projects of the moment, as its concept is visionary in many respects. The Argentinian designer Germán Frers is responsible for the exterior appearance and has translated his style, which is characterized by sailing yachts and classics, into a large motor yacht format. Dragonfly impresses with a powerful, almost military-looking profile with a sharply cut, steeply rising bow and clear, straight-lined deck superstructures. According to Frers, his declared aim was to create a balanced design with timeless appeal.

However, the formal straightforwardness conceals numerous technical refinements, as a focus on sustainability was also a central factor in the planning of the Dragonfly. With this in mind, the superyacht is equipped with a diesel-electric propulsion system, an electric azimuth pod drive and PTI/PTO units integrated into the gearboxes, which enable either electric propulsion or power generation to operate the vessel.

A highlight of Dragonfly  can be found at the stern: here, Lürssen’s engineers have developed a two-stage, folding platform system that allows parts of the aft deck to be lowered, creating a spacious beach club directly at water level. The spacious, luxuriously designed decks are also spacious – including a main deck pool with a glass floor, a spa, a cinema, a multifunctional sports center and a complete business deck  as a floating office including a conference room and helicopter hangar. The Italian studio Nauta Design is again responsible for the design of all interior and exterior areas.

Haven – CS Yacht Design (Felix Chapman-Sheath)

The Haven  concept, created by young design student Felix Chapman-Sheath (CS Yacht Design), offers a completely different perspective on the future. With a length of 85 meters, Haven defines itself as a »state-of-the-art sustainable superyacht«. Instead of primarily impressing with its external size or opulence, Haven focuses on content: emission-free technology, new spatial concepts and a harmonious integration of natural elements.

The exterior of the yacht is characterized by extensive deck terraces that are almost reminiscent of modernist architecture in their staggered arrangement. Transparent balustrades and open transitions between the levels create the impression of a floating atrium palace. A particular highlight of the concept is the Zen garden that inspired the name—a reminiscence of Japanese design that is intended to promote calm and contemplation on board.

When it comes to propulsion, Haven  is to rely consistently on alternative energies. According to the designer, a combination of fuel cells, battery technology and solar panels are conceivable in order to achieve genuine zero emissions. However, sustainability is not just a technical priority for Haven; the yacht is also intended to communicate this aesthetically: The interior design appears bright, open and close to nature. Curved shapes characterize the entire appearance; you will look in vain for strict structures.

As a concept, Haven  is already fulfilling its purpose: it is dedicated to the question of how luxury and ecology can be combined on a superyacht in the future. In any case, Haven  is a design that, like all the concepts presented here, shows that progress comes from the courage to leave established paths and think completely new in many areas. [CS]

»Diego’s importance to his older brother Alberto is just beginning to be widely recognized«, wrote the New York Times  in 1985 about the then 82-year-old artist Diego Giacometti, who had spent decades in the shadow of his famous brother. It took even longer for Diego Giacometti’s own artistic work—after more than three decades of supporting Alberto’s practice—to gain the recognition it deserved as an independent oeuvre.

But first, let’s rewind to the beginning: Alberto and Diego Giacometti were born in Switzerland in 1901 and 1902. The two brothers grew up alongside two other siblings in a family shaped by the artistic pursuits of their father, the painter Giovanni Giacometti. Diego initially devoted himself to drawing and experimented with etching, later completed a commercial apprenticeship, and finally followed his older brother—who was studying sculpture with Antoine Bourdelle in Paris—to the French capital. When Alberto received commissions to design and produce furnishings, the skilled craftsman Diego grew increasingly interested in his brother’s work, supporting him with plaster casts, scaffolding production, and sculpting activities.

During the Second World War, Diego Giacometti attended courses at the Scandinavian Academy of Art  and created his first sculptures—including several extraordinary animal figures. From 1950 onwards, he focused primarily on designing furniture and artistic everyday objects. »The brothers were very different. Alberto was supremely self-confident, highly cultivated and insatiably curious. Diego was more instinctive, more physical and sometimes impenetrably self-effacing,« describes Michael Brenson in the New York Times, highlighting their differences. What united them, however, was their exceptional sense of scale and form, as well as a deep passion for artistic work and craftsmanship.

After the death of his brother in 1966, Diego Giacometti increasingly realized his own artistic visions, whereby his main focus was on designing artistic, often filigree furniture. He designed salon tables, armchairs and consoles made of glass and bronze. In addition, he created numerous pieces such as the »table in the shape of a skeleton«. Giacometti designed several pieces of furniture for the world-famous Kronenhalle  bar in Zurich and the entire interior of the »Café Diego« in Saint-Paul-de-Vence for the Fondation Maeght. His last major commission attracted international attention and made him known to a wider public: Diego Giacometti designed the entire interior of the Musée Picasso in Paris, which opened in September 1985—from the furniture to the banisters and door fittings to the ceiling lights. With their filigree structure, the latter are reminiscent of large birdcages and were made of plaster-coated iron. However, the artist did not live to see the ceremonial opening of the museum: Diego Giacometti died in Paris in July 1985. As he gave away many of his works or sold them privately, his entire oeuvre is still not fully documented.

The Bündner Kunstmuseum in Chur is presenting a large-scale exhibition dedicated to the artist, on view until November 9, 2025. For the first time, Giacometti’s furniture is shown in an art context rather than a design context. The exhibition was created in collaboration with the Musée des Arts décoratifs in Paris, where Diego Giacometti’s estate is held. [SW]

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Extensive reports, portraits and essays address, among other things, the question of how contemporary designers master the balancing act between the reduction of the visible and simultaneous accessibility—between creative clarity and hidden complexity; between what we perceive as simple and what it really is. Because what is conceived and advertised as aesthetic reduction often turns out to be mere creative vanity. Because simplicity is not a simple question of leaving things out or making them disappear.

