Author: Nora Eroes

State Prize

State Prize
trophy for the Austrian Ministry for Families and Youth

We were commissioned to design and produce the trophy for the state prize Business for Families awarded biannually by the Austrian Ministry for Families and Youth. The design is inspired by the ministry’s key visual by Sara Medea.

Cheerfully swinging children are celebrated as the central element. They symbolise family in all its forms. The sturdy yet elegant plinth stands for the structure that is needed to grow up carefree. Precise grooves are CNC-milled into the solid walnut wood in order to inlay the motifs made from laser-cut brass. A combination of classic quality and contemporary production processes.

CNC-milling by Bernhard Ranner (derprototyp)
Photos by KIM+HEEP

Schattenspiel

Schattenspiel
kinetic installation for Stilwerk Vienna

While running an experimental pop-up workshop at Stilwerk Vienna we placed traditional techniques of Far-Eastern craftsmanship like handmade paper, calligraphy and papering with rice glue into a new context. Paper also had architectural applications as it preceded glass in doors and windows. Translucency and the play with light and shadow are at the heart of spatially using paper. Properties that are also put to use in shadow theatre. The fixed frame becomes the stage for an animated story. This inspired us to build a series of kinetic prototypes. We dynamically arranged the three elements of shadow play: light – object – projection screen to create blurring and shifting effects. The publicly accessible workshop enabled visitors to experience the continuously evolving installations at first hand and to witness their production.

Prototype No.1: Shifting Shadow

Invisible edges cast shadows onto the paper from behind. It seems like paper planes lift and lower in relation to each other. Through the slowness of the movement one only realises over time that it is actually the light that moves.
Once the light is off the volume becomes frameless and abstract. A strangely functionless body. The paper itself comes to the fore.
Prototype No.2: Shutter Fade

Calligraphic motifs fade in and out.. In a hypnotic rhythm they become blurred and return in high-contrast clarity.
One visitor fittingly called this movement ‘breathing light’.
Owing to their origins as in-situ experiments both prototypes use simple elements like disco ball motors,
tension springs from the hardware store and cardboard.

Photos and videos by KIM+HEEP

Scattered Servant


Scattered Servant
trays and side table

Scattered Servant is a collaboration with Spolia. This design label aims to use creative reincarnation to put historic building materials into a contemporary context.
We broke down the original symmetry of a 130-year-old star parquet panel flooring, which we saved from demolition, and rearranged its basic modular components. This resulted in a family of three angular trays. The largest one can also be used as a side table, which rests on feet that can be easily mounted without tools. Brass joins wood to enable and emphasize the parquet’s new functions.

Photos by Spolia & Deniz Arslan

Parts Two

Parts Two
office lounge furniture for Neudoerfler

The distinct parts of this office lounge sofa series come together to form compact and comfortable contemporary furniture. Cubic at first sight, the straight slanted edges give Parts Two a dynamic feel. The unusually long legs result in a floating appearance, making sitting down and getting up easy. This is just as important as the actual sitting, especially in a professional setting where you don’t want to struggle to get up when greeted by your business partner. With Parts Two you can meet at eye level.
Available in three sizes and numerous colours of leather, the couches and armchairs are joined by matching side tables.

One for all and all for one.

Photos by Neudoerfler

Love Rocker & Love Swing

Love Rocker & Love Swing
social furniture

We were invited by mostlikely as part of a select group of architects, designers, and artists to participate in the sudden workshop Wiener Werkstadt. This collaborative workshop follows the principle of creating and using common goods, rather than putting the focus on pure profitability.

The guidelines were to only use two formats of wooden planks and a chop saw. Based on this low-tech manufacturing approach we created two pieces of furniture to have fun in public space. We designed and built a rocking bench and a porch swing with the two seats oriented towards each other, thereby encouraging the users to communicate. Both prototypes explored the tension of intimate public furniture. Placed in the courtyard just outside the working space, they were used for months after the actual workshop. Creative Commons.

