15
Architecture, art and design –
when Kirsten started working at
the Walther König bookstore
in 1992, she found everything that
she was interested in collected in
one place. She was amazed at
how many subjects were to be found
on the shelves.
One book in particular captivated
her: Thomas Heyden's “Die Bauhaus
Lampe”, which was hot off the press.
“I couldn't believe it was possible
to write an entire book about a
single lamp!” She tells us today,
laughing. It was an epiphany, in a
double sense. “Content is expressed
through materials and proportions
and translated in the function. After
reading it I suddenly understood
what design actually achieves.”
Here in the form of Wilhelm
Wagenfeld's lamp. “It communicates
the attitude toward electricity at the
time, a new attainment that had
not been an aspect of people's daily
lives for very long at the time it was
designed at the start of the 1920s.
The visible cable is a tell-tale sign of
this new world.”
Kirsten was captivated by this
discovery. She asked for a Bauhaus
lamp for her wedding – and since
then it has a permanent spot in the
living room. It isn’t just a light
source like many others, it is a
meaningful design. The Wagenfeld
lamp lights up, but does not dazzle,
and the warm light accentuates
its timelessly beautiful shape,
“Unlike my two selective light-
emitting work lamps, it emits light in
all directions in a proud and
confident manner.” The light from
the Bauhaus lamp does not produce
concentrated cosiness, instead
it provides embracing lighting to the
room: “All the space around it is
illuminated when it is switched on.”
Light plays an important role in
Kirsten’s life. “Coming home and
switching on the light signifies
comfort and warmth. Brightness
contributes to well-being – whether
it is sunlight or electrically powered
lights.”
“What surrounds me is of essential
importance to me.”
Design is as important as light in
your home. Kirsten lives between an
Eiermann table and task chair, the
Eames rocking chair, the Marcel
Breuer table stool, as well as various
MAGAZINE drafts. But not to
create a false impression: “For me,
design does have limits. Nothing is
decorated here, instead everything
is used. If I had the Marianne Brandt
teapot, it would be on the table
with tea stains and not gathering
dust in a glass display to be looked
at as a collector’s item.” The
apartment is not a museum, it is a
space that is lived in:
“Socks should just be allowed to lie
around on the floor sometimes.
You have to be able to breathe.”
For the German Language
Specialist, its all about language
and content. “It’s the same when it
comes to design.” In addition to
furniture and books, for her it is
primarily pictures that belong in a
home. “I am always the happiest
when I come home.” Back then she
had found art posters in the
bookstore's storage – one of them
still hangs in the bedroom to this
day: “Learn to read Art” by
Lawrence Weiner. “I've loved it since
then.” Kirsten gets her affinity for
design from her parents’ house.
“I grew up between 1960's furniture
that has become trendy again today.
When the
70's began, my mother promptly
said goodbye to that style: she
brought the couch and armchair to
the upholsterer to have it covered
with brown corduroy, and the
kitchen was completely redone in
orange. Our kitchen chairs that were
just introduced to the market in
1969, have since become design
classics.” Their daughter does the
same. She makes good things last.
“I'm happy to repaint chairs but I
don't replace them if they are still
beautiful!”
“Consistency and new impulses –
both are important.”
Of course, she also likes to keep a
lookout for new ideas. In addition
to classic designs, she is inspired by
furniture stores such as MAGAZIN
or manufacturers like HAY or muuto.
However, every now and again
she is disappointed by current
design. “The paint is peeling from
the beautifully shaped Thermos
container, or the whistle on the
kettle gets so hot that I can't put it
back on. You have to ask yourself
if designs today is created
with the same amount of care as in
Wagenfeld's day.”
When I come home,
I look forward to brightness and light.
Photo: Merk & Mark, Berlin