Chapter author Lutz Fügener describes it in his article for this issue as a kind of paradox of our everyday lives: »What is sold as simplification, we often have to buy with increased complexity.« The supposed reduction and promise of simplicity all too often fails in practice—although in this day and age of rapidly advancing technical complexity, it would be more necessary than ever to make technologically sophisticated products in particular appear as clear as possible so that users retain the impression that they have everything under control.

Andreas K. Vetter also approaches this multi-layered issue from a similar perspective: in his essay »Artefakt«, in which he sheds light on historical, artistic and philosophical aspects of »omission«, he shows that reduction does not necessarily lead to lightness. What disappears creates gaps—not only functional, but also cultural, sometimes even emotional ones. Simplification demands our attention anew—and sometimes what remains requires more confrontation than what has been removed.

However, we also draw particular attention to another level of simplicity: design that we experience as successful simplicity is often the result of highly complex systems that are active in the background but intelligently integrated. It is an »art of making things disappear«: technology is concealed until it no longer seems to be there—and this is precisely what makes the feeling of elegance and lightness possible in the first place.

The world of superyachts demonstrates this game very impressively: in the article »Leise Wellen schlagen« (»Quietly making waves«), Chapter author Sarah Wetzlmayr shows the effort that goes into creating visual silence on modern luxury yachts. Doors that blend silently into wall panels, motors that are barely audible, operating elements that dissolve into material surfaces—everything blends into an orchestrated silence. Yet beneath the elegant surfaces and visual lightness lies a highly complex technosphere. Felix Kilbertus, CCO of Pininfarina (and recently a very interesting interviewee in our podcast Chapter Talks) in our interview: for him, the somewhat archaic Italian term »sprezzatura« best describes the idea of that effortless grace—the art of making something difficult look easy or maintaining a nonchalant demeanor when carrying out complex tasks.

The situation is similar in the world of haute horlogerie, where external minimalism and technical complexity are not mutually exclusive. The simply designed watch that appears quietly on the wrist often conceals a highly complicated inner life. Minimalism and maximalism are therefore by no means mutually exclusive in watchmaking, even if the former is currently celebrating a comeback in terms of design, as our author Max Montre attests.

For this issue’s cover story, we have been able to engage a personality whose influence on the understanding of design reduction and contemporary luxury can hardly be overestimated: Jil Sander. As a German pioneer of a minimalist understanding of luxury and an icon of creative reduction, Sander’s work continues to shape the international discourse on reduction, materiality and the beauty of simplicity—far beyond fashion. »Simplicity«, as became clear in the conversation between Chapter Creative Director Dzenana Mujadzic and Jil Sander, is not an aesthetic concept based on a replicable formula, but for her it’s the result of an ever-changing creative courage and the conviction that the essential does not need to be explained—but proves itself in use.

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Series such as Succession  or The White Lotus  pick up on the cultural zeitgeist, so it was of course great to be associated with them, Niklas Oppermann emphasizes the enormous value of this organically created product presence in our interview. By »cultural zeitgeist«, he is probably referring not least to the »Quiet Luxury« trend that has shaped fashion in recent years and has been additionally fueled by the influential series formats mentioned above—a style world that probably needs no further explanation at this point. Nevertheless, one could be forgiven for thinking that this omnipresent trend is more of a belated compliment for quality brands such as Carl Friedrik,whose designs do not see restraint as a reaction, but rather as a creative starting point from the very beginning.

Carl Friedrik was founded in London in 2013—from the very beginning with a clear mission: to create products that have more in common with industrial design than with fashion. With no overbearing logos, no seasons, no exuberant design language. Instead: clear lines, restrained proportions, durable materials, the highest standards of function and quality. The initial idea for founding the brand was pragmatically motivated: a functional, aesthetically reduced laptop case that did not exist on the market.

A turning point in the company’s history was the launch of the luggage line in 2019. Since then, Carl Friedrik has evolved from an accessories provider to a modular luxury travel brand with an ever-growing reputation. The portfolio now consists of accessories, bags and suitcases – the products do not follow trends or seasons, but a design principle: high-quality materials, technical consistency, visual restraint.

In our interview, Niklas Oppermann talks about design and product development, formal coherence, strategic cooperation—and the challenge of credibly occupying a term like »tradition« as a still relatively young brand. What becomes clear: Carl Friedrik does not operate with or against the zeitgeist, but independently of it.

Chapter  You have said that your designs are timeless and classic and based more on tradition than trends. Yet Carl Friedrik itself is a relatively young brand. In this context, what does »tradition« mean to you? Is it about manufacturing methods, material longevity or cultural references?

Niklas Oppermann  I worked in an auction house as a teenager, so I’ve always appreciated older products. To us, »timeless design« means producing goods that truly last, in contrast to contemporary products that are generally of inferior quality and don’t stand the test of time. Take the leather briefcases in our Heritage Collection, which are handcrafted by skilled artisans with premium hardware and fine vachetta leather. This combination of quality materials and craftsmanship culminates in truly long-lasting bags.

Chapter  Which specific design elements, be it hardware, proportions or color palette, best manifest Carl Friedrik’s design philosophy?

Niklas Oppermann  Hardware is an interesting example as it’s often overlooked. Make no mistake, hardware is integral to the construction of a premium bag. And it’s important not only from a functional perspective. The weighty, robust feel that the user experiences encourages them to equate the bag with quality. Designing premium bags or luggage hinges on the fine details—stitching, proportions, hardware. Our approach to color is to prioritise understated, classic tones that our customers can return to time and time again. We’ll intrinsically favor a chestnut brown over a bold seasonal or trend-led color. We want our products to remain in vogue through their timeless appeal.

Chapter  The launch of your luggage line in 2019 marked a shift in the brand’s strategy. What defines your criteria when entering a new category and how do you ensure brand coherence?