This and all other contributions to the Wiener Werkstädte Collection are featured in the book mostlikely sudden workshop.

Photos by KIM+HEEP & Mark Neuner

UFOs

UFOs
family of luminaires for Lobmeyr

Lobmeyr’s famous chandeliers for the New York Met were inspired by distant galaxies at the height of the space age. The aesthetic universe of the time was heavily influenced by Hollywood B-Movies like The Flying Saucer. With the UFO series we evoke precisely this lost innocent vision of the future. We are reminded of our remaining dream: floating in space. Each ‘flying object’ has a special element that plays the lead, be it art nouveau drops or antennas citing the Met chandelier. By differently arranging glass and brass, each chandelier has its own lighting properties. Lobmeyr is linked to space travel not only by its tradition of innovation. In orbit and in Vienna every piece is unique.

Photos by KIM+HEEP, product photos by Lobmeyr & Konrad Limbeck, portrait by Kramar/Kollektiv Fischka.

Lily

Lily
tea glass and saucer for Lobmeyr

There were books written on the colour of tea. So why should we hide it? Inspired both by middle and far eastern tea cultures, this tea glass series celebrates positive globalisation. It is an extension of Josef Hoffmann’s classic Patrician series from 1917. The multilayer design focuses on Lobmeyr‘s core material: crystal glass. Simple and immediate, you feel the warmth. The shape opens up gracefully towards the top like a blossom, which also makes it pleasant to hold.

A wonderful glass to refine the moment of a joyful sip.

We knew that Lobmeyr’s thin and lead-free crystal can bear a lot of mechanical strain. But we proved during extensive tests, that it is also extremely resistant against any change of temperature. Its performance was far superior to industrially produced glass!

Video by KIM+HEEP
Photos Klaus Fritsch

Lily Mokka

Lily Mokka
coffee glass and saucer for Lobmeyr

Inspired both by middle and far eastern tea cultures, this coffee glass and saucer celebrates positive globalisation. It is an extension of Josef Hoffmann’s classic Patrician series from 1917.
The design brings into focus the core materials of the Lobmeyr DNA: crystal glass and gilded brass. Simple and immediate, you feel the warmth. The golden saucer reflects your coffee with a warm glow. The shape opens up gracefully towards the top like a blossom, which also makes it pleasant to hold.

For people who celebrate everyday life.

Photos Klaus Fritsch

Kaffeehaus

Kaffeehaus
exhibition contribution

We were invited by curator Gregor Eichinger to create a contribution to the exhibition The Shape of the Café to Come at the Museum of Applied Arts, Vienna (MAK).

The Vienna coffee house at its core is a pocket of resistance against the acceleration of our everyday lives. To celebrate that we designed a series of hyper-specialized dishes that emphasizes the unchanging nature of classic Viennese coffee house food. Its components are fixed and we believe the presentation should embrace that. With a wink, the plates time-freeze the status quo of this actually fast food and thereby ensure its cultural longevity. They actively resist all pressures of innovation and originality and transform a ritual and a menu plan into stable objects of material culture. Thus they carry over traditional food norms into the future. Even when empty you can feel the echo of their purpose.

Renderings by KIM+HEEP

Jupiter

Jupiter
jewellery series

Chlada is a manufacture specializing in high quality tin-cast accessories.

When asked to design bas-relief jewellery for them, we researched the material and learned that tin is great for high fidelity casting because of its liquidity. Also, alchemy ascribes a metal to each planet.. For its brightness our material tin is associated with the biggest: Jupiter! This inspired us to cast this fascinating celestial body and two of its moons, Europa and Callisto, into a set of necklaces and brooches.

This series was on display at the Austrian Design Explosion exhibition at the Triennale-Museum in Milano as part of the Austrian contribution to the EXPO 2015.

