In the meantime, the designers presented in Cologne as young creatives have become prominent figures on the interiors scene and are known all over the world. “It goes without saying that I’m thrilled to be part of it again,” says Sebastian Herkner, one of Germany’s most internationally successful designers. “And more than anything else, it’s great to do the project in cooperation with other design studios. That’s a good idea in general at a time like this, when you’re travelling less and not getting together with others so much, but still able to use virtual channels for an intense exchange of ideas with people you’re in touch with because you’ve been meeting them at trade fairs for years and got to know them.” At his studio in Offenbach, Herkner creates designs for clients like Dedon, Gloster, Ames, Pulpo and Schramm.
Kate Booy from Australia, who runs Studio Truly Truly together with her husband Joel Booy, was also happy to accept the imm cologne’s invitation: “Once again, it’s really exciting to be involved in Das Haus. Being in an imaginary situation gives us the freedom to explore extreme ideas.” The husband-and-wife team, who trained as graphic and product designers and are now based in Rotterdam, take a holistic approach that also incorporates artistic impetus. The brands they design for include Leolux, Tacchini, Dexter Lighting and Rakumba.
The third creative force is Luca Nichetto, who today works from two locations – Venice and Stockholm – for brands like Rolf Benz, Sancal, Kristalia, &tradition, La Manufacture, Bernhardt Design, Foscarin or Wittmann. Looking back, the designer sees his “Haus” from 2013 as “a concept that can be a real house – not just an inspirational space, but a statement of that moment that can be realised if desired. The focus was on using greenery and plants to design a healthy space and home,” says the Venetian. “For 2020, we’re looking forward to doing something much more radical and provocative. We’re working on a concept with dual layers of meaning: one related to the message we want to give and another to elements that might be relevant for this new era of living and working at home.”
Creative Director Dick Spierenburg isn’t just anticipating insights in the form of groundbreaking concepts and original interior designs for the design project that he’s been curating for the last 10 years: “It will also be intriguing to see to what extent Das Apartment HAUS reveals the personal development of the designers, whose distinctive works we remember so well from previous years.”