Reclaimed Wood Stories: Holzgeschichten

Living in Munich, Bavaria, means you are surrounded by mountains, lakes, forests. Even though this sounds more fairytale like than it is in real life, it can still get very dreamy once you leave the city and head towards the Alps. Mountains mean lots of snow in winter and avalanches from time to time. Avalanches knock over trees and the wood is doomed to rot away. You bet! Munich has some creative young minds and some wild wood lovers in the surrounding forests and they have one thing in common: they love wood and they love design.

'Holzgeschichten' literally means 'Wood Stories' and it's a young Munich-based design label that is specialized in designing and producing wooden furniture and accessories made of reclaimed wood from avalanches. The wood is sourced directly in the mountains by Axel, a wild and free soul, who is a carpenter and restorer. Johannes and Bernhard are two young architects from Munich with a strong passion for design and together with Axel they tell stories carved in wood: 'Holzgeschichten'.

Now you might think wooden furniture is not so special. However, this furniture is unique and each is a one-of-a-kind piece. Each trunk found in the rivers and on the slopes of the Alps is unique in its texture, structure and colour. Axel sources different trees and the designs are strongly influenced by the potential of the reclaimed wood. Sometimes they turn out to be a table, a desk, a kitchen countertop (a personal favorite), a stool or just a cutting board. But each has its own story.

I had the opportunity to meet Bernhard and Johannes during the recent Munich Creative Business Week and they told me all about their design label and it didn't take a long time to convince me - young design, a creative approach, natural materials and a great story to tell. How could I not share this with you?

Photography by Thomas Straub

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Herr M

Two days ago I attended the launch of a US interior design platform in Germany and we got caught up in discussing what is typical German design for the US interiors market and I heard words like sleek and puristic design, industrial design, eco-friendly design. All true, I admit. But German design can be more than that - it can also be quirky and fun. Like the puzzle side table from the German design label 'Herr M'.

But what's a puzzle side table you might ask pretty puzzled? Inspired by a children's toy the designers  Christopher Heider and Vicky Müller have designed the side table named 'Schiebepuzzle'. The front doors can slide both up and down and from side to side revealing just a little bit of the content at a time, the rest is a sort of seeking-game - for magazines and a little minibar for bottles, glasses, coasters or a deck of cards. A pretty smart side table for any home but especially for small apartments, don't you think?

But what makes this quirky side table typical German? Not only that it is rooted in functional and sleek industrial design, but it also is impeccably crafted by hand in a carpentry in Porta Westfalica in Germany. 

So I hope you are less puzzled now and appreciate this little design puzzle from Germany. Happy hump day, folks!

Photography by 'Herr M'

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Making Of: A Chair Goes Wild

One common thing of many design aficionados is a certain design chair crush. I blogged about my latest design chair crush in my blog post HERE - it was a little love story with my beloved 'Leya' chair from the German design label 'Freifrau Sitzmöbelmanufaktur'. This chair is a real charmer - edgy and soft, raw and comfy, it is sensuous, stylish, elegant and functional - all in one. It is my favorite chair to read and work and I was pretty smitten to see some 'making of' pictures of the 'Leya' chair in all kind of colours for the brand's lookbook.

Freifrau's art director Birgit Hoffmann interpreted the 'Leya' chair in soft pastel hues in a refreshing, summery way - on the waterfront the 'Leya' product family seems to be as much at home as in our apartments. This playful twist and the happy colours grasp a more cheery side of the pretty elegant 'Leya' collection. Next door to my own apartment is a very beautiful and upscale interior store and they are currently showcasing many 'Leya' chairs around a dining table in their shop window - an entirely different view but this proofs that this design chair is as individual as everyone of us.

Well, I will leave with those breezy 'making of' shots despite the pretty cold autumn weather here. But maybe it is warm and sunny where you are. And if you ever end up looking for a good chair - I warmly recommend 'Leya', you'll love her as much as I do!

