Leolux_jb_2012_e_s

- interview -
The role of refinement
Designer Christian Werner (1959, Berlin) describes his own interior
as a really lively mix. There is space for designs from his own
pen, but also from his wife’s, who like Werner is also a designer.
In fact, there are only two fixed elements, a sofa and a big table.
The rest changes on a regular basis. Because, he explains, a family
with four children simply keeps creating new impulses.
Mayon is the first time Leolux has worked
together with Christian Werner,
who at the moment is enjoying repute
as a designer for top European brands. A
pleasant and inspiring cooperation, says
Werner: ‘For Mayon, I really did place
myself in the world of Leolux. The name
stands for round shapes and that inspired
me. The challenge was to design
a “classic” seating group, with a luxury
sofa, an armchair, modern with compact
dimensions. For all target groups, but
contemporary, for the young or stayedyoung
design aficionados who have no
space for a seating landscape. I enjoyed
the openness, the speed and the feeling
for details at Leolux; the will of the developers
to look for the limits, for the optimum
between comfort and form. Everything
was unbelievably harmonious.’
The result is a sofa with a relaxed, pleasing
design. ‘I myself find the flowing
line between the arm and the backrest
characteristic, it provides for a certain
tension. It’s like a thin cushion embracing
you and tempting you to crawl
away into the corner.’
Does he still have a certain preference of
his own for the finishing? ‘When designing
Mayon I worked completely based
on leather coverings. That’s how I imagined
it even in my sketches. I myself really
love a sofa in a lovely, neutral fabric,
but I always had at the back of my mind:
Leolux is leather. So I was pleasantly surprised
when it turned out that the prototype
in fabric looked fantastic as well.’
Emotion is the key driver for people, in
every decision. I am convinced that consumers
choose products they feel good
with. You don’t buy a car if you don’t like
it. No-one buys a car purely based on
reason, just as little as colours or furniture.
So refinement plays a significant
role for me. I believe in the beauty of
minimalism, but then – like an Australian
artist once described it, and that appealed
to me - “minimalism plus”. Otherwise
it becomes dry engineering output. A
little softness is needed as well. It is my
task as designer to give people a product
they feel good with, with which
they can identify.
Thirteen years ago, Werner moved with
his family from the hustle and bustle
of the big city in Hamburg to a quiet
suburb. The bungalow from the seventies
with lots of glass elements offered
space for a design studio of his own.
‘That is an unheard-of luxury. It gives
you the space to divide your own time.
To take advantage of those creative moments
that sometimes overcome you in
the evening and which would vanish if
you first had to drive to the office. But
it’s also fantastic to just sit there in the
evening, with a glass of wine and some
music.’
Christian Werner (1959, Berlin) pursued
studies as an industrial designer in Berlin
and Hamburg. He has been working as a
freelance designer since 1992. Werner designs
furniture, lighting and accessories for
various well-known firms.
mayon • Design: Christian Werner, 2012
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