Niklas Oppermann  Luggage felt like a natural evolution for the brand, as we were already catering to the on-the-go professionals at the time with our work and leisure bags. However, the focus has certainly shifted to being travel-first since debuting luggage and seeing the strong response from customers. The key questions for us were: can we continue to improve how customers get from A to B, even with longer, potentially more arduous journeys in mind? And can the new collection continue to meet our standards around product longevity? The latter point was a unique challenge because luggage naturally experiences more wear and tear.
To your second question: adopting a shared visual language is one way we ensure coherence across categories. When releasing the Hybrid Collection  in 2019, we decided all silhouettes would feature a strip of premium leather detailing, an overt nod to our existing Italian leather bags and accessories. Cross-category functionality plays its part too. We want customers to build eco-systems of travel goods. For example, most bags feature integrated luggage holders that slot seamlessly onto the handles of our hard-shell suitcases. Reinforcing the idea that our products work seamlessly together.

Chapter  In recent years, Carl Friedrik has entered into high-profile collaborations—e.g. With Hackett London and Williams Racing. What made you decide to move into collaborations at this stage of brand development and how do you ensure that each partnership complements Carl Friedrik’s core design language and brand identity?

Niklas Oppermann  Opportunities to partner with admirable brands have certainly opened up as we’ve grown in size. Collaborations offer the dual benefit of getting your product in front of new customers and reinforcing brand perception with your existing customer base. We’ve tried to collaborate with partners that mirror our philosophy or values. Hackett London, for example, shares our admiration for sartorial style calibrated to contemporary living. The team at Atlassian Williams Racing has a passion for movement and precision engineering, as do we. Ultimately, we’ve found that partners have chosen to work with us because they appreciate our understated, timeless aesthetic. Of course, there is some give and take in the design process, but there are core design principles we can’t look beyond.

Chapter  Several of your products—such as The Carry-On, prominently featured in HBO’s Succession, and the Palissy Briefcase  seen in The White Lotus—have surfaced in culturally influential television series that are often regarded as defining visual touchstones of the »Quiet Luxury« aesthetic. How intentionally do you seek such screen visibility, and to what extent do you believe such implicit storytelling influences brand perception and desirability?

Niklas Oppermann  The inclusions in Succession  and The White Lotus  came about organically, which is fantastic as it highlighted a growing brand awareness at the time. Both shows tapped into the cultural zeitgeist, so it was brilliant to be associated with them. We received strong press coverage of the back of the inclusions and were able to launch a few well-received marketing campaigns. Ultimately, we’re all shaped by what we consume. The »Quiet Luxury« movement had its moment in the sun and influenced plenty of purchasing and even lifestyle decisions. [TS]

Danish Architecturee Center — Spacecon

The new exhibition Meet Me Here at the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) is dedicated to the question of how we can consciously experience physical closeness and real encounters again in an increasingly digitalized world. It takes up this year’s festival motto Keep it real—and calls for a new appreciation of authenticity, presence and interpersonal exchange.

In a curatorial collaboration with the architecture and design studio Spacon, the DAC is transformed into a walk-in installation that invites visitors to rethink the role of space, body and attention. Across five levels, visitors can experience how architecture not only facilitates encounters, but also actively encourages them—through spontaneous conversation, casual gestures or deliberate pauses. Meet Me Here is a plea for the analog in the best sense of the word: not as a nostalgic look back, but as an enrichment for our social and sensual experience. The exhibition is on view from June 18, 2025 to January 4, 2026.

Fredericia — Nanna Ditzel — Bench for Two

Nanna Ditzel’s iconic Bench for Two, whose new edition was presented by Fredericia in collaboration with A. Petersen, also offers space for human interaction and a moment of spontaneous encounter. Originally designed in 1989, the sculptural bench impresses with its gently inclined seats, which invite quiet communication, as well as its graphic back element with concentric circles and central red markings—created directly from Ditzel’s spontaneous sketches—a tribute to Ditzel’s love of bold colors and vibrant design language.

Made from solid maple wood and fine veneer, the Bench for Two remains a prime example of Scandinavian craftsmanship. Made in Denmark, it combines technical perfection with poetic expression. It is complemented by a table that is precisely matched to its silhouette, combining both elements to create an intimate setting. Even 30 years after its premiere, the Bench for Two remains a powerful statement of contemporary design—contemporary, human and full of intention. (Also featured in Chapter XII – »Simplicity«)

BassamFellows — Floor lamp by Philip Johnson and Richard Kelly, 1953

The BassamFellows design studio which was founded in 2003 by Australian architect Craig Bassam and US creative director Scott Fellows, not only brings back the legendary floor lamp from 1953 by Philip Johnson and Richard Kelly, but also presents a free-standing glass pavilion specially designed as part of the 3daysofdesign exhibition Design / Dialogue by Ark Journal. In the spirit of Johnson’s Glass House the result is an experiential space that allows visitors to experience the interplay of light, architecture and surroundings.

The original challenge for the now iconic glass house, which has no interior walls, was to develop lighting that avoids reflections and at the same time dispenses with ceiling lights. The solution was a powerful cone of light from the floor, which is gently reflected by a conical shade, creating a warm, intimate atmosphere. The minimalist luminaire thus became the blueprint for modern lighting design—timeless and effective at the same time.

Lee Broom — Chant Portable Table Lamp

British designer Lee Broom presented his immersive exhibition From Here Now  at the historic Asia House, which was part of 3daysofdesign for the first time this year. Staged like the abandoned home of a world traveler, the exhibition conveyed a sense of discovery. Broom himself describes the exhibition as a moment of pause—a look back and a look forward at the same time.

