Fritz Haller against Egon Eiermann.

While ahead of the 2010 (smow) designer furniture world cup final many bemoaned the decision of both Switzerland and Germany to  play safe with their more technical formations;  the match itself was one for connoisseurs.

Certainly  a Nils Holger Moormann for Germany or a Susi and Ueli Berger for Switzerland could have brought a little more imagination and colour to the match.  But what the two old masters lacked in flamboyancy they more than compensated for with technical brilliance and confident construction.

Egon Eiermann opened gently with his classic deskframe before quickly doubling up with his deceptively subtle shelving unit. Sensing the “office furniture” direction the match was taking Fritz Haller reached deep and produced a “Komplex integriertes Tisch-Organisations-System”. His KITOS Table being such a departure from his normal USM Haller system that it caused Eiermann to briefly stumble, the Brandenburger regaining his composition in time however to take a 1-0 lead with a beautifully worked SE 18 für Wilde + Spieth.

Spurned on by Eiermann’s SE 18 Fritz Haller responded with a quickfire roll container / Haller table combination before drawing level with a well placed Haller table flat screen swing arm.

The longer the match went on the more Fritz Haller’s stable USM Haller system seemed to control the match; however Egon Eiermann refused to give in and late in the second half  attempted a delightful  SE 68 /E 14 Rattan stool double. Neither of which could quite match the versatility of Haller’s USM system and with match heading for extra time Fritz Haller slide in a perfectly executed metal extension shelf for the victory.

And to take the (smow) designer furniture world cup back to Switzerland for the first time.

(smow)2010 Overview

The Swiss fans celebrate Fritz Haller's victory over Egon Eiermann

The second semi-final of the 2010 (smow) designer furniture World Cup was for many design critics the most interesting match of the competition Charles and Ray Eames against Egon Eiermann.

Not only because of the international stature of the two design teams; nor because of the important role that both played in the development of industrial and furniture design in their home nations. The critical interest was much more if - and when yes to what extent - Egon Eiermann’s approach would mirror that of Charles and Ray Eames.

And the opening exchange was to provide for ample controversy.

Charles and Ray Eames opened with their standard DCW plywood chair: a move which provoked an almost instantaneous  response from Egon Eiermann in the form of an SE 42. Referee  Arthur Mehlstäubler rejecting appeals for a penalty on the basis that the the formal vocabulary available for designing such a plywood chair is limited: so ball to hand and as such no penalty. A decision that was not universally accepted amongst the capacity crowd in Durban.

Undeterred Charles and Ray Eames produced  quick fire DSR and DSW sidechairs before taking a deserved 1:0 lead with one of their trademark “Eames Elephants“.

The Eames Elephant however seemed only to spur Egon Eiermann to increase his efforts and, after a little experimentation, Eiermann was able to draw level with his Rattan Chair. Shortly afterwards he moved into a 2:1 lead with his deceptively robust Eiermann deskframe.

And despite some intensive aluminium chair work from Charles and Ray Eames, Egon Eiermann held on for a  2:1 victory.

(smow)2010 Overview

Strahlend Grau Herbert Hirche Exhibition, Museum der Dinge Berlin

Because our article on the new London bus has been delayed by a broken water main at Tooting Bec, we’ve decided instead to do an impression of a typical London bus user.

“Typical, wait ages and then two come along at once! I blame Ken Livingstone!”

Ahead of the opening of the Dieter Rams retrospective “Less and More: Das design ethos von Dieter Rams“,  yesterday saw the opening of a second exhibition dedicated to the life and work of a former Braun designer.

The Werkbund Archive Berlin’s Herbert Hirche exhibition “Strahlend Grau” is a beautifully compact overview of a designer who, despite his relative anonymity, is equally as important as Dieter Rams, Egon Eiermann or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe: just three of the grand doyens of German design with whom Herbert Hirche collaborated.

Strahlend Grau: Herbert Hirche on the roof of Bauhaus Dessau, 1932

And a fitting event to celebrate Herbert Hirche’s 100th birthday.

Born in Görlitz on May 20 1910, Herbert Hirche studied at Bauhaus in Dessau and Berlin. Following the closing of the institution in 1933 Hirche joined the office of his former professor, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, remaining in his service until Mies van der Rohe fled to the USA in 1938. After a year freelancing, Herbert Hirche joined Egon Eiermann’s Büro where he remained until Eiermann left Berlin in 1945 ahead of the advancing Red Army.

To lose one employer to a totalitarian regime is unfortunate; two starts to begin to look like a curse.

