2_0_DiscoverGermany_Issue33_December2015:Scan Magazine 1
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Unusual look, exceptional feel, remarkable design At Austrian joinery business Ainhirnholz, design and functionality go hand in hand. With its natural surfaces and colours, preserved contours, as well as perceptible haptics, the furniture pieces designed and created by Raphael Ainhirn are anything but conventional. TEXT: NANE STEINHOFF
Starting his professional career in computer science, Raphael Ainhirn soon noticed that he wanted a change. Thus, he enrolled in a carpentry course and, since 2012, has his own workshop in Kumberg.“I simply enjoy working with the material of wood,” he smiles. One significant trademark of his furniture creations is the bicoloured, natural finish which is defined through the high-contrast choice of wood. Another is the exceptional cross-cut wood optics. Solely using solid timber and trying to integrate as little metal as possible, his furniture also impresses with natural surfaces.“I only use hard oils or hard wax for the finish; never lacquer.That way, the pores don’t get clogged and the wood can breathe.This has positive effects on the room climate. The contours also get maintained and can be felt in the haptics of the lively raw material of wood,”Raphael adds.
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Ainhirnholz primarily manufactures commissioned work and meticulously implements its customers’ individual wishes through detailed work.“But I constantly try to exceed their expectations,”Raphael says. While the majority of todays’ furniture pieces are short-lived and manufactured hastily, Ainhirnholz puts special emphasis on details and passionate manual work. However, while Raphael enjoys realising customer ideas, his true passion lies in designing his own furniture pieces.“I get inspired by my surroundings and, before I know it, I have created something unusual,” Raphael notes. Whether a loudspeaker in a precious solid wood housing, a coffee table set in nut and pear wood, a desk whose lateral silhouette reminds of a skyline, a flower tree which holds numerous plants, or an ingenious wardrobe which can also be used as a staircase, all of Raphael’s creations im-
press with astonishing wood patterns.“This unusual look comes through my unconventional dealings with the front sides of wood,” Raphael says. He adds: “I want to create furniture that lasts across generations.” When one sees Raphael’s creations, this goal is already fundamentally achieved. His commissioned work for customers, as well as his own imaginative designs, are not the only products which are sure to impress. Raphael Ainhirn recently added smaller accessories, such as bowls or chopping boards, to his portfolio. A perfect gift idea, the products can be bought online. www.ainhirnholz.at Main image: QR cube. Photo: Martin Pabis Above: Desk. Photo: Martin Pabis Coffee table. Photo: Martin Pabis Logo and signature. Photo: Martin Pabis Below: Chopping boards. Photo: Verena Eckert