On display were reinterpreted classics from his lighting collections of the past ten years, including the Orion in antique brass and the Crescent in blackened brass, as well as the world premiere of the Chant portable table lamp, inspired by glass bricks from the 1970s. Visitors were able to experience the new luminaire over tea and cookies in the specially set up Lee Broom Tea Room. [DM]

Chapter Talks — Design | Episode 34 | Host Timo Schmitt | Production Miri Marijanovic, Sarah Wetzlmayr, Clemens Steinmüller | Music XTMPLX – “Mind Control”

BMW: Between Immersion and Innovation

The BMW Group presented itself under the title »Vibrant Transitions« in the historic Palazzo Borromeo d’Adda and attempted to create a flowing transition between architecture and design, between space and interface. The multimedia installation with light, sound and digital projection showed themed worlds of BMW and MINI and was intended to illustrate the variety of individual design possibilities on the one hand and to stage the general radiance of the company’s own design in this phase, which is so important for the brand, on the other.

The focus was on the BMW Panoramic iDrive display and operating concept of the Neue Klasse  presented at this year’s CES (Chapter reported), the BMW X3 Designer’s Choice  specially curated for the Salone del Mobile  and the BMW CE 02 by MINI Design, whose color concept was developed by the MINI design studio for the appearance in Milan.

»Our mobility design is becoming ever more comprehensive«, emphasized Adrian van Hooydonk, Head of BMW Group Design. »Colors, materials, light, sound, geometry and digital experiences are brought together in the course of each project to create exciting and emotional customer experiences. With our ‘Vibrant Transitions’ installation, we are providing inspiring insights into this at the Salone del Mobile.«

Cupra: From automobile to aesthetic system

As a car brand with an affinity for design, it goes without saying that it is particularly important for CUPRA to make a statement at the Milan Design Week. However, this was not achieved through a loud staging, but through the claim to emphasize design as the identity-forming, cross-genre center of the brand. All of this was presented as part of the CUPRA Design House—a platform for a wide range of design disciplines, from fashion to product design.

The exhibits in Milan included 3D-printed sneakers in cooperation with Zellerfeld, parametric furniture prototypes and luggage made from recycled materials, which were developed together with the Harper Collective label. CUPRA once again underlines the fact that the brand’s design ambitions extend far beyond the automobile and that the boundaries are constantly being expanded.

Under the same name CUPRA Design House, a separate department will also be active in the future, transferring the brand’s style into new areas through creative collaborations and the exploration of innovative manufacturing technologies and materials. The CUPRA Design House  is based on the four pillars of CUPRA Collection (development of lifestyle products and accessories), CUPRA Collabs (promotion of brand and creative partnerships), CUPRA Beyond (ongoing expansion of the brand philosophy into new design disciplines) and CUPRA Accessories (detailed design solutions from interior to exterior). »CUPRA Design House  is the ultimate manifestation of our impulse to experiment, reinvent and create a legacy that is as bold as it is beautiful«, summarizes Ignasi Prieto, Chief Brand Officer of CUPRA.

Audi: Individualization as a design principle

Audi is presenting itself for the twelfth time at the Milan Design Week in 2025. This year’s focus was on Audi exclusive—the department that has stood for individualization and personalization of premium vehicles for 30 years. This anniversary was celebrated with a refined special edition of the A6 Avant, whose sports seats are finished in a classy leather combination in Baikal blue-neodymium gold with Baikal blue contrasting stitching and vanadium-look applications.

To accompany this, the so-called Material Bar  was staged to bring the diverse range of Audi exclusive  products to life—from the feel and color effect of different leather qualities to seam patterns and application variants. Thematically curated seat islands also allowed visitors to get an idea of the wide range of customization options.

Exhibitions and art installations dedicated to the topics of aerodynamics and light rounded off this year’s Audi brand presentation. Particular emphasis was placed on the second generation of digital OLED rear lights, which have not only been functionally optimized, but also set new design accents—they combine lighting design and innovative technology in an exciting way. [ED]

»I like things that change«, the Italian designer, architect, set designer and author Gaetana »Gae« Aulenti once said in an interview. She claimed this form of mobility for herself and her work – throughout her life she resisted categorization and responded to the apparent lack of a signature with the words: »Style means the repetition of an idea that is always the same.« A look back at the life’s work of the designer, who died in 2012.

»The whole world is a stage and all men and women mere players. They come on and go off again«, according to Shakespeare’s comedy »As you like it«. However, the metaphor of the world stage, which has been omnipresent ever since, not only exposes people as the owners of a multitude of roles, but also raises the question of how this stage-like world is constructed. In short: if the world is a stage, do we move through it like a huge stage set?

The stage set designed by Gae Aulenti for Ronconi’s production of the Rossini opera »Il viaggio a Reims« at the Vienna State Opera, 1988.

If you look at the work and underlying approach of Italian designer and architect Gae Aulenti, who died in 2012, you feel confirmed in this comparison. Not only because Aulenti’s extensive repertoire of roles also included that of set designer – she worked primarily with director Luca Ronconi – but also because she always saw people and buildings as two interacting parts of the same play. According to Aulenti, », the space, as a co-player or partner, should always be designed in such a way that it allows for different behaviors and does not restrict them.«1 Despite its inherently static nature, it has a mobility and creative power that is also at the heart of many stage designs.

Table Tavolo con Ruote, FontanaArte, 1980

Gare d’Orsay before its conversion into a museum

SENSITIVITY TO WHAT IS FOUND

Gae Aulenti, who as an architect and designer made tables roll (Tavolo con Ruote) and transformed train stations into museums (Gare d’Orsay), was always interested in mobility in her work. She once said: »It’s true, I’m perhaps simply against anything that seems static. I like things that change.« The urge to always remain flexible was also reflected in the fact that Aulenti never wanted to be pigeonholed stylistically. In an interview with the design platform BauNetz, the artist, who was born in Palazzolo dello Stella in 1927, answered questions about the lack of a uniform style as follows: »’I can’t work everywhere with one and the same signature. Because it is the place that dictates how something is to be designed. Style means repeating the same idea and the same details over and over again. That has never interested me.« Instead, she is convinced that you always have to start from scratch with every project.

