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This Marianne Brandt teapot originates from the 1924 tea andcoffee set consisting of numerouspieces, of which only one knowncomplete set exists. However, there are several specimens of theteapot in various museums, including the Museum of ModernArt, New York, which has kindlygiven us the exact dimensions.

The teapot is certainly an object that was designed most strictlyaccording to the formal Bauhausprinciples. The circle, sphere,and square are the basic geometricscheme of the design.

Marianne Brandt – A guest articleby Hans IrrekThe Buquet lampHartmut Dörrie – A life ofdesign and photographyBauhaus shapesLUM – THONET by TECNOLUMENLight-SightEgon Eiermann – A portraitTECNOLINE manufacture fittings

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We are now in the midst of theBauhaus anniversary year. The media has been accepting thissubject with appreciation and theexhibitions on this topic are beingseamlessly strung together acrossthe republic. The extent of theaccompanying strong interest in ourproducts, both on a national andinternational level, was unexpectedand also came as quite a surprise for us. Without a doubt, the Bauhausis a major German cultural export. I was particularly pleased thatMarianne Brandt is finally receivingthe acknowledgement that she haslong since earned. We take a look ather work with a guest article byHans Irrek. Anyone with employeesand partners who are as enthusiasticas ours are, can consider themselveslucky. We introduce Hartmut Dörrie,a person who continues to livepassionately for his career, as wellas for design and photography, andhas no intention of stopping despitehaving celebrated his 80th birthday.What is it about our lamps thatpeople are actually fascinated by?How did they come to own one?And how does it effect their lives?One special person who has given us insight into these questions, and is featured in “Light-Sight”.

The Bauhaus design classics are byfar not the only thing TECNOLUMENhas to offer. At the IMM in Cologne,we presented the LUM – a new lamp that will come onto the marketthis year in cooperation withTHONET. The portrait of EgonEiermann also shows that productsfrom other eras also become designclassics.

The large amount of consistentlypositive responses to the firstTECNOLUMEN magazine hasmotivated us to make TL2 evenmore interesting and worth readingfor you. I am certain that we have done an excellent job ofachieving this, and hope you enjoyreading it.

Sincerely, Carsten HotzanExecutive Director ofTECNOLUMEN

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The expectation that awaited the “1919 Bauhaus 1928” MoMAexhibition in 1938, was notdisappointed. The exhibition,comprehensively staged by Walterand Ilse Gropius, introduced theBauhaus approach to design for the first time. In the cataloguethat documents the exhibition, the programmatics, workshops andinstitution protagonists areportrayed in an encyclopaedicscope. The momentum wasfavourable. No nation in the worldwas more in tune with Modernismthan the USA, which was moreoptimally prepared for it than anyother. The Americans had been very enthusiastic about PhilipJohnson’s minimalistically designedexhibit “Machine Art”, whichcelebrated safes, industrial glass and ship propellers. And now theBauhaus with its programmatics that reconcile industry and craft-manship.The designs put on display backthen met with an excellent responsefrom the open-minded Americans;especially the objects that emergedfrom the metal workshops drew attention, in particular thosedesigned by Marianne Brandt. The fact that Walter Gropiusdirected such a clear focus ontoMarianne Brandt’s designs duringthe exhibition was in part due to the extraordinary aesthetic quality of these objects. Theseworks distinguished themselves

fundamentally from most of theother designs both in shape andproportion as well as in theiraesthetic appearance. In addition,Gropius used the attention that wasgenerated to refer to Brandt andother Bauhaus designers, who in the meantime were scatteredaround the whole world.If you leafed through the exhibitioncatalogue you would inevitably stop at her work. It is no coincidencethat Gropius selected the tea andcoffee set, created in 1924, in silveras well as a model of the teapot insilver-plated nickel, whichcelebrates the primary geometricshapes of Modernism in its hybridappearance, while simultaneouslyradiating virtual, classic elegance.We know this rare effect from other truly outstanding designs ofthe 20th century, for instance Miesvan der Rohe’s Barcelona Chair,designed in 1929.However, the spotlight that wasgranted by the large-scale exhibitionin New York, did not reach theoriginator of these masterpieces inGermany. Brandt was denied thenew vital biographical branchingthat we know happened to Josef andAnni Albers, the Gropius couple,Moholy-Nagy or Mies. A glimpse ather eventful biography providessome context. Born in Chemnitz in1889, a daughter from a middle-class, wealthy home, Brandt enjoysan extensive artistic education atvarious institutions. She is instructedin drawing, sculptural work, andfinally in painting – studies thatbegan in Weimar and ended inMunich. The marriage to Norwegianpainter Erik Brandt make Oslo the