In the post-war years Herbert Hirche was closely involved with the rebuilding of Berlin in addition to teaching; initially at the Hochschule für angewandte Kunst in Berlin-Weißensee and subsequently at the staatliche Akademie für bildende Künste Stuttgart, where he also served as rector between 1969 and 1971.

Curated by Nicola von Albrecht, Strahlend Grau presents a chronological journey through Herbert Hirche’s life, wonderfully illustrated with original letters, documents and photographs. One of the highlights for us being a letter from Egon Eiermann confirming that Hirche could take up a position in his office: little things like that really bringing the otherwise abstract concept that is someone else’s life to well … life.

Strahlend Grau Herbert Hirche's contribution for the exhibition Interbau Berlin, 1957

And Strahlend Grau is full of such moments.

What it is not full of however is furniture.

Largely because much of Herbert Hirche’s work never proceeded beyond the prototype stage, and consequently his legacy is largely only on paper.

The exhibition does however include four Herbert Hirche items from the current Richard Lampert collection; the Hirche Barwagon, 1953 Lounge Chair, H57 armchair and Rattan chair “Santa Lucia”.

As far as we are aware these are the only examples of his work currently in production; and that despite Herbert Hirche working for producers as varied as Knoll, Wilkhahn or Wilde + Spieth.

Rattan chair Santa Lucia by Herbert Hirche through Richard Lampert

Richard Lampert himself was also present and he told us how he came to Herbert Hirche; and fortuitously it was not through long research in a stuffy archive while looking for commercial opportunities in forgotten designs.

No, Richard Lampet’s introduction to Herbert Hirche was during a long evening in the convivial and non-stuffy surroundings of Stuttgart’s legendary Santa Lucia restaurant; a restaurant for whom Hirche not once but twice conceived the interior design and for whom he created the Rattan chair.

Having been initially sceptical about the chair, Richard Lampert was so impressed with it that he returned the following day to ask where it came from.

And so began a wonderful relationship, whose latest chapter was the awarding of the “Classic Innovation” Award at the 2010 IMM Cologne for the relaunched H57 armchair.

Such stories always cheer us up as they prove that good, honest design will always succeed over hype, star names and large marketing budgets. And that gives us hope for the future.

Herbert Hirche: Strahlend Grau

Strahlend Grau is not an expansive exhibition, nor is it an exhibition that can be passively viewed. A visit to Strahlend Grau means actively searching for and considering the presented information. But the effort is worth it and there are some true gems to be found.

And more importantly it is a wonderful introduction to a designer who deserves more credit than he publicly gets and for all to an era of German design that has much more to offer and was much more instrumental in shaping European industrial design than many people are prepared to accept.

Strahlend Grau runs at the Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Dinge until September 13th.

Werkbundarchiv – Museum der Ding
Oranienstraße 25
D-10999 Berlin

Opening time: Fr, Sa, So, Mo 12 - 19 Uhr

www.museumderdinge.de

Strahlend Grau: Herbert Hirche's 1953 lounge chair from Richard Lampert

For people who spend most of their working lives sat at desks, publishers and authors have a frightening disregard for comfort when it comes to chairs.

Or at least they do if the furniture we saw at the 2010 Leipzig Buchmesse was a measure of the industry norm.

Cheap folding chairs, cheap copies of designer furniture classics being presented as originals and general cheap tat as far as the eye could see.

Fortunately one or two of the exhibitors seemed better informed. Below a few snapshots of some of the happier moments of the 2010 Leipzig Buchmesse from a designer furniture perspective:

French/German culture channel ARTE with Swan Chairs by Arne Jacobsen from Fritz Hansen

French/German culture channel ARTE with Swan Chairs by Arne Jacobsen from Fritz Hansen

German news channel Phoneix with Tom Vacs by Ron Arad for Vitra

German news channel Phoneix with Tom Vacs by Ron Arad for Vitra

MDR with LEM by Shin and Tomoko Azumi for lapalma

MDR with LEM by Shin and Tomoko Azumi for lapalma

Reclam Verlag with a USM Haller reception desk.

Reclam Verlag with USM Haller

Reclam Verlag with a USM Haller reception desk

Fachhochschule Potsdam with a tribute to fellow Brandenburger Egon Eiermann. Eiermann table frames from Richard Lampert and SE 68 chairs from Wilde + Spieth.

Fachhochschule Potsdam with a tribute to fellow Brandenburger Egon Eiermann

SE 68 chairs from Wilde + Spieth

And perhaps most impressive of all the students of Bauhaus University Weimar who had, in our eyes, a stand as dedicated to Block by Frank Gehry from Vitra.