Main gallery of the Musée d’Orsay, Paris

Main room of the Palazzo Grassi, Venice

This was probably also the case with the works that brought Gae Aulenti international fame. These include the conversion of the Gare d’Orsay in Paris into a museum. It took a whole seven years before the museum was finally opened on December 1, 1986. Aulenti was very keen to preserve the old building fabric as far as possible. Through a series of subtle, sometimes even minimal interventions, she finally transformed the 20th century station into a 21st century museum. She worked closely with the French curators to create the closest possible link between the architecture and the logic of the exhibition. »My design itself was like a big machine that we drove into the station«, she once summed it up in an interview. On a design level, it was important to her to connect the spaces in such a way that their size did not create a feeling of anxiety or overwhelm for visitors. According to Aulenti, you always have to discover the possibilities hidden in old buildings, not imitate or copy what is already there, but try your own interpretation. »You have to work against the space and still respect it.«

In 1980, the Italian designer and architect was also the first woman to win a project of this size in a competition. In an interview, she once remarked that the renovation of the Gare d’Orsay had given her more strength in this respect. »Back then, people didn’t believe that a woman could design a large project on her own.« Working as a woman in a male-dominated industry did not exactly make it easy for Gae Aulenti to live up to her own ambitions until her breakthrough in the early 1980s. »It took me many years to be able to realize big projects, but I went along quietly, without protesting and without allowing this fact to penetrate my consciousness too much. Aulenti was also only one of two women to graduate in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano in 1954.

Gae Aulenti’s redesign of the Museum of Modern Art at the Centre Georges Pompidou and the conversion of the Palazzo Grassi in Venice for museum purposes also caused a stir. Most of her architectural projects combine a careful adaptation to the built environment, but without wanting to exclude contemporary influences. Aulenti is generally associated with Neoliberty – an architectural movement that was based on the tradition of Art Nouveau – Stile Liberty – which was only very weakly developed in Italy anyway, and which attempted to distinguish itself from the modernism of the interwar period through a stronger historical orientation. In connection with her work, however, Aulenti herself spoke far less about stylistic features than about the unconditional embedding of her buildings in urban contexts. As the former Italian president Giorgio Napolitano noted, her designs were characterized by a great sensitivity for the existing.

April chair, Zanotta, 1964

ICONIC OBJECTS

As early as the 1960s, Gae Aulenti succeeded in gaining a foothold as a furniture designer and designer of industrial products. In 1962, her first commercial furniture projects were launched by the manufacturer Poltronova: the rocking chair Sgarsul, inspired by Thonet’s cantilever chair No.1, and the Stringa chair and sofa series. The iconic Locus Solus armchair from 1964 is part of a collection of garden furniture published by Poltronova. Her interest in industrial design soon led her to collaborate with the most important companies in the sector – in 1964 she created the April folding chair for Zanotta, the following year the Jumbo marble table for Knoll and in 1974 the 4794 polyurethane chair for Kartell.

Series Locus Solus, Poltronova, 1964

Her most iconic designs also include the Pipistrello lamp, which is still in production today and is probably one of Aulenti’s works most influenced by the neoliberty movement. Like her designer herself, however, the lamp does not really want to be categorized. Because the Pipistrello was originally intended for the Olivetti showroom in Paris, it had to stand out all the more from the typewriters and computers that primarily populated the room.

Pipistrello lamp – originally intended for the Olivetti showroom in Paris.

Aulenti made a name for herself as an interior designer with the design of the showrooms for the typewriter manufacturer Olivetti in Paris (1966/67) and Buenos Aires (1968). The Italian car dealer Fiat commissioned her to design the showrooms in Brussels and Zurich (1969/70).

THE LIGHTNESS OF BEING

»Stage design, design and architecture always came together for me«, said Gae Aulenti in an interview two years before her death. The extent to which this is actually the case can be seen, for example, in Aulenti’s Rossini chair made of wood and metal. Designed in 1984 for her stage set for Ronconi’s production of the Rossini opera »Journey to Reims«, the chair was later produced by Maxalto/B&B Italia. But it is not only these clearly demonstrable connections between the stage universe and reality that bring these two worlds so close together in Aulenti’s case that one can actually speak of a world stage. To summarize, it can perhaps be said that Gae Aulenti was concerned with a certain lightness in both areas – with spaces that, despite their size, do not frighten the users and with stage sets that make the players take off. Even literally, because for the »Barber of Seville« she had the singers lift into the air. »The characters fly, yes, they fly«, Ronconi put it in a nutshell.

So it’s all just a game? I don’t think you can say that either. But maybe like this: as in a theater or opera production, Gae Aulenti combines different disciplines in her overall work to create a harmonious, artistic production.

ARTICLE FIRST PUBLISHED IN CHAPTER №VIII »ELEMENTS« — SUMMER 2023

In the south of downtown Palm Springs, where the lively Palm Canyon Drive meets the majestic tranquillity of Mount San Jacinto, you will find the Royal Sun Palm Springs — a dreamy design hotel and creative melting pot of desert modernism, Japanese minimalism and subtle references to the former glamor of Hollywood.

The 66 rooms and suites follow a minimalist design: clear lines and natural materials contrast with expressive accents. Exposed concrete and warm wood tones meet patterned floor coverings and textile interiors in earthy shades. Plush lounge chairs and graphic tiles quote the aesthetics of the 1950s — without drifting into the decorative.