First photo by Klaus Fritsch
All other photos by KIM+HEEP

ComeBack Stool

ComeBack Stool

The ComeBack Stool is inspired by the typically African calabash. The calabash is one of the first cultivated plants in the world, grown not for food but as a container. It sends out a playful and positive message: ‘Never give up!’ The design emphasises the informal connotation stools have in western society. It’s like a cheeky child, always coming back at you… but without the noise. It is time to acknowledge the huge influence African culture has had on the western world. ComeBack is both a battle cry and an invitation. Western and African cultures unite in this unique piece of furniture.

The ComeBack Stool won the audience award at the Habari Stool Competition 2010.

The Tumbler Principle
A tumbler rights itself up when pushed over. The bottom of a tumbler is round, roughly a hemisphere. It has a centre of mass below
the centre of the hemisphere, so that any tilting raises the centre of mass. Depending on geometry, a heavy disc at the bottom is necessary
to guarantee the tumbler effect. When a tumbler is pushed over, it wobbles for a few moments
while it seeks the upright orientation.

Photo 1 by Nathan Murell
Photos 2 & 3 by Harald Schlossko
Rendering by KIM+HEEP

Aggregat


Aggregat
lounge furniture

This bespoke family of lounge chairs and a table takes its cues from turned machine parts and their additive nature. Inspired by metal – both raw and coated. The colour scheme is all about grey and glowing metal hues. Edges are ostentatiously chamfered, lending lightness to otherwise massive volumes. Firmly upholstered and comfortable. These confident pieces of furniture seem to like each other. An atmosphere we call friendly industrial.

Photos by Leonhard Hilzensauer

Umdasch EuroShop

Umdasch EuroShop
trade show experience

This unique showcase for Umdasch Shopfitting Group celebrates the wide range of the company’s products while maintaining a strong overall identity.

Six separate ‘stages’ highlight Umdasch’s diverse lines of products. Translucent golden curtains tie the vast showcase together and set the theme of ‘Taste & Style’. Featuring a bar, a meeting and a dining area, it offers visitors a place to rest from the hustle and bustle of the trade show.

The stand oozes self-confidence by being open to all sides, not attempting to capture the visitor by anything but quality.

Photos by Uwe Spoering

Stillfried Wien (NY)

Stillfried Wien (NY)
design shop

Stillfried Wien is a design gallery and Austria’s new cultural embassy in New York. It connects traditional European craftsmanship and 200 year old manufacturers with contemporary designers and production processes.
The interior design does not try to steal the show. It uses natural materials. The stained hardwood floor and 28 meter brick wall create a warm atmosphere. Flowing sheer curtains suggest depth, widening the narrow space. The main feature that ties everything together and bridges the gap between past and present is the custom-made suspended ceiling. Its pattern bows to the iconic Thonet bent-wood chairs with their cannage seats (Wiener Geflecht) made famous in Vienna coffee houses. This time around it is scaled up, CNC-milled, shimmering gold and guiding the gaze with its multiple vantage points.
A few pieces of bespoke sales furniture made from solid oak share a distinct cross-brace as common DNA. Large bell jars highlight and
protect especially precious pieces.
A wooden lamella wall picks up the rhythm set by the curtains and supports a glass showcase while keeping you from falling down the stairs.

Photos by Clemens Kois

Plasser & Theurer

Plasser & Theurer
office

Ventilation grilles, angular cabins, turned machine parts, metal – both raw and coated. This was the material universe and DNA that inspired our design for Plasser & Theurer. We were asked to completely rethink their reception, customer lounge and meeting facilities. The spaces now ooze a professional confidence befitting the world leader in railtrack construction and maintenance. An atmosphere we like to call friendly industrial.
One of the main features upon entering the space is a zigzagging glass wall with twisted aluminium lamellas. The lamellas are glass bead blasted and their torsion subtly forms an arch, a key element of the company’s corporate identity.
The coffee bar and lounge area takes its cues from P&T’s turned machine parts and their additive nature. We designed a bespoke family of lounge chairs and a table. The bar and reception desk are inspired by the angular front of the company’s monster machines.
The acoustic wooden ceiling mirrors the oak floor, lending a welcoming warmth to the space. Most surfaces are soft to the touch. The colour scheme is all about grey and glowing metal hues. The coppertone volume on the left houses a wardrobe and the guest bathroom.
Two meeting rooms of different sizes are separated by a movable wall that can be retracted to form one big space for board meetings and seminars. The glass wall towards the lounge and reception is soundproof double-glazed and includes doors with automatically lowering bottom seals. The atmosphere in this area is consciously more subdued and focused.
The guest bathroom has an intimate vibe. A cascade of marble lights in front of a folded full-height mirror adds depth. Structural walls are clad in low-contrast terrazzo tiles. Partitions and built-in furniture are made of glazed white birch plywood.