Block by Frank Gehry from Vitra

Bauhaus University Weimar

We can only the hope the situation improves for the Leipzig Buchmesse 2011.

But please, with better quality furniture

Trolley RW 103 from Muller Mobelfabrikation

As you know we here at smow(blog) aren’t fans of complicated designer furniture.

Really aren’t.

Less is more - so the grand theologian of post-war European design Dieter Rams - and let form follow function.

That’s us.

A side table or bedside unit need, normally, do nothing more than support a cup, glass or magazine.

Now you could add numerous extras to your table or you could - as with Müller Möbelfabrikation - bend some steel into the shape you want.

In 1926 Mart Stam bent some steel and got a chair.

In 1953 Egon Eiermann welded some steel and got a table frame.

Muller Mobelfabrikation - hand-crafted steel furniture

And today Müller Möbelfabrikation bend steel and produce wonderfully, elegant and practical tables and units.

Available in a fantastic range of colours, the mobile range from Müller Möbelfabrikation is produced in Germany from 3mm thick steel plate, come with lockable castors and are sturdy enough to be used a seat.
Should the need arise.

Full details can be found at the (smow) Müller Möbelfabrikation page.

Weil am Rhein Rathaus

When we were still young, fit and healthy, towns and cities existed.

Just existed.

These days in order to exist a city needs to be the city of something.
And so  as one drives along a German motorway, every ten metres or so comes a large brown sign announcing the next conurbation as “Chemnitz - City of the Modernity”, “Pied Piper City Hameln” or “Prien am Chiemsee - City of the criminally lazy taxi drivers”.

Not wanting to be the outsider in this age of claims making, Weil am Rhein has decided to call itself “Weil am Rhein - City of Chairs”

And what could be more appropriate for a city that uses an image of the Vitra Design Museum to illustrate the “Economy and Tourism” section of their homepage and which welcomes 100,000 tourists a year to the Vitra Campus in the Charles Eames Strasse.

And it’s certainly a lot catchier than “Weil am Rhein - City of the huge goods train station”

There’s just two things that bother us.

Trifling, small,  things, but you know us….

Apple Honey by Shiro Kuramata in Weil am Rhein

In front of the modernistic and inspirational “Rheincenter” stands a huge statue of a chair.

A chair that isn’t, wasn’t and never will be produced by Vitra. Rather by Dutch producer USM Pastoe.(Obviously not to confused with Swiss producer USM Haller)

Apple Honey by Shiro Kuramata is a wonderful chair.

Shiro Kuramata did partake in the very first Vitra Editions, alongside the likes of Frank Gehry and Ron Arad.

Vitra even produced Shiro Kuramata’s equally delightful “How High The Moon” chair.

But not Apple Honey.

Much more confusing is the image painted onto the side of one of the four tower blocks that “tower” over the Vitra Campus and the new VitraHaus.

Next to the text “City of Chairs” is a picture of a chair.

A most curious, three leggeed, chair.

Weil am Rhein City of chairs ... but which chairs

Our initial reaction was that it was a DCM by Charles and Ray Eames. And very fitting we found that too given the close ties between the the Eames’, Vitra and Weil am Rhein.

Except the DCM is of course a four legged chair.

And try as we might we simply cannot think of a single three legged chair that Vitra produce.

Our next guess was that it was an “Ant Chair” by Arne Jacobsen…also an excellent representative of 20th century chair design. But in the Ant Chair the seat and the back are formed from one piece of wood. And the single leg is at the front.

Then we really thought we had it: SE 69 by Egon Eiermann. But no the SE 69 also has the single leg at the front.

Egon Eiermann’s SE 42 does have the single leg at the back, but is made of wood.

Indeed the longer we stood in the middle of Römerstrasse, holding up the traffic and irritating the good folks of Weil am Rhein, the more we struggled to think of a three-legged chair which has a steel tube single back leg.

Principally on account of the instability factor.

Only once we were back in Leipzig could we track it down, thanks to the MoMA New York archive.

Charles Eames Three legged side chair from 1944 (photo via http://www.moma.org/)

Three-Legged Side Chair by Charles Eames for the Evans Products Co from 1944.

A chair which may or not have been taken on by Hermann Miller when they acquired the Eames rights from Evans in 1946. And so which may or may not be part of those Charles and Ray Eames products to which Vitra the European production rights posses.

Which is a long way of saying, Weil am Rhein appears to celebrate it’s “City of Chairs” status with two chairs which have nothing to do with it’s status as one of the most important centres of contemporary European designer furniture production.

Visitors to the new VitraHaus can ponder this paradox from the fourth floor window.

Or simply enjoy the wonderful view over the Vitra Design Museum and the orchard meadow.