centre of life for a short period oftime, however there are difficultieswith the painter’s parents. After an intermezzo in Paris and SouthernFrance, the young pair returns toWeimar where the designer brieflystudies sculpting again. The largeWeimar Bauhaus exhibition is rightlyattributed as the turning point in Brandt’s life. She is accepted as astudent at the Bauhaus for thewinter semester in 1923, and in hersearch for a suitable form ofexpression finds Laszlo Moholy-Nagy to be a dedicated mentor.Contrary to all Bauhaus conventionsthat would have preferred to seeBrandt in the weavery, Moholy-Nagy made room for her in the metalworkshop, with emphasis on training to become a silversmith.The exuberant energy, the vitalproductivity of those years in Weimarand then later in Dessau already ledto astounding results early on.Nothing illustrates the passionateimpulse for demonstrable,representative prototypes moreclearly than the wide variation ofteapots, sugar and milk containers,ashtrays and bowls from thisproductive phase. Let’s not forgetthat all of it basically arose in a veryshort period of time under

Tea and coffee set, Design: Marianne Brandt / Photo: Lucia Moholy, 1924

Marianne Brandt:Self-portrait for the “Metallischen Fest”at the Bauhaus Dessau

Tempo, tempo, culture ofprogress – Our guest authorHans Irrek, Essayist and author, takes a look at thedesigner of the century, Marianne Brandt.

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circumstances that were beyondmodest. The recollections ofWilhelm Wagenfeld, who studiedtogether with Marianne Brandt,succinctly summarise thecircumstances: “There was only one outdated grinding and polishingmachine in our metal workshop,otherwise there were no othermechanical tools, only makeshiftmanual ones…“If you look at the precision andperfection of craftsmanship of theobjects within the context of thecircumstances at that time, and thefew months that she had left toengage in the complex processing ofmetal, you can get a vague idea of Brandt’s energetic direction. Theother Mariann Brandt was onlydiscovered later, when the focusshifted to the enigma of thiseternally mysterious designer at theBauhaus, and the concentratedcollection of valuable installationswas found that captured the tempoand rhythm of the modern era indynamic compositions. A creativeenergy was expressed here that fed off of bubbling metropolises, likeParis or Berlin. The, at timesrestrictive, world of the Bauhausprogrammatics appeared externallyhere. Inspired by Moholy-Nagy, she also became a passionatephotographer, who always turnedthe camera onto her work, and self-reflectively onto her life.The work of the designer, thehandling of material and itsrefinement, and the perfection indetails fascinates again and again.When it comes to Brandt’s design vocabulary we can refer tocarefully considered minimalismthat condenses the shape andapplication requirements to theiressence, without losing any of thebeauty. When she designed acylindrical ashtray with tilting lid, itset aesthetic and practical standardsthat influenced a whole generationof future designers. The sameapplied to the pendant lightdesigned in 1925, which MarianneBrandt designed together with Hans Przyrembel for the iconicBauhaus building in Dessau that was designed by Gropius.

After working privately for herself in1926 in Paris for a longer period of time, she returns to Dessau in thespring of 1927, and temporarily takes over direction of the metalworkshop in 1928. She finally goes to Berlin to work as an interiorarchitect for Gropius. During theimmensely turbulent times at the end of 1929, Marianne Brandtdecides to become the Head of the Design Department at theRuppelwerk in Gotha. In hindsight,this decision proves to be fatal.Namely, after the seizure of power in1933, Marianne Brandt fades

completely into obscurity and as a graduate of the Bauhaus, sheremains without work orassignments until long after the warends. Shortly after 1933, Josef and Anni Albers were already inAmerica, the Gropius couple was inEngland and Moholy-Nagy was inthe Netherlands.Without a doubt, Marianne Brandtcan be declared to be a talent of the century. Yet her biography,with regard to the period after 1933,is exemplary of the type ofemancipated woman whose talentwas truly bolstered by thecommencing century with regard to culture. In this regard, thereception history, the attribution ofdesigns and achievements,proceeded on nebulous terrain. The war and the long post-war yearsthat followed erased the individualbiographies and the work of most of the women right into oblivion.Lilly Reich, Anni Albers, LuciaMoholy-Nagy and many of the otherwomen from the Bauhaus work-shops left behind works that aremoving increasingly into thespotlight of general interest andultimately also correcting our view

