The initial idea behind Coach was born on a train, realizing that the seat and the luggage rack above the passenger describe a comfortable space within the space of the cabin. What if this "parenthesis" was stamped out of this context and brought into a different environment? This reference is still quite visible in the final product which offers a hat and luggage rack, plenty of hooks and a seat. It is made of a single beech plywood part laminated with high pressure laminate for durability. As it is possible to install the Coach coat rack as a solitary element or multiple of it in a row, it can be adapted to the needs of various sized spaces in both the domestic and public realm. As it is wall mounted the floor underneath it remains empty which creates room for shoes, but also makes it easy to clean the floor; a useful feature in the entrance at home, in hotel rooms, locker rooms or hospital rooms.

Designed for Van Esch

We designed an earlier version of the Kumpel trestle table for the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany. At the university’s brand new design campus at the World Heritage Site Zeche Zollverein, more than 500 trestles are used in classrooms, studios and workshops. There the trestles are not permanently attached to the tabletops, as flexibility of use is key for students and staff. However, the more refined Functionals version comes with the option to screw the trestles firmly to the top.

Designed for Functionals

The chair Donald was developed in the context of a graduation project at Folkwang UdK and in cooperation with the plywood company Becker Brakel. Two mutually reinforcing elements are connected by the use of industrial velcro and form a constructive and formal unit. The unusual connection reduces assembly costs, offers easy disassembly and a strong construction. Certain coloring of the elements either underlines or reduces the visual duality of the chair. As we see a chair most of the time from its back, this view got special attention in the design process. Donald is ecological and efficient to produce and compact stackable.

In collaboration with Becker Brakel.

As part of the collective milz we represented the Folkwang University of the Arts at the imm Cologne 2011. The concept of our booth was “Maschinen malen Möbel” (machines draw furniture). Every exhibit on show was drawn by a robotic arm based on human proportions. The furniture and lighting designs were photographed and a self-programmed algorithm transformed the photo into a line drawing. The visitors began to compare the drawings with the objects and examined the machines and the exhibits. The unique drawings were given away for free as flyers. The characteristic - almost human - style of the drawings emerged from the construction of the robotic arm. Two servomotors formed the hinges which made it possible to reach every point on the paper. A third motor dropped and lifted the pen. The booth was designed to serve as an area for communication and presentation. It combined the schools of photography, graphic design, interface design and industrial design in an interactive and communicative way, and won the d3 schools award for the “Best Communication Concept 2011”.

In collaboration with milz.