Photography via 'Freifrau'

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Happy Interior Blog Recommends: Frjor

If you think I made a mistake in the headline, no worries, the cryptic name 'frjor' is correct! It's the name of a new design label from Germany by Anna Becker that has launched just now a first range of porcelain bowls in black and white patterns. And since I love to feature young designers and artists in my Wednesday column, here we go with a fresh vision from Germany.

Anna's designs are pretty playful yet cool - the black and white patterns recall Scandinavian coolness and the almost floral shapes make me think of classics from Marimekko. But what I really loved about this label is the fun, unexpected presentation of the bowl. Turned around they serve as candleholders and stacked they looks like vases. As an Urban Jungle Blogger I could also see them lined up with plants on a windowsill. But then again that's me.

In our short conversation the designer told me that she is launching her label with a first set of porcelain bowls. Reading between the lines this means that we can expect more interesting designs from 'frjor'. I'll keep an eye on it. And maybe you should too. 

Happy hump day!

Photography via 'frjor'

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Young German Design + Giveaway: Kimidori

This week was pretty exciting blog wise - on Monday I took you to Portugal, on Tuesday I shared a fab room in the USA, on Wednesday I shared a design brand from Israel with you and yesterday we took a little trip to Denmark and one of their cool interior brands. And today? Well today I'll go a bit local if you want so - let's see what the design scene in Germany has to offer. And I am happy that I not only have a creative young design label to share with you, but a giveaway too!

Germany and the Germans are known to be very environmentally conscious so it comes as no surprise that sustainable design ideas thrive in Germany. One of these young creative labels is Berlin based Kimidori. You are absolutely right if you feel like that sounds more Japanese than German - the name is Japanese indeed and means something like 'green vitality' (ki = vitality, midori = green). And Kimidori is all about sustainable design: they stand for cool and urban upcycled furniture pieces made of palettes. 

Kimidori is all about handcrafted, upcycled furniture for the urban home. It is a design philosophy that resonates with today's hipster crowds that refuse to consume for the sake of consumption and ignore the effects for our planet. It's a philosophy that goes hand in hand with a pursuit for a better life and an environmentally friendly lifestyle. 

The Kimidori team has designed a great range of coffee tables, chairs, stools, lighting and storage solutions - all made of reclaimed palettes. One of their latest pieces is the 45° stool or side table. This piece stands out with its simplicity, the reference to nature and comes in four colours (nature, white, grey, black) and it has won the 2nd place for the Green Product Award in 2013/14. The Kimidori team was so nice to offer one of their 45° stool for a giveaway to one of you, my dear readers. 

What do you have to do to enter the giveaway? Just leave a comment under this blog post and tell me where you will put your Kimidori 45° stool in your home. Specify also the colour that you wish to win and make sure to join in until July 25th, midnight CET. The giveaway is open to all readers from the European Union (sorry for all the others). The winner will be chosen randomly. Good luck everyone!

Photography via Kimidori / (c) Stefan Kühne

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Design Chair Crush: Leya By 'Freifrau'

Design chairs are something like 'hot stuff' for interior design aficionados. You know, just name dropping like Eames chair, Wishbone chair, Egg chair, the CH07 or 'Smiling chair' by Wegner - just to mention a few. Design lovers get big eyes and phrases of awe and praise cascade out of their mouths. Very normal! But as many things in life, the story has another side too. Most of those highly appraised chairs have a price tag that requires either a hereditary fortune or several years of saving - and then we've gotten to one chair! Moreover, some of those amazing chairs (not all of course) seem to lack one important feature - a comfy seating. Good for the eye, not so good for your back. Many aspects to consider!

And then I met Leya. A chair with an exotic name like a beauty from the shores of an unknown country. However, Leya is German, yup, she's literally my neighbor. Better yet: she is my new roomie!