In what is quite possibly the most eagerly anticipated announcement of 2010, Apple Supremo Steve Jobs will unveil the companies latest product in San Francisco on Wednesday.

Is this the iSlate?

Rumoured the be called iSlate, or possibly iPad or iTablet, the product is expected to combine the functionality of the iPhone with that of the iMac in a flat, transportable, keyboardless computer; thus allowing the user to write, draw and calculate anywhere.

In effect a chalkboard for the 21st century.

Hence the name.

What may surprise many of you, however, is that not only is the history of the chalkboard itself Germanic, but also Apple’s approach to design has it’s roots in Germany; and indeed even Apple’s nomenclature system is based on historical German syntax.

The iSlate is, therefore, German.

The centre of the global chalkboard industry was Steinach in Thuringen. From this idyll of forest and streams some 30 million chalkboards were produced and shipped to all corners of the globe, before production finally ended in 1968. The towns “Chalkboard Museum” provides a wonderful overview of the history of chalkboard production in the area and is well worth a visit next time you are on the Rennsteig. According to the operators, the decision as to whether the iSlate will feature in the exhibition will be made after Steve Job’s official unveiling.

And confirmation that it is called iSlate.

The classic Eiermann Desk by Egon Eiermann from Richard Lampert

But long before Jonathan iVes started reinventing the way we think about products, the Germans were already doing just that.

The iRmann desk by Egon Eiermann is perhaps the best example of just where the Apple approach to product design originates from.

Just as Jonathen iVes strips products down to the bare minimum before relaunching them in a pseudo-post-Dieter Rams format; so Egon Eiermann stripped desk design down to just the frame before relaunching it in a pseudo-pre-Dieter Rams format.

The name “iRmann” originates from a popular anglo-frisian construction whereby the phonetic “i” was treated as inferior in written forms and so the second letter was written as a capital. The lower case i remaining for sake of clarity alone. Popular in Egon Eiermann’s native Brandenburg and neighbouring Berlin, this practice died out as ingvaeonic languages finally ceded to modern German in the 1980s.

It is generally accepted by academics that Apple’s use of the lower case”i” in front of words such as iPod or iPhone has similar origins and is associated with Steve Job’s Frisian ancestry.

Today the iRmann desk is produced by Richard Lampert; albeit under the name Eiermann Desk

And today both Apple products and iRmann desks are used globally by architects, designers and other creative people.

Which can’t be a coincidence.

The iRmann desk is wonderfully complemented by George Nelson’s iClock from Vitra.

The name iClock is a cheap pun we thought up to fit the article into this post.

But we do like it.

You can read full details on the iSlate here, once Apple have made the formal announcement in San Francisco

iSlate and iRmann desk with a panton chair... is this the future of creative office design?

Richard Lampert promised a celebration of Herbert Hirche’s 100th birthday here in Cologne; and in the end could “present” the late Prof. Hirche with an award for “Classic Innovation” in the 2010 Interior Innovation Awards.

Interior Innovation Award 2010 presented to Richard Lampert

The jury, featuring amongst others the Milan based British designer James Irvine and the London based Japanese designer Tomoko Azumi,  selected Hirche’s 1957 “GFK Schalensessel für die Interbau Berlin” ( a fibre glass armchair Hirche created for the 1957 “Interbau” exhibition in Berlin) as one of the best examples of classic innovation here at the IMM.

Not that the chair is in anyway a bare fibre glass creation a la the Eames A-shell.

Hirche’s chair originally came with a lush green valour, and it is true to this version that Richard Lampert have re-introduced the piece. In addition the GFK Armchair is available with anthracite valour or leather upholstery. A version with a “bare” back is also in development.

Herbert Hirche Lounge Chair

With the obvious nods to the likes of Charles Eames, Finn Juhl or any other of Hirche’s contemporaries the GFK armchair is obviously a piece from a specific time in design history; but just like the best designer furniture it remains a piece that has it’s place in an time or space.

We remain undiluted fans of Hirche’s 1953 Lounge Chair, but in the GFK Armchair see further verification of Herbert Hirche’s role and importance in the context of German design.

Egon Eiermann Paravent

In addition to celebrating Herbert Hirche, Richard Lampert also presented some new products from their Egon Eiermann range; including Eiermann’s 1968 room divider - that once elegantly screened the seating areas in the Bundestag in Bonn - and some upholstery for the E 10 rattan chair.

Ours are covered in vegan sheep skins - as you’d expect - but we do know a few people who would appreciate a properly crafted cushion for their E 10. And so good to see Richard Lampert offering the option.

