The state of design in Germany and Europe What future is in store for design in this country? What has altered? At the “Second German Design Debate” designer Stefan Diez held a highly-acclaimed talk on the current state of design.



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Design or, at the end of the day, only business promotion? The “German Design Council” has turned 60 and is feting itself with a “Second German Design Debate” at Frankfurt’s Paulskirche.



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Going vintage ain’t enough The Design Miami trade fair, which runs parallel to Art Basel, was not very convincing. It lacked a clear curatorial thrust, exciting exhibitions and statements. And not least there was no clear position on contemporary design, although this is so sorely needed.

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Dreaming of Warsaw The mood was good, the atmosphere great: The DMY Design Festival at Berlin’s Tempelhof Airport complex showed what 500 new design talents can come up with if they try. Innovations were in short supply, however, for all the party feeling and Poland as guest country.

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Bridging a gap or a bridge to urban disaster? Hamburg thrives on its port and on occasion subordinates quality of life to the port’s needs. A new city highway is expected primarily to ease commercial traffic. First up, a design for a new bridge was highlighted. It is stunningly beautiful, but the overall project remains dubious.



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The Serpentine Cloud Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto created this year’s Serpentine Gallery Pavilion in London. Daniel von Bernstorff, Stylepark, spoke to Sophie O’Brian, Senior Exhibition Curator, about the idea behind, the choice of Fujimoto and the Pavilion as an interdisciplinary platform.



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The Truth About Comets
Art Biennale Part 2 The central exhibition at the 55th Art Biennale of Venice tries to gather the intuitive knowledge of art in a “Palazzo Enciclopedico”. Another sets out to reconstruct a legendary 1969 show.



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13 questions to Diébédo Francis Kéré Diébédo Francis Kéré’s works on the premise that building with mud and clay is not only inexpensive and sustainable; it also constitutes a unique cultural asset. Özlem Özdemir spoke to the architect from Burkina Faso about why mud’s appeal as a building material, knowledge transfer in his homeland and the responsibility to preserve one’s own culture.

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Wonderland is Everywhere
Art Biennale Part 1 The art world is changing ever more swiftly. For the most part the country pavilions at the 55th Art Biennale in Venice hardly staged much more than opinions. Yet there were a few exceptions.



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Young British Charisma Three intensive days in May on Clerkenwell Design Week are brought to a close. Catching up with a truly British interpretation of international design impulses and gaining glimpses of the thought processes that drives creative studios.



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Questions for
D. Hager &
M. Sauerbruch Sauerbruch Hutton has designed a forum for the Hager Group at its head office in Obernai, Alsace. Robert Volhard talked to Daniel Hager, CEO of the Hager Group, and architect Matthias Sauerbruch on the requirements the new building had to meet, the human resource factor and the advantages of flexible, open structures.



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Others were more radical At the moment, as part of the Van-de-Velde Year, Erfurt’s hosting an exhibition on architect and designer Peter Behrens. While there can be no doubting his status as the father of Modernism, in retrospect the one or other of his designs seems decidedly a product of its day.



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What can the city do for me?
What can I do for the city? Our cities are already bursting at the seams. We need new forms of mobility to shape life in the megacities of tomorrow. In New York experts from Audi teamed up with architects, urban planners and academics to seek answers to one of the most pressing questions of the future.



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Light up the cardboard For their 25th annual setting, the International Contemporary Furniture Fair brought environmental awareness to New York.

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A kaleidoscope of aviation Not just for aviation enthusiasts: The photo book “Swissair Souvenirs” affords readers an insight into all areas of civil aviation and at the same time makes for a new piece of photography history.

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Viva Lina! An Italian in Brazil Disappointed by political developments in her home country, after World War II Lina Bo Bardi turned her back on Italy. In Brazil, the architect followed the new social trends and took part in designing Modernism there – and to this day has taken a back seat to great colleagues such as Oscar Niemeyer.

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Questions for Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli (OMA) The new collection by Rem Kohlhaas’ OMA for Knoll International is one of the positive surprises of this years Salone. Daniel von Bernstorff spoke to Ippolito Pestellini Laparelli, head of the OMA design team, about the cooperation with Knoll, the poetry of moving marble and about the end of signature design.



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It’s not art but does that make it design? “Werner Aisslinger – Home of the Future” is currently on display in Berlin’s Haus am Waldsee, an exhibition space for contemporary art. A designer presenting his work in the art context: Can that be a good thing?