The heart of the hotel, however, is the outdoor area, which gives the impression of being in the middle of a movie by American director Wes Anderson. Precise symmetries and an atmospheric colour scheme between retro orange and sage green reflect both the surroundings and the historical sources of inspiration for the hotel concept, harmonizing with the cactus-heavy landscaping as a tribute to the surrounding desert. The concept and colors are always in harmony with the famously unique soft pink to golden (sunset) light of Palm Springs.

Substance over spectacle, retro charm without drifting into kitsch and Palm Springs-typical lightness instead of convulsive coolness: The Royal Sun Palm Springs  may not inspire with the highest luxury amenities, but its design concept, which plays with the exciting contrasts of its surroundings, with nostalgia and diverse styles, is a place that stands for functional luxury without attitude—a dreamy retreat with an impressive understanding of colors, materials, proportions—and especially: atmosphere. [SW]

There is something mystical about this design process. At least from the perspective of the design consumer. Given the ubiquitous presence of design in our product-filled environment, the endurance of this mystery is remarkable. After all, all consumer products without exception and most capital goods, which are often undervalued in this respect – from ballpoint pens to computer tomographs – are based on a multitude of design decisions and/or concepts. In quantitative terms, design is therefore anything but rare – which doesn’t really give it a good prerequisite for lasting exoticism and unapproachability.

One might think that it is in the designers’ interest to preserve the aura of genius and therefore incomprehensibility in their work. They would keep themselves and the results of their work free from well-founded criticism and make life easier for themselves. However, this attitude and the resulting layer of protection came at the price of a huge compromise: the discipline of design, which is already almost defenceless against encroachment and protected neither by state qualifications nor by chambers, has finally become a self-service store for amateurs and self-promoters. The relevant news channels are full of success stories of B or C-list celebrities who became designers overnight. A more astonishing metamorphosis is rare in other professions. There is a long list of professions that include jobs that we all do well or badly in our private lives. Hairdressers, drivers, window cleaners, bakers, cooks and so on. Hardly anyone who manages to spoil their guests with a successful meal claims to be classified as a professional chef. It would be seen as presumptuous––and rightly so––because it is by no means enough to simply produce something enjoyable. This threshold is even higher for safety-related professions. Laws restrict the drive of amateur surgeons or autodidacts in the cockpit of an airplane, because overconfidence becomes an acute safety problem here. This does not seem to be the case for design––at least not immediately.

Cadillac Studio, 1960

»Color Room« at General Motors, 1956

DESIGN SHOW INSTEAD OF COOKING SHOW

And just to make it clear––nobody becomes a designer overnight. Behind the amazing stories of enlightenment are professional marketing concepts and a team of experts who then do the actual work. The development of collections for outerwear, shoes, jewelry (to summarize the most common incarnation miracles) requires expertise in materials, cuts, production processes, sustainability, processing techniques, marketing, ergonomics and much more. If a person’s popularity appears to be conducive to marketing, he or she is occasionally granted one or the other, within certain limits, control and freedom of choice in order to make the design story halfway plausible. This is then staged in a visually stunning way and eloquently reported. In most cases, however, the cooperation of the new designers is limited to signing the advertising contract. None of this would work if the design process were as well-known, comprehensible and public as the cooking process. Design show instead of cooking show––why not?

ACTION FRAMEWORK AND SEQUENCES

The vagueness of the public image of these design processes is its problem and its strength. Once the input data and tasks have been formulated, creative, uncritical phases alternate with critical, analytical and selective phases. In the process, the scope of action contracts step by step and the depth of detail increases. Depending on the complexity of the product, sometimes the phases of such a process are not even clearly visible. These sequences are easy to understand in design processes that are worked on by large teams, as all protagonists need to understand the status of the work and therefore need to communicate. An example of this latter case is the automotive industry with its design studios with up to three-digit numbers of people.

Peter Schreyer with a model of the Audi TT.

Audi TT Coupé (sketch)

THREE INGREDIENTS

Three ingredients are necessary for a successful design process: Firstly, the ability to produce an unlimited number of ideas and approaches. This is where the intuitive, the »Surprising yourself« plays a role. This phase probably creates the greatest mystery. But there are techniques for this too. Secondly, the ability to make selections, to recognize good things -indispensable for anyone who leads a design team or even an entire studio. And finally, the ability to implement finished ideas and/or concepts with functional and aesthetic quality––the so-called design craft. An ingredient that is definitely no less important, as it determines the first level of perception for recipients and thus the intuitive classification of good or bad, exciting or uninteresting. Particularly in our environments overcrowded with products and information, aesthetic authentication is the first hurdle to overcome in the race for attention. And here we are again with the most pervasive of all clichés about the tasks of design: aestheticization – in the worst case, decoration.

Audi design team, archive photo

ON A SOCIAL LEVEL

Generalization or specialization––a question that is difficult to answer about the training of designers. Of course, both approaches exist in practice. What is often created in small design offices as a single task or by a single person is distributed in larger structures according to inclination or specialization. In the automotive industry, which is known for the division of labor in its development process, it is still common practice today to link designs or design responsibility for a particular design with the name of a designer. An approach that is certainly justified, as this one person usually stands for the original idea, is responsible for continuing to work on it and/or has been entrusted with orchestrating the design project. However, there are also companies in which the lead designers generally claim the rights to authorship. At first glance, this approach is not completely absurd, as designers and decision-makers are inextricably dependent on each other, as success actually depends on the congeniality of this collaboration. While designers produce design proposals in the non-critical phase, the decision-makers select these works in the critical phase and create the basis for decisions for the next work sequence of the designers. What one person does not design, the other cannot decide on, but the final shape of the design depends largely on the cascade of these decisions. This is where teamwork and in-process communication––explicitly also on a social level between the protagonists––play an important role.