The ceiling light DMB26 was designed in1926 by MarianneBrandt, and like theteapot it too is a design classic. Thelight is available as anickel-plated metalversion, also polishedand zapon-varnishedin brass, with varioussphere sizes.

of the Bauhaus. Beyond its puremythology, the history of theBauhaus is also a history of women.The collection at the Museum ofModern Art had already instilled thisculture of recollection manydecades ago, and has 12 MarianneBrandt exhibition pieces in itspossession. The most importantexhibits originate from the donationmade by Phyllis Lambert, theCanadian architect that Mies van derRohe commissioned with the designof the Seagram Building in NewYork. Marianne Brandt, who lived ina reclusive manner in the end anddied in 1983, would have loved to stroll past the display cases at theMuseum of Modern Art and see herexquisite works. However, thewoman from Chemnitz, like manyother women from the Bauhaus era,were not granted adequate regardfor their life’s work, even in their old age. Just like Mies, MarianneBrandt had the ability to express theaesthetic dimension of an entire erain one single design. However,unlike Mies for whom the definitivewas important, Marianne Brandtdrew her creative energy from theconstant search.

On February 9, 1927, at 16:29,Édouard-Wilfrid Buquet filed a patent application for parts of this lamp, in particular the joint,at the “Ministère du Commerceet de l'Industrie” in Paris.

Light in precise balance

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Balance is essential. In architecture,painting, movement, thinking, and in life. Politically as well aspersonally. Becoming unbalanced,losing balance, being thrown out ofsync, losing focus, everything is set in motion when there is a lack ofbalance. At the start of the 20thcentury, many things were set inmotion. There were years of unrest,innovations, certainties that had lost balance. The yearning for ordergrew. Architects like Le Corbusier orWalter Gropius met the turbulenceof the Golden Twenties with an objective and functional style;painters like Klee, Kandinsky orMondrian met it with clear lines,organised planes, while AlexanderCalder moved the line into the room, designing that which was inmotion and seeking balance.

Engineer Édouard-Wilfrid Buquetinterpreted the search for balance inhis 1927 lamp as a shifting of weight. He objectively describes this poetic shifting of light in his patentspecification as a “directional light fixture with jointed arm”.Practically, this design enables thelamp head to be moved in virtuallyany conceivable position through small shifts in the weight – slidingrather than pushing the centre of the light. The fact that the EB 27 ismore than just one of many ways to light up a desk, was not onlyrecognized by the MoMA in NewYork, which presented a specimen ofBuquet's “La Lampe Equilibrée” inthe “Recent Acquisitions:Architecture and Design” exhibitionin 1979, together with works byMarcel Breuer. Artists, painters andarchitects like Le Corbusier alsoappreciated the lamp and used it inateliers as well as exhibitions.

In addition to the table lamp, Buquet also developed other models,designing a wall lamp as well as afloor lamp following the sameprinciple. However, although the Bauhaus assigned lamp from the French designer was met withenthusiasm around the world, as well as being mentioned in manypublications and being held in high regard, very little is knownabout Buquet and his work. Perhapsit was due to the increasing materialprices in the 1930s that the lampdisappeared from the books.

Or because of the necessarymeticulous handwork that wasrequired to produce the individualparts, especially the joints, and to balance the weights. However, tothis day, serial production is not possible due to the perfectionrequired by the design.TECNOLUMEN still produces the EB 27 with precise, detailedcraftsmanship. For this purpose thelight has only been minimallyadapted to current technicalrequirements. The wooden base was replaced by metal, in order to give the transformer a secure spot, thenarrow reflector outfitted with a contemporary frame. Everythingelse has remained the same as the patent specifications thatÉdouard-Wilfrid Buquet submittedto the Paris Ministry of Industry over ninety years ago. And so, “La Lampe Equilibrée” is a lamp thatstill combines fascinating, technicalperfection and poetic ease to this day. Reduced to the essentials, with a timeless, clear vocabulary of shapes that still bring everythinginto balance.