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One seam less It is often the case that quantity trumps quality nowadays and the leather industry is no exception. The new handbag label Tsatsas consciously takes a different approach. The bags it makes not only demonstrate flawless craftsmanship; they are also wowing the design world with their clear-cut forms.

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Bauhaus in Calcutta The title evokes images of gleaming white houses in some far-flung exotic land filled with elegant tubular steel furniture. The first Bauhaus exhibition was certainly quite different in terms of appearance.



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The Bilbao defect Even those members of the general public who only rarely go to exhibitions or attend concerts know the cultural temples erected by the likes of Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid – from the TV or magazines. Spectacular museums and concert halls have long since become a city marketing tool. An exhibition in Berlin takes a closer look.



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In two places at the same time One of architecture’s many functions is to create places and spaces. But how is architecture supposed to fulfill such a charge when we live in a world in which we constantly experience the feeling that we are in two places at the same time?




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Twelve lightweight pieces for your balcony A little bit of happiness just outside the door: seating furniture, light, delicate, flexible and anything but clunky.

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Twelve dreams under the big blue sky Lounging and dreaming in the big outdoors, preferably on huge sofas and comfy daybeds, into which we lightly sink and forget the everyday rat race.

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Twelve urban garden tools Today amateur gardeners are referred to as urban gardeners. The new generation of urban nature lovers has no need for simple flower pots; multifunctional is the name of the game!

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Twelve adult playgrounds Crawling into hanging birds’ nests, taking refuge in airy tipis and hiding in modern wooden constructions: Kids aren’t the only ones allowed to play outdoors.

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Our environment is designed, but our gardens are cultivated A little backyard, a terrace, a balcony – all of these have some kind of connection to mythical garden worlds, even to paradise itself. After all, those who cultivate a garden do more than simply design an environment

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Twelve outdoor classics Stylish and fit for any activity: Outdoor classics for sitting, lounging or just looking pretty. Attractive, cool and simply indispensable.

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18 million coins for the Underground In 2012, Edward Barber uand Jay Osgerby caused quite a stir with their design for the Olympic torch. This year the two architects are placing a renewed emphasis on furniture design. Uta Abendroth met with one half of the duo, Jay Osgerby, in Milan, where their sofas, tables and stool premiered at Knoll.

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Colour Attack! Loud colors, pastel hues and any amount of highlights. New, unusual color designs for tables, chairs and sofas really stimulated the eye in Milan. Following fashion’s suit. The best example is Vitra with a new color concept for its classics. From occasional contrasts to complete color harmony – the trend is definitely for interiors to become more colorful. And a good thing, too.

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Warning: Furniture subject to mood swings From parasitic furniture design to depressing lighting, to poetic wall projections. The young generation of designers at SaloneSatellite turned out to be both fresh and experimental in their approach. And in the competition to be crowned the best young designer at SaloneSatallite it was Portuguese designer Tania da Cruz who came out on top with her range of sustainable cork products.

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Life is too short for jetlag Jean-Marie Massaud lives and works according to the motto “Design is nothing, life is everything.” Uta Abendroth spoke to the Frenchman about his “Lightwing” design for Foscarini, the quality of light, the right way to grow and life outside of work.



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Pleasing an entire island Hamburg is building 6'000 new homes each year. The city is upping its density. And now it is presenting exemplary urban development in the form of the international building exhibition “IBA Hamburg”. Or not?

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Teeth on a string and a Matterhörnli in a box A Swiss army knife with the head of a bearded man hidden somewhere among the blades and tools but that despite its multitude of capabilities can’t do what Peter Sauer does, namely, carve. It is joined by a Matterhörnli chocolate in a box, Jochen Rindt’s ruined Ferrari in a nutshell – and a Swiss passport as a catalog, which provides a coveted insight into Sauerer’s “Miniversium”.

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The path is the goal This year’s Ventura Lambrate was part of the FuoriSalone for the fourth time. The meeting point for next-generation design, experiments and ambitious individual exhibitors had a real feel of work in progress about it. Development and manufacturing processes played a major role.

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Curtain raised in Weil am Rhein The Vitra Campus gleams resplendent with a new building designed by masters of the trade: the production hall for Vitrashop by Japanese architectural duo SANAA. A classy contribution to contemporary industrial culture and not least a paramount example of formally perfected weightlessness.

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