Design sketch Kia, with the characteristic »Tiger Nose« developed by Peter Schreyer.

UNPREDICTABILITY OF THE GENIUS

The potential of design as an important productive force is undisputed. Internationally prominent designers such as Jonathan Ive, who is inextricably linked to the history of the Apple brand, or Peter Schreyer, former chief designer at Audi and highly revered in South Korea in particular thanks to his work for Kia/Hyundai, have significantly increased, doubled or even multiplied their companies’ profits through their work and helped their respective brands to achieve sustainable value. However, from the perspective of the entrepreneurs or CEOs responsible, these grandiose success stories harbor the danger of unpredictability and unrepeatability. It is easy to be catapulted to great heights by the design boost, but dependence on the non-evaluable outpourings of genius creates unrest in management and among shareholders at the latest when the success curve slowly begins to flatten out. In the best-case scenario, these design personalities have managed to implant their way of thinking and working into the internal system, making them resilient to their own loss––or, one could say, making themselves resilient.

Design in progress – analog and digital.

»DESIGN THINKING«

It was not least this need that gave rise to the idea of describing the structure of the supposedly promising design process, stripping it of its mystery and making it reproducible and universally applicable. In the nineties of the last century, the first academic structures emerged that took on precisely this task. The Stanford d.school is regarded as the first institution to set itself the goal of applying the framework of the design process to any other development process. The only prerequisite for the meaningfulness of the application of these processes was that one or more creative decisions were decisive for their success. The idea of »Design Thinking« was in the world and spread quickly. Surprisingly, it also became the buzz word in design education in the early 2000s, which, viewed from a distance, is tantamount to the proverbial »carrying owls to Athens«. Presenting design with its very own way of doing things in new packaging sounds like a bold marketing approach. However, applying this approach to other sectors––from the design department to the insurance company––actually led to new approaches, relevant results and, not least, exciting experiments in the social structures of the respective departments, as new team formations called old structures into question.

THE IRONY OF IT ALL

An exciting aspect of the applied systematization of the design process has recently emerged through the increasing access to artificial intelligence tools. Almost at the same time as text-based applications, their image-based counterparts have become available and have since challenged the academic and professional structures of the design industry to take a stand. Serious observations with a scientific approach and experiments on the practical applicability of AI in the design process are also already available. The dissertation by Steffen Reichert on the application of AI in the automotive design process (Steffen Reichert, COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN METHODS FOR THE DESIGN OF AUTOMOBILES; University of Stuttgart, ISBN 978-3-9819457-3-7) deserves special mention here. AI appears to be an effective means of accelerating the process, particularly for the non-critical phases of variant generation later in the project and thus after the original ideas of the design have been defined. When the disruptions that cannot be performed by AI are no longer required and the formal elaboration begins, AI can take over the hard work of the designer, who is only required to a limited extent in terms of craftsmanship, by cleverly defining »sliders« and deliver the results in seconds. And that is just the beginning of the considerations. The automotive industry, challenged by the constant demand for shorter development times, is already in the experimentation and testing phase in various areas. If the problem of confidentiality in the use of online applications can be mastered, these efforts will intensify once again.
However, there is also an irony in this approach. The design process, which is now transparent and recognizable in its structure, would be operated in phases by self-learning computer systems whose decision-making paths are not comprehensible in the specific case. Between the input values and the result lies a land that cannot be entered by the operators. A mystery.

Article first published in CHAPTER №IX »WORK IN PROGRESS« — WINTER 2023/24

Creative Direction & Production, CGI and 3D Textile Modeling, 3D Animation: PALAM / Sculptures 3D Modeling and Art Direction: Konstantin Datz / 2D Graphic Design and Motion Design: LEO IMBERT / Typography and Title Animations: PLUS MÛRS / Sound Design: Ronas Bektas / Grading: BERKAN USTALAR

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It rarely happens that a creative vein swells into a river of inspiration, but in the case of Sydney-born designer Marc Newson, one could even speak of a torrential river. He has already put his signature on a wide variety of areas—from furniture, luxury goods and technology to ship, automotive and aviation design.

An update of Newson’s first monograph from 2012, the recently published book »Marc Newson. Works 84-24« gives his work of the last 40 years a worthy setting. In collaboration with Alison Castle, the large-format, 496-page, five kilogram heavy book is dedicated to the detailed documentation of his projects—each is accompanied by visually impressive photos and a detailed text documenting the design and process.

Marc Newson studied fine arts at the University of Sydney and began his career making furniture and timepieces in a workshop in the Australian metropolis. His first designs include the Super Guppy Lamp (1987), Pod of Drawers (1987) and the Embryo Chair, the latter of which has been in production since its creation in 1988.

In his monograph, the Embryo Chair is described as an important breakthrough in terms of style, as it defined a distinctive style for the first time, which brought Newson a lot of press and recognition. »So many qualities of that chair laid down the DNA for much of what I was to do after that. It’s probably one of the most recognizable things that I’ve done and one of«, explains Newson.

At the age of 25, Newson designed the Lockheed Lounge (1988), a riveted aluminum chaise longue that has become one of the most iconic pieces of contemporary design. Little did he know—some 30 years later, it would achieve four world record prices at auction for a work by a living designer.

His other clients include well-known companies such as Louis Vuitton, Montblanc, Hermès, Nike, Dom Pérignon, Jaeger-LeCoultre and Ferrari, to name but a few.

In 2015, he designed a pen for Montblanc—the Montblanc M—which, according to Newson, should be simple, iconic, super functional, easy to use and unpretentious. According to him, Montblanc is a masculine brand that primarily appeals to men. He took this as an opportunity to introduce a refreshing, modern, gender-neutral product to their range.