EB 27 WL EB 27 StLEB 27

In February 1927, engineer Édouard-Wilfrid Buquet madea patent application for parts of his famous table lamp, including the exceptional joints.Not much more is known about the man who came from the Paris suburb of Montrouge. He was and still isakin to a phantom in design history.

EB 287

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At 80 years old, Hartmut Dörriebelongs to the ‘old guard’, and heknows this is something that dealers value. To this day, he stillneeds the “smell of the stable” andthe discourse. And as long as no one says: “Stay at home Grandpa,and feed the seagulls at the NeckarRiver”, the Independent Sales Rep for TECNOLUMEN andTECNOLINE since 2003 will still beon task, and just as inspiredas he was fifteen years ago.“It was the cherry on top of myprofessional career!”, he raves.Although at the time, the switchwas not an easy one, as heremembers.“I came from a large corporation.From one moment to the next, I found myself at a family-runcompany. Suddenly everything thatused to apply didn't anymore.” Of course this wasn't necessarily abad thing. “The tone is always set from above”. And with WalterSchnepel and Carsten Hotzan, it was always outstanding. Gettinghired here was the best thing that could have happened to him.

With fantastic products, fantasticemployees, it was consistent andvery honest. “Complaints aren't metwith long discussions – they aremanaged in a generous manner.Customers really appreciate that.”He says this with a hint of pride. And he loves the challenge.“TECNOLUMEN and TECNOLINEare two very cultural companies.” It isn't exactly easy bringing thesetwo brands together that don't go hand in hand. A differentapproach is required when it comesto door handles, window handles,and fittings, especially forTECNOLINE. “In this market it's allabout technology, not culture. The hardware market finds it difficultto understand our products.” ButHartmut Dörrie is happy to explainhimself. “Gropius, Wagenfeld,Kramer – I am a big fan of theseclassics and an enthusiastic door-to-door salesperson in the bestsense”, he stresses and laughs.Whereas his professional life couldhave taken a very different turn.After his vocational training,Hartmut Dörrie worked for 3M andKoss. He was also fully dedicated to his passion for photography. Heshot his first motorsports photoswhen he was twenty-three years old- and was so good at it that he hasbeen capturing the HockenheimringGmbH's races and events as theofficial photographer for over 50years now. A start.

The Munich Olympics followed, the soccer world championship, andas the years past there werecommissions for ski racing, hockeyand the bobsleigh team. In additionto sports and their speed, HartmutDörrie discovered music, inparticular Jazz with its emotionalpower. He photographed JohnColtrane, Dizzy Gillespie, as well asthe Rolling Stones and MichaelJackson. With his sense for definingmoments, he quickly advanced to become a heavily bookedphotographer. “I was able to approach everyone with thecamera!” Only it remained a hobby.Even back then, his second passionwas for design. “We have severalWagenfeld lamps at home, saysHartmund Dörrie with a smile.“Everyone in the family has them.”He purchased his first one fromTECNOLUMEN in 1983, togetherwith his wife. Two years prior, he had switched to being the Sales Director with American furnituremanufacturer Knoll, bringing high quality furniture onto themarket from that point onward.

Perhaps it was the direct proximity to the Fagus Factorydesigned by Gropius in his native city of Alfeld. Perhaps it was the apprenticeship at the Wittekop chemist.Or was it simply the coincidences of life and the luck of the times? Whatever it was that made HartmutDörrie into who he is today – his accurate view is definitelythe basis of his success.

Photo above: On August 2, 1970, the history ofthe Formula 1 began at Hockenheimring. This photo, taken by Hartmut Dörrie documentsJochen Rindt at the finish line. That race is still considered to be one of the most spectacular and exciting Formula 1 Grand Prixevents that took place at the high-speed racingcircuit.

Photo below: Hartmut Dörrie wasn't only known for his good eye at major sportingevents. He also had personalities from politics and entertainment in front of his camera throughout the years.