Metalwork by Schlosserei Feiner @gabrielfeiner.
Joinery by Tischlerei Gruber.
Photos by Leonhard Hilzensauer

Mountain Home

Mountain Home
vacation house

Originally built in the 1930‘s, this timber hut is tucked away in the eastern Alps. While retaining the main structure, we extended and remodeled it, making full use of the timber framework. Numerous incisions into the building’s skin now afford spectacular views of the surrounding mountains. By removing most interior walls, the ground floor was converted into a fine-tuned open loft. The addition of a deck running all around more than doubles the usable area on warm days. The attic was turned into two cosy bedrooms.
Larch is the material of all external surfaces as it will weather gracefully, slowly fading to grey.

Photos by KIM+HEEP

Mirror, Mirror, …

Mirror, Mirror, …
kinetic installation for Rado

“Mirror, Mirror, …” is a kinetic shop window installation for Rado and part of the Vienna Design Week 2018.

The piece is inspired by the motif of (self-)reflection. By producing a most postable selfie moment and adding distortion and fluidity it plays with the concepts of selfies, filters and grandstanding on social media. It mocks our vanity and fixation with the superficial – the surface. This shop window installation partially hides the products it is supposed to celebrate, thereby turning it into a peep show and stimulating even greater interest.

project collaborator: Daniel Kloboucnik
#wigglspiggl

Photos by Kramar/Kollektiv Fischka. @kramar_fischka
Videos by KIM+HEEP

Christmas Market on Stephansplatz

Christmas Market on Stephansplatz
hut and lighting design, corporate design

The Christmas Market on Stephansplatz is a deeply human counterpoint to the season’s darkness and cold. You meet each other, huddle together and get warm, inside and out.
The design of the market displays great respect for the history of the location. At the same time it is an antithesis to the alpine romanticism of conventional Christmas markets. The single most important source of inspiration was the Gothic style of St. Stephens’s Cathedral, it’s rose windows, pointed arches, and cross vaults. Elements of the windows were reinterpreted as snowflakes and can be found in the illumination, on the mugs, and are essential to the overall corporate identity. The architecture of the huts invokes the arches of the dome’s magnificent ceiling.

Photos by Harald Schlossko

Pho House

Pho House
Vietnamese restaurant

We re-designed the fantastic Vietnamese restaurant Nguyen’s Pho House in Vienna. The boats suspended from the ceiling are inspired by the dramatic escape of the Nguyen family from their war-torn homeland, the journey that eventually took them to Austria. They are bright and colourful just like the people that run the show!
In addition to being a key visual element the boats improve the acoustics of the space by absorbing reverberations with their wool lining. An open kitchen welcomes you as soon as you enter the space. Oak benches run along the walls, offering warmth and maximum flexibility while being compact. All the other furniture is moveable to accommodate for changing situations.
Close-ups of our acoustic flying boats suspended from the ceiling at Nguyen’s Pho House in Vienna. They are one of the main features of our design. The polygonized shape has several advantages. It consists of only three different elements, making production efficient. The angled faces with CNC-milled slots and wool felt lining catch reverberations effectively. Finally, the geometry reminds you of origami and playfully folding paper boats.

Joinery by Martin Danner.
Photos by Leonhard Hilzensauer