The extent of Newson’s thinking and work is illustrated by the leap to his appointment as Creative Director of Australia’s national airline Qantas Airways (2005-2015). Not only is he responsible for the design of the Qantas Airport Lounges, he also took over the entire interior design of the A380 in 2008 and finally the A330 in 2014.

His comprehensive monograph »Marc Newson. Works 84-24« is a testament to his ability to think precisely and flexibly on any scale—from pen to car to airplane—and reading it suggests an inherent, never-ending well of creation that allows Newson to flow effortlessly to different shores as a designer. [DM]

Marc Newson. Works 84-24 Hardcover
29.2 x 39 cm, 5 kg, 496 pages, € 150
taschen.com

Sunbeam Alpine Series II

In the 1962 film »Dr. No«,, which marked the beginning of what is probably the most famous series of agents in film history, James Bond – then played by Sean Connery – is on the road across Jamaica in a Sunbeam Alpine Series II. The film crew rented the car from a local resident for the shoot. The striking shape of this sports car is the result of the work of the two engineers Kenneth Howes and Jeff Crompton. In 1956, the two were commissioned to design a sporty vehicle that was to ensure high sales figures, particularly in the USA. The model could have been the Ford Thunderbird .

Aston Martin DB5

The DB5 achieved fame through its appearance in the Bond film »Goldfinger« and is still regarded as the car most closely associated with the secret agent. The Aston Martin DB5 also attracted attention because it introduced the famous Bond gadgets – including the ejector seat and the retractable tire slashers.

»I did a sketch of the car, and then discussed that with [special effects supervisor] John Stears«, recalls production designer Ken Adams in an interview with BBC Top Gear. »I had a Jaguar, which was continuously being damaged by people parking badly. Having guns at the back of the Aston Martin and the over-riders becoming like boxing gloves and so on, became part of me releasing my frustrations. I’m a sports car freak myself, you see, so all the ideas for the gimmickry and gadgets were no problem. They were just my own dreams! I got rid of a lot of my inhibitions when it came to designing the Aston Martin.«

Lotus Esprit S1

It is not without good reason that Roger Moore’s angular Lotus company car is nicknamed »Wet Nellie«, as the vehicle can be transformed into a submarine if required. The Lotus Esprit can be seen in the films »The Spy Who Loved Me« (1977) and »For Your Eyes Only« (1981), whereby the vehicle in the film first shown in 1981 was a Lotus Esprit HC Turbo. The Lotus Esprit S1 Submarine version was – as you can imagine – never intended for public sale, it was a film production by engineers at Perry Oceanographic Inc. from Riviera Beach in Florida. Side note: Many years later, Elon Musk bought one of the vehicles specially converted for the film at auction for GBP 550,000.

Aston Martin V8

The 1987 film »The Living Daylights« marks James Bond’s return to Aston Martin, but this time his official car is a V8 Volante. In keeping with the tradition of Bond vehicles, this is of course not a normal one, but a specially upgraded version for the secret agent – with a laser cannon attached to the wheels, retractable skis and a rocket engine. Several variants of the V8 are used in the film, a Volante with a Vantage engine as well as a V8 Saloon, which made its debut a decade before Timothy Dalton’s incarnation of the secret agent. The vehicle was both the fastest four-seater production model of its time and Britain’s first genuine »supercar«.

BMW Z3

In »GoldenEye« (1995) with Pierce Brosnan, there is a sudden switch to BMW and with it the switch to the sporty convertible as the official company car. James Bond drove the 1.9-liter four-cylinder with 140 hp, whereby the nimble roadster was of course equipped with a few extras – including all-round radar, Stinger missiles behind the fog lights and a self-destruction system. Apart from the all-round radar, however, James Bond did not use any of the gadgets in »GoldenEye« because the German car manufacturer did not want one of the brand’s top sellers to be seen as a vehicle equipped with weapons.

BMW Z8

In »The World Is Not Enough« from 1999, 007, once again played by Pierce Brosnan, drives a BMW for the third and final time, this time a Z8. BMW only produced a total of 5,703 units of this model between March 2000 and July 2003. Pre-production models were used for the filming. The vehicle is sawn in half in the movie.

Aston Martin DBS

With »Die Another Day« (2002), James Bond returns to the British sports car manufacturer Aston Martin. What’s more, from now on it’s no longer Pierce Brosnan but Daniel Craig as a secret agent in Her Majesty’s Secret Service – in a 460 hp Aston Martin Vanquish. In »Casino Royale« they remain true to this line, but swap the Vanquish for a DBS, which is also used as the official company car in »Quantum of Solace«. The shape of the new DBS is unmistakably an Aston Martin, albeit a little stronger, wider and more muscular. From 1967 to 1972 there was already a Gran Turismo from the Aston Martin brand with the name DBS. This also appears in some Bond films.

Aston Martin DB10

Bond’s company car in »Spectre« (2015) is an Aston Martin DB10 built just for the movie. A total of ten copies were made, eight of which were used for filming and the remaining two for PR purposes. Aston Martin Design Director Marek Reichman is responsible for the design of the DB10 . »Sam Mendes wanted us to create a kind of poster car for those young people who are seeing James Bond for the first time«, says Reichman in an interview with Top Gear. »I interpreted the order to mean that Sam had a brand new DB5 in mind. The DB5 is pure, it is simple, it has a radiator grille that is so beautiful it makes you want to die. It is a scalpel, not a kitchen knife. That’s what Sam wanted Bond’s car to be, a simple, pure Aston Martin, like the original DB5 was.« [SW]

Chapter Talks | Episode 18 | Host Timo Schmitt | Production Dzenana Mujadzic, Clemens Steinmüller | Music XTMPLX – “Mind Control”

Chapter Talks | Episode 15 | Host Timo Schmitt | Production Dzenana Mujadzic and Clemens Steinmüller | Music XTMPLX – “Mind Control”