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Here he encountered the Bauhausclassics, designs from architectsMies van der Rohe and MarcelBreuer that inspired him and that he could no longer forget. Lookingback, the switch to L. & C. ArnoldStendal GmbH seemed almostimperative – a company that wasalready connected to the Bauhaus inthe 1920s and 1930s through close collaboration. Heinz and BodoRasch, Mart Stam, again Mies van der Rohe and Marcel Breuer,can all be found in the company

history with their steel tubefurniture. Hartmut Dörrie addedanother designer to their side from the Bauhaus era. Hediscovered a chair designed byarchitect Carl Fieger in thebasement of the Bauhaus Dessau.The long-standing company added it to their range under theauspice of Dörrie. He loves and lives the Bauhaus. Inaddition to marketing the furniturefrom this era, the preservation ofclassic pieces from this period

has therefore always been importantto Dörrie. “Companies thatproduced Bauhaus furniture haveenjoyed excellent business for manyyears using the 'Bauhaus' name. So it was time for me to givesomething back to Bauhaus.” As Sales Director of KnollInternational, he arranged thetransfer of furniture – valued at100,000 D-Marks – to the Bauhaus in Dessau that was beingrebuilt at the time, and also ensuredthat the rebuilt Bauhaus cafeteria

was outfitted with Breuer stools – agift from L. & C. Arnold StendalGmbH. When the Fagus Factoryin Dörrie's home town was declareda UNESCO World Cultural HeritageSite, the bustling sales rep did notmiss this opportunity. In September2014, Hartmut Dörrie opened theexhibition that he initiatedand conceptualised: “Living withBauhaus” – thereby fulfilling one of his dreams. Photos from theBauhaus archive collection wereshown as well as classic Bauhausobjects from the TECNOLUMEN andTECNOLINE range. To this day, there is excitement surrounding theBauhaus, its history of style anddesign, its architecture, design andespecially its handcrafted everydayitems. “I am happy, that I get toexperience ‘100 Years of Bauhaus'with TECNOLUMEN andTECNOLINE” And what aboutretiring?“For the love of God! You can't dothat to my wife”, he says laughing –and is also probably referring tohimself a bit too.

... and in the endthe cherry on top!Hartmut Dörrie

His passion: design classics. Hartmut Dörrie in front of the Bauhaus in Dessau with Bauhaus icons

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Wilhelm Wagenfeld: Fat-lean Sauce boat, 1924 Tea can, 1924 Tea warmer, 1928

Wilhelm Wagenfeld: Table lights, 1923/24 Multi-purpose light, 1930Floor light, 1930 Table light, 1928

Marianne Brandt: Ceiling lights, 1925–1929

Circle, square, triangle – Kandinsky’sform theory was an essential com-ponent of the foundation course atthe Bauhaus school and its effectreached all the way to the work-shops. The reduction to these clearshapes as well as the combination ofthis simplicity had a major influenceon the designs of students at thetime when designing lights and dailyitems, which later became designclassics. TECNOLUMEN producesthese products by hand as they have always been made, and thesupplier companies virtually all stemfrom Germany and the EU.

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Marianne Brandt and Hans Przyrembel: Ceiling lights, 1925

Marianne Brandt: Teapot, 1924 Tea extraction pot, 1924 Ashtray, 1924 Ashtray, 1924

Prof. Richard Döcker: Floor light, 1923/26 Bauhaus Range: Floor light, 1928 Gyula Pap: Floor light, 1923

Hans Przyrembel: Ceiling light, 1928 Mart Stam: Wall light, 1927

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It can be switched on and off bytouch on the light head and also adimming option. Turning thehorizontal light heads also enables acontinuous change of the beamdirection by up to 340°. This allowsthe creation of a very personalisedlighting arrangement. The highefficiency of the light outputsupports the very low electricityusage. The lights can be used both in living room as well as officesettings.The lights are produced by THONET and TECNOLUMEN, thatstarted a collaboration for thispurpose, supplying the lights todesign and technology enthusiasts

Renowned designer Ulf Möller designed the LUM, a light that hasbeen formally reduced to aminimum, which is fitting for the2019 Bauhaus anniversary year, and was presented at the IMM in Cologne to an international tradefair audience.This family of lights continues theBauhaus concept of reduction to the essential with a high degreeof functionality and aesthetics.Using the classic and famous 20mmtubular steel, LUM designed by Ulf Möller is a light that isn’t justcomplimentary to the well-knowntubular steel furniture, it can also beintegrated discreetly yet trenchantlyin an appealing room ambiencethanks to its timeless design.In addition to the clear design, the LUM also impressed with itsconvenient function and it isexceptionally flexible in application.Bright and brilliant colour renderingis guaranteed, thanks to the usageof state-of-the-art LED technology.

under the signet “THONET byTECNOLUMEN”. Just like with theirfurnishing and lighting pieces, both long-standing family-runcompanies place great value onoutstanding product quality in thisarea as well.