Leya is the dulcet name of a beautiful chair from the German manufacturer 'Freifrau' and designed by Birgit Hoffmann. The design label 'Freifrau' was founded in 2012 and is specialized in the design and production of top-notch chairs. Leya is one of their flagship chairs: It is the chair of contrasts, it combines warm and cold materials, hard and soft surfaces, a masculine and feminine touch. The wired base has an industrial touch whereas the soft leather upholstery recalls a lounge feeling. Plus it comes at a very affordable price tag for a design chair. But the best is yet to come!

Visually, this chair is definitely appealing to my eye. But the moment of revelation occurs once you take a seat. So far, this is the comfiest chair I have ever sat on. It is solid yet soft, stable yet puffy. Ever since it moved in with me it has become my favorite chair to read and work. My apartment is too small for a dedicated home office, so this chairs takes the position of a home office slash reading nook. And in fact, I can't wait for the day when I move into a bigger apartment and have a proper desk. Guess which chair will be accompanying my desk then? Yup, her name is Leya. And I like her very much.

Photography by Bridgee Melling & Igor Josifovic

This blog post has been brought to you in collaboration with 'Freifrau'

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Happily Ever After: Villka Hillka

It is an open secret that I have an issue with cushion. I have too many. Even my mum told me during her last visit: enough cushions! Well, luckily she left in the meantime and I got to play along with two new cuties - two adorable, handmade felt cushions by the German design label 'Villka Hillka'.

The creative mind behind the label 'Villka Hillka' is the designer Zuzana Hillenbach whose motto is to create with lots of love handmade homewares for a wonderful home. I would put it in my words and add wonderful and happy homes. Her portfolio encompasses selected furniture, poufs, rugs, lamps, accessories, a kid's line and cushions. 

I particularly love her handmade felt cushions. They are super soft, perfectly sewn and happily coloured. I mean, look at the pompom cushion - isn't that a happy eye-catcher for every bed or sofa? The softness of the felt cushions stems from the exquisite material chosen - every felt cushion is made of 100 % merino sheep wool. 

Check out the wonderful selection of 'Villka Hillka' HERE.

 

Happy Friday, folks!

Photography by Igor Josifovic

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Happily Ever After: Young German Design

Today I would like to present you a great young German designer in the blog series 'Happily Ever After': Sascha Grewe. He is an utterly talented young man with a witty sense for design and most certainly lots of happiness in his work. He is the man behind the label entitled 'Art Can Break Your Heart'. And to be honest, his colourful 'Letter' collection is right up my alley! I also love his motto: Kitsch can make you rich, but art can break your heart.

Add a single letter stool, combine them into words, pile them up - Sascha's design seems to adamantly evoke a playful desire to style up any interior. Some of the pastel-coloured stools have an additional storage functionality and thus combine usability with a funky design.

I would absolutely go with a positive and happy combination saying 'YES' in a happy combination of blue, yellow and pink. Would you like to play with these great stools in your home? What would you do with them? I am curious, let me know!!

P.S. If you like his designs, you can simply order them directly through Sascha by dropping an email to info@artcanbreakyourheart.de.

Photography via Sascha Grewe, room picture by Julia Schenk

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Sophisticated Design: Matthias Ferwagner

Last week I talked about German design here and many of you responded very positively to it. Thus, I thought it was a good idea to highlight yet another young and aspiring German design talent: Matthias Ferwagner. Not only was he born in the city of Happy Interior Blog, in Munich, but he is also a master of sophisticated design. His ideas expel an airy lightness, a playful twist and a refined attention to little details. All this can be seen in his latest two designs: The side table 'Minimato' and the coffee tables 'Paul & Paula'.

'Minimato' is a sophisticated idea that reminds me of the simplicity and functionality of Japanese design. It consists of five wooden sticks and one tabletop. Stick them together and you have a super sleek and stylish sidetable. It is my absolute favorite and I would definitely go for one of these in my living room. 'Paul & Paula' is a smart coffee table set that strikes with reversible tabletops in black and grey and a cool red tightrope construction. Alone or together, these tables are ideal to become statement pieces in any modern home.

What do you think of these German designs?

Photography and Copyright by Nils Holger Moormann GmbH and Jäger & Jäger

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