And congratulations on the award.

Herbert Hirche GFK Schalensessel fur die Interbau Berlin ... and the master can relax

Herbert Hirche

Our preparations for the 2010 IMM in Cologne are advancing apace and one particular highlight looks like being the Richard Lampert stand which will be celebrating the 100th birthday of Herbert Hirche.

Born in Görlitz Hirche is in many ways the “forgotten” Bauhaus student; and that despite his considerable contribution to post-war architecture and design in Germany.

After completing his carpentry apprenticeship Hirche enrolled in Bauhaus Dessau in 1930 and moved with the school to Berlin 1932 where he remained a student until Bauhaus closed in 1933. Among his lecturers at Bauhaus were Wassily Kandinsky und Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, in whose office Hirche worked after the closure of Bauhaus until 1938. In 1939 Hirche took up a position with Egon Eiermann, with whom he remained until Eiermann departed for western Germany in the final weeks of the Second World War. Hirche himself remained in Berlin and played a key role in the rebuilding of the city as Principle Officer in the Housing Department.

In 1948 Hirche started a second career direction when he joined the teaching staff at the newly established Hochschule für Angewandte Kunst in Berlin Weißensee. In 1950, partly for political reasons, Hirche moved to Stuttgart where, in addition to his own design work, he also took up the position as Professor for Interior and Furniture Design at the Akademie für bildende Künst, where he also served as rector from 1969-71.

Hirche "deep lounger" from Richard Lampert

Among Hirche’s most important furniture designs are his 457 Sessel for Wilkhahn, his Teewagen for Holzäpfel and his “deep lounger” from 1953 which never entered series production during Hirche’s lifetime, but has been produced by Richard Lampert since 2000.

For 2010 Lampert are expanding their range with two further Hirche products.

We’re excited. You should be too.

In addition to Hirche, the Lampert stand in Cologne will also feature new products from Hirche’s contemprorary Egon Eiermann, including new table tops for the Eiermann table frame and new cushions for the Eiermann E 10 Rattan Chair.

Your (smow)blog will of course bring you reviews, opinions and photos from products old and new.

Egon Eiermann E 10 Rattan Chair from Richard Lampert

As traditional as roasted chestnuts and corked sherry, gift recommendations are what make Christmas for us.

This year, however, we start with a friendly warning.

The lead times for many of our suppliers are creeping upwards - and although we have a well stocked and bountiful warehouse; should you want to order something extra special as a gift for a loved one, and we have to order it - it’s getting tight.

The “traffic light system” in the (smow)shop provides an instant guide to availability; should you however have any queries please contact the (smow) customer service centre in advance of ordering. There a team of highly trained advisers can provide detailed information on availability and delivery times.
Unless they’ve found the Glühwein!

Below we present a selection of suggested festive gifts. Just heed our words, and order early ….

Liesmichl by Nils Holger Moormann for Moormann

Liesmichl by Nils Holger Moormann for Moormann

Nils Holger Moormann’s Liesmichl is not only the ideal side table for all Bibliophiles it is also the perfect gift for all Bibliophiles. With storage space for books, an ingenious holder to ensure you don’t lose your page and a handy shelf for mince pies and sherry, Liesmichl offers everything you need to ensure a relaxed and stress-free reading experience.

Classic Trays from Vitra

Classic Trays from Vitra

That little something different for all fans of 1960s graphic art. The Vitra Design Museum have produced a wonderful range of plastic trays featuring classic designs by Alexander Girard, George Nelson and Charles & Ray Eames. From bold geometric forms over abstract an onto modernistic folk art there is something for everyone in this beautiful collection.

Rabbit Lamp from moooi

Rabbit Lamp by Front for moooi

For all those who don’t have room for the absurdly fantastic Horse Lamp - or who suffer from Equinophobia - Front’s Rabbit Lamp is more than a touch of leporidaen charm for your home or office; it’s also a warming and atmospheric lamp perfect for desk, side-table or bedside table.

Cobb Grill

Cobb Grill

Summer may be gone - but it’ll come again. And in any case with Cobb Grill you don’t need sun, wasps and the great outdoors to barbecue - the patented design of the Cobb Grill means it can be safely and smoke free used indoors. Barbecue Goose… lovely stuff

E 14 Rattan Stool by Egon Eiermann from Lampert

Rattan Stool E 14 by Egon Eiermann from Lampert

For that colonial, South Sea Island feel you can’t beat Rattan furniture. And nothing says W. Somerset Maugham more than Egon Eiermann’s 1950s designs. At 42 cm high and with its concave top the E 14 is perfect as an occasional stool or as an unoccasional side table