Sale begins in the fourth quarter of 2019.

Modern, puristic, functional – the famous tubular steel furnituredesigned by Mart Stam, Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, as well as the table lamp designed by WilhelmWagenfeld, which is often referred to as a “Bauhaus lamp”, became Bauhaus design icons and today they represent milestones in design history. The two family-run companies thatstand behind these products are THONET and TECNOLUMEN.What would a lamp look like that combined the two?

by

LUM X-Shape Pendant Light, 77 cm longLUM Floor Lamp, 125 cm high

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Born in 1969 in Kassel, architect Ulf Möller studied Architecture,Urban Planning and Design at the Technical University Darmstadt.As part of his studies, Ulf Möllershifted successfully into self-employment with his own atelier,subsequently executing variousdesign-oriented buildings. in 1998,he joined the architecture firmCoordes Möller+Partner in Kassel,which worked with residential and industrial buildings in Germanyand beyond. In 2005, Ulf Möller took over the Möller+Partnerarchitecture firm, since thenfocusing on the areas of architecture,interior architecture and design. For over 20 years now, there has been a close collaboration withTHONET.

The LUM is a Bauhaus light that was born in the 21st century. Ulf Möller

LUM Long Pendant Light, 135 cm long

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Kirsten Rachowiak’s home is also home to a large number of books – which isn’t surprising, since writing determines the daily life of the German Language Specialist. However, language isn’t the only passion of thenative from Düsseldorf. She loves design that is suitable for daily use, easy-breezy, and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

Photo: Oliver Jung, München

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Architecture, art and design – whenKirsten Rachowiak started workingat the Walther König bookstore in 1992, she found everything thatshe was interested in collected inone place. She was amazed at how many subjects were to be foundon the shelves.One book in particular captivatedher: Thomas Heyden's “Die BauhausLampe”, which was hot off the press.“I couldn't believe it was possible to write an entire book about asingle lamp!” She tells us today,laughing. It was an epiphany, in adouble sense. “Content is expressedthrough materials and proportionsand translated in the function. Afterreading it I suddenly understoodwhat design actually achieves.” Here in the form of WilhelmWagenfeld's lamp. “It communicatesthe attitude toward electricity at thetime, a new attainment that had not been an aspect of people's dailylives for very long at the time it wasdesigned at the start of the 1920s.The visible cable is a tell-tale sign ofthis new world.”

Kristen Rachowiak was captivatedby this discovery. She asked for a Bauhaus lamp for her wedding – and since then it has a permanentspot in the living room. It isn’t just a light source like many others, it is ameaningful design. The Wagenfeldlamp 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 inall directions in a proud andconfident manner.” The light fromthe Bauhaus lamp does not produceconcentrated cosiness, instead it provides embracing lighting to theroom: “All the space around it isilluminated when it is switched on.”Light plays an important role inKirsten Rachowiak's life. “Cominghome and switching on the lightsignifies comfort and warmth.Brightness contributes to well-being– whether it is sunlight or electricallypowered lights.”

“What surrounds me is of essentialimportance to me.”

Design is as important as light inyour home. Kirsten Rachowiak livesbetween an Eiermann table and task chair, the Eames rocking chair,the Marcel Breuer table stool, aswell as various MAGAZINE drafts.But not to create a false impression:“For me, design does have limits.Nothing is decorated here, insteadeverything is used. If I had theMarianne Brandt teapot, it would beon the table with tea stains and not gathering dust in a glass displayto 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 liearound on the floor sometimes. You have to be able to breathe.” For the German LanguageSpecialist, its all about language and content. “It’s the same when itcomes to design.” In addition tofurniture and books, for her it isprimarily pictures that belong in ahome. “I am always the happiestwhen I come home.” Back then shehad found art posters in thebookstore's storage – one of themstill hangs in the bedroom to thisday: “Learn to read Art” byLawrence Weiner. “I've loved it sincethen.” Kirsten Rachowiak gets heraffinity for design from herparents’ house. “I grew up between1960's furniture that has becometrendy again today. When the

70's began, my mother promptlysaid goodbye to that style: shebrought the couch and armchair tothe upholsterer to have it coveredwith brown corduroy, and thekitchen was completely redone inorange. Our kitchen chairs that werejust introduced to the market in1969, have since become designclassics.”Their daughter does the same. Shemakes good things last. “I'm happyto repaint chairs but I don't replacethem if they are still beautiful!”

