In addition to developing innovative furniture concepts for the office, outdoor and kitchen sectors, the Berlin design studio of architect Michael Hilgers has been working on space-saving solutions for compact living for a decade; the award-winning flatmate secretary is considered a pioneering classic for living in a limited space.
The design methodology of 'pragmatic design' developed by Hilgers focuses on the (space) problem to be solved:
With this design principle, the trained carpenter deliberately ignores conventional comparable products that are already available and thus develops a new, individually suitable and above all practical solution on a blank sheet of paper.
The resulting product appears familiar at first glance, but offers an innovative answer to everyday living problems through its reinterpretation, hidden functions or an amazingly simple construction.
Michael Hilgers is never interested in inventing a spectacular form; he is more interested in discovering the 'special in the everyday'.
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Besides the development of new furniture concepts for the office, outdoor and kitchen industry, the Berlin based design studio of architect Michael Hilgers has been developing space-saving solutions for the compact living for a decade now; the multi-award-winning flatmate desk is a pioneering classic for living in a limited space.
The design methodology of 'pragmatic design' developed by Hilgers focuses on the (space) problem to be solved:
With this design principle, the trained carpenter deliberately ignores conventional comparative products that are already available and thus quasi develops a new, individually fitting and above all practical solution on a white sheet of paper.
The resulting product appears familiar at first glance, but offers an innovative answer to everyday living problems through its reinterpretation, hidden functions or an amazingly simple construction.
Michael Hilgers is never interested in inventing a spectacular shape; he is much more inspired by discovering the 'special in the everyday'.
Mein Ziel ist es, Entwürfe so weit wie möglich zu vereinfachen, damit sie sich – wie ein Werkzeug – einfach nützlich machen. Jede weitere Reduktion würde das Objekt seiner Funktion und damit seiner Existenzberechtigung berauben.
Ich bin überzeugt: Ein Produkt ist umso besser und selbstverständlicher, je weniger Worte nötig sind, um die dahinterstehende Idee zu beschreiben.
english:
An apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker and a degree in architecture form the solid foundation for my open-minded, unrestricted design process.
My minimalist works rarely emerge from a rigid briefing. Instead, they are the result of an unconventional, self-initiated journey of exploration, always guided by the search for “the good idea.”
In an oversaturated world, I find space for sustainable innovation primarily at the intersections between inside and outside, architecture and nature, as well as work and living.
My self-explanatory objects often occupy unclaimed niches by adapting to and forming a symbiotic connection with their surroundings.
I design my creations to be as simple as possible so they can – in the spirit of a tool – be purely useful. Any further reduction would strip the object of its function and thus its very reason for existence.
According to my pragmatic design philosophy, a product is all the better and more self-evident the fewer words it takes to describe the idea behind it.