Discover Germany | Special Theme | Light & Design
SlimSophie. Photo: www.25hours-hotels.com, Frankfurt, Photographer: stephanlemke.com
ThinLissie.
Pascha in red.
Everything but boring – colourful contemporary lightings from Germany People might refrain from painting their home’s walls in bright red or pale blue, but setting a colourful accent can be quite inspiring. FRAUMAIER, a German lighting design company based in Esslingen near Stuttgart, creates colourful lamps with a contemporary approach to iconic shapes. Classic lighting combined with modern technology. TEXT: JESSICA HOLZHAUSEN | PHOTOS: FRAUMAIER
FRAUMAIER is a young and aspiring German design label that got its name and logo from a lady dog. The lamps themselves have nothing to do with the dog, but everything with owner and chief designer Felix Severin Mack and his ideas. “It is my intention to create as timeless pieces as possible,” says founder and designer Felix Severin Mack. “This means combining something people are familiar with and something completely new.” 16 | Issue 43 | October 2016
His approach has most certainly become characteristic for the brand, making it distinctive by looking respectfully at modern design while at the same time avoiding ubiquitous trends like the simple re-launch of old designs. “I always try to detect peoples’ needs and comply with them. Of course I wish people would know what they are looking for, before they actually see it, so they
could tell me. Unfortunately, design does not work this way,” says designer Mack. That FRAUMAIER lamps are “better and cheaper than most of their counterparts is nothing but a nice side-effect – this is my apology for adding more products to a world that maybe needs less”. Without joking Mack adds: “The only ideological anchorage I have is a European-based production. China is out of the question.” Sustainability is one of the reasons. Besides ecological factors, Mack claims, there is an entrepreneurial obligation to support diverse production within Europe. In his eyes, sustainability does not stop with replaceable components, a reasonable use of material or with production conditions. It is more like a social contract.