“Consistency and new impulses –both are important.”

Of course, she also likes to keep alookout for new ideas. In addition to classic designs, she is inspired byfurniture stores such as MAGAZINor manufacturers like HAY or muuto.However, every now and again she is disappointed by currentdesign. “The paint is peeling fromthe beautifully shaped Thermoscontainer, or the whistle on thekettle gets so hot that I can't put itback on. You have to ask yourself if designs today is created with the same amount of care as inWagenfeld's day.”

When I come home,I look forward to brightness and light.

Photo: Merk & Mark, Berlin

16ES 57 EE 61/2SW

Egon Eiermann is considered to be the most significant architect and furniture designer in post-war Germany. He was one of the first tobegin to conceptualise serial furniture to meetinternational standards of function and form,and that dictate the style of an entire generation.His structures are famous and numerous. His furniture is still partially being produced tothis day.

The Ceiling Light ES 57 by Egon Eiermann is available in the colours green, white, red, grey andwhite. When it came to the colourscheme, TECNOLUMEN referred tothe colours of USM-furniture

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The deliberate reduction,the omitting, the simplifi-cation has a deeply ethical basis: Somethingthat is simple can never be disliked.Egon Eiermann

The expression and culmination ofthis liberation from everything that had come before, are the steelconstructions that characterise Egon Eiermann's work in botharchitecture and furniture design. He picked up on Bauhaus designprinciples in his designs. Thepermeability of the intermeshing ofthe inside and outside, nature and constructed space became anexpression of democracy inarchitecture as well as in furnituredesign. With its reduction to the line,the reflection on pure form andliberation from overflowingaccessories, anything heavy andadditional, Eiermann achieves amodesty in his designs that seems tofree his objects from historicalcontexts while still presenting themas a consistent continuation ofwhat came before. Nonetheless, orperhaps for this reason, the worksare characterised by timelessness. Itis no wonder then that his buildingsare classified as historicalmonuments, his desks and chairsenjoy great popularity up to this day,and can be found in many publicbuildings, as well as modernagencies and private spaces. Theceiling light from 1957 is no doubtalso one of the products that is still as exciting as ever. Speciallydesigned by Egon Eiermann andSepp for the world exhibitionpavilion in Brussels and actuallyproduced in a small series, the ES 57 soon enjoyed great popularity. Egon Eiermann travelled to Italy in1954 to take over the construction ofthe Triennale in Milan. It is possiblethat Gino Sarfatti inspired him here,whose lights, which are exquisiteand functional at the same time, like sculptures, set the stage for thelight itself. However, it is alsopossible that the construction of thepavilion with its intermeshing cubes,the penetration of the exterior spacewith the interior world, the crossinglines and maximum transparencyculminate in this light.

They are commonly referred tofondly as the “lipstick and powdercompact”, monument preservationrefers to it as a “city icon”, and he himself calls it his life's work.We are talking about the architecturalensemble of the Kaiser-WilhelmMemorial Church in Berlin, thatdeteriorating war ruin built in the neo-romanticism style, thatEgon Eiermann provided with a modern side. The architect didn'thold much of preserving the old,instead he relied on the consistentprogression of the familiar.Functionality and practicality,transparency and reduction to clearlines were in the foreground of hisdesigns.In his own activities, such as his roleas professor at the TechnicalUniversity Karlsruhe, he advancedthe development of the Modern.Away from historical ballast,towards lightness.

Then again, perhaps it is also theinfluences of all his encounters witharchitects from the previousgeneration, with Walter Gropius,Marcel Breuer or Ludwig Mies vander Rohe. Perhaps it was theconfrontation with the ideas andideals of the Bauhaus, design that reaches beyond the limits ofarchitecture. Perhaps it is theconcept of putting the focus ofdesign on functionality. It is possiblethat his confrontation withinternational developmentsduring his trips to the United Statesalso contributed to this Germanarchitects signature. And it may alsobe a blend of all of these aspects. Inany case, the ceiling light ES 27continues to inspire – even sixtyyears after the design of its fine,delicate appearance. Featuringabandonment of any embellishments,reduction to functionality that almost gives it a sculptural touch.Egon Eiermann himself may have been less excited aboutcreating an object that endured solong. And perhaps he would nothave agreed to his structuressurrounded by scaffolding at theMemorial Church in order to save itssubstance. Instead he may havepreferred to design something new.A new building, new furniture,a new light ... but even though it wasconstructed a long time ago, it is still beautiful.

