2_1_DiscoverGermany_August2014_Issue17:Scan Magazine 1
31/7/14
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Discover Germany | Special Theme | Successful Start-ups
Thinking inside the Box - innovative design in a familiar form Though bordbar might not be a familiar name, their products most certainly are. This Cologne-based team has transformed authentic airplane trolleys into timeless design objects for private use. Their daring and innovative consideration towards an industrial object that most have taken for granted has not gone unnoticed. TEXT: JAIME SCHWARTZ | PHOTOS: ACHIM HEHN
Since 2006 bordbar has attracted the attention of design lovers around the world, bringing their trolleys into the design aesthetic and functionality of numerous homes and offices. The initial inspiration behind bordbar is rooted in the team's passion to find new contexts for old furniture. For example, the team initially experimented with the potentials of decommissioned cinema seats and old sheet metal lockers. “We’d already begun to think about repurposing objects during our time studying together in Cologne,” explains Valentin Hartmann. “We were always interested in the idea of upcycling everyday or mundane objects
60 | Issue 17 | August 2014
from their typical use.” Serendipitously 287 inflight trolleys made their way into the hands of the bordbar team in 2006 and, as they say, the rest is history.The challenge of turning this disused industrial product into a design piece of furniture would eventually change the course of the company's future. In just a few years bordbar went from a small operation to the forefront of international contemporary design. Despite its global presence, the bordbar trolleys still tend to emerge from their inhouse design studio. The team gives these airplane trolleys a new life, opening up new
possibilities through the addition of unique and special functions. These trolleys can become an expression of individual use for kitchens, bathrooms, offices and even outdoors. Variations such as cutting boards, programmable LED lights or even integrated docking stations for iPhones enhance the use for each specific situation. These innovative ideas have won the bordbar team several distinguished and sought-after design awards in recent years. “We see these awards as recognition for our work, but also at the same time as a further incentive to pursue our path,”says Mr Hartmann. Trolleys from bordbar are manufactured according to labour-intensive and timetested established standards thus rendering them built-to-last. The company currently offers several different trolley options that are available to purchase new or used.