Kaiser-Wilhelm-Memorial Church, Berlin 1957/63Side table by Egon Eiermann von 1961

Administration and Training Centre of the German Olivetti, Frankfurt am Main 1967/72

Walter Gropius, born in 1883,is one of the most significant Bau-haus designer's there was. Gropius studied architecture at the start of the 20th century, alsojoining the design office of Peter Behrens, as did Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier. As an independent architect and industrialdesigner, Walter Gropius later designed the well-known Gropiusprinter, which was first produced byS.A. Loevy. TECNOLINE (which was with TECNOLUMEN until 2002)manufactures the various Gropiusmodels and is authorised by theheiress as the sole manufacturerworldwide.

Something that definitely stands out is that TECNOLINE offers thepossibility of designing fittingsaccording to any taste – and not justwith regard to the colour selection. A modular system makes it possibleto combine all parts with the samebasic material (brass casting orstainless steel) in whatever mannerthe building contractor, house & apartment owners and architectswould like. They can choosebetween various materials, surfacesand accessory parts, in order to add the finishing touch to be enjoyedby people who will reach for thehandle for generations to come.

Today, the door handles fromfamous Bauhaus designers WalterGropius, Wilhelm Wagenfeld and Ferdinand Kramer are designclassics. Either authorised by thedesigners themselves or their heirs,TECNOLINE has been producing the original door handles accordingto their templates. TECNOLINE(under the TECNOLUMEN label at the time) started the productionback in the 1980s, which alsoproduced fittings from Art Decodesigners as well as those fromBauhaus designers. The classicdesigns demand execution that isdetailed and true to the original, and that meets today's technologicalstandard. In addition, the Hanseaticfamily-run company offers manymore distinguished designs, ranging for instance from LudwigWittgestein and Dieter Rams to the modern style of Hadi Teheraniand Jürgen Ringel.

The door handles are cast andprocessed with great care in theSauerland region, the cradle of the German metal industry. This isdone by hand, which is the only way to achieve such outstandingquality. For special series, forinstance the 130 series that wasissued on the occasion of the 130thbirthday of Walter Gropius, specialsand moulds are created that can only be used once, therebymaking every handle a one-of-a-kind piece.

It is usually the first thing we touch when we enter ahouse: the door handle. Special houses and buildings inparticular deserve to have a special door handle. Oftenthese small yet absolutely important details mirror the style and architecture of a building. TECNOLINE has been manufacturing high quality door fittings, handles and switches from famous designers.

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Wilhelm Wagenfeld, born in Bremen,is one of the most well-known Bauhaus designers. He designedthe famous light WG24, as well as various designs for Braun, Rosenthal and WMF. In 1928, Wagenfeld designed the door handle WD 28 for S.A. Loevy anda matching window handle, whichhowever was only produced in a limited quantity. TECNOLINE (which was with TECNOLUMEN at the time) resumed production of the model together with Prof. Wagenfeld in 1982, followingthe original hand sheet.

As an architect and designer, Ferdinand Kramer, born in 1898,was a representative of classicfunctionality. True to the motto “the function determines the form”,Kramer predominantly designed objects for interior design that did justice to the prevailing narrowrooms in the first half of the 20thcentury. With low manufacturingcosts, Kramer created purposeful,timeless design in the realm ofinterior architecture. In 1925, he designed this door handle withconical handle, which we have been producing since 1992, withpermission from Kramer's widow.

We understand a good shape to be the natural form of a product that has developed from its functional andtechnical requirements, that corresponds fully with its purpose and is beautiful at the same time.Max Bill, Architect, Sculptor, Painter and Designer, Die gute Form, 1949

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2019, Telephone (0421) 43 04 17-0, info@tecnolum

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en.de, Concept/Text: Frank Meierdiercks, Com

munications Consultant, Bremen, Text: Anja Rose, Copywriter, Bremen, Design: BrücknerAping, Design Agency, Bremen, Print: Berlin Druck, Bremen, Photos: Michael Gielen, Bremen