The TrendMafia designer market, which was first held in June 2008, provides designers and other creative talent with a platform on which to present and sell their work, whether it be fashion, homewares and other products, art and photography or jewellery and accessories.

The market is primarily aimed at fledgling designers of any age who have not yet made a name for themselves or who wish to make consumers more aware of their label. For many of these creative spirits, the market is the ideal opportunity to showcase their ideas and designs in front of a broader audience.

The designer market takes place on the first Saturday of every month in Berlin-Mitte (near the Bernauer Strasse and Voltastrasse underground stations).

Frankfurt’s Stylepark is an international collaborative platform for architecture and design that puts the focus on cultural issues.

Stylepark regards itself as a medium that channels and examines current debates and trends in design. As a professional curator, service provider and consultant, the Frankfurt-based company mediates between manufacturers, architects, planners and customers. It also organises trade fairs, product launches, exhibitions and other events, bringing together the leading players in architecture and design.

Through its challenging and characterful furniture designs, Stadtnomaden generates startling new ideas for everyday living and reconciles two entirely contradictory needs: mobility and permanence.

Elegant interior design solutions are created for a non-specific audience and stand out for their resolute functionality. For the high-quality workmanship of the ranges, which are manufactured in small batches, Stadtnomaden puts the emphasis on innovative design and durability.

Simply using the furniture can have a powerful effect. Those who have not yet found their nomadic roots will find that merely the notion of being mobile can be enough to inspire.

Products

A la carte / fitted kitchen
A la carte is a stylish and versatile kitchen solution which offers a range of options for look and layout.

By breaking down the conventional kitchen arrangement into functional modules (block / shelf), which can be adapted to the layout and fittings of a particular room (wall-mounted/free-standing/partitioning), this solution gives great cause for thanks, especially when moving home. Consummately designed from every angle, this kitchen shares the advantages of mobile furniture and looks great in offices, event venues and à la maison.

Sowieso / Storage
Sowieso, which is German for ‘in any case’, puts a new spin on the quintessential storage receptacle – the box. And just like the box, it can be used in all places and for any purpose.

With a consistent flair for matching its contents and surroundings, Sowieso cuts a fine figure in every location.

Stereo / Sofa
Fans of classic stereo stylings will have no difficulty finding the perfect spot to place this couch. Stereo looks great on its own but several of them can also easily be joined together to form an attractive suite.

Tiefschlaf / Bed
Anyone who enjoys falling into a deep sleep will love this bed, which is so low that it almost seems to hover. This elegant nocturnal solution is not only pleasing to the eye but also does justice to the owner’s individual comfort.

Kammerdiener / Valet
This valet performs its duty whenever and wherever it is called upon. It will happily serve as a coat rack in the hall, gladly provide towels in the bathroom, and makes no fuss when buried under a pile of clothes in the bedroom.

Sebastian Herkner runs his own studio in Offenbach in which he designs mainly lamps, lighting and furniture along with a range of other products.

His product designs incorporate the latest trends into familiar objects, for which the challenge lies in revealing his own creative, playful approaches through shapes, materials, craftsmanship and technology. His works can be seen at a range of trade fairs and exhibitions.

Sebastian Herkner is the proud holder of the 2010 red dot design award.

The red dot design museum is among the world’s largest exhibitions of contemporary design. Almost 1,500 items are on display in an area covering more than 4,000 square metres.

All prize-winning products go on display for at least one year in the awe-inspiring setting of the former Zollverein Coal Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2001.

The building’s imposing architecture lends it the gravitas and grandeur of a museum. This former boiler house of the Zollverein Coal Mine was converted for red dot design to plans by British architect Lord Norman Foster. It is one of the most impressive industrial buildings from the first half of the 20th century and is often reverentially referred to as a “cathedral of industrial heritage”.

The red dot design museum is a mecca for fans of design and architecture and attracts more than 140,000 visitors every year.

Architect Sabine Mühlbauer and artist Thomas Tritsch founded MORGEN Fine Furniture & Fine Arts in 1998. MORGEN sees itself as a happy medium between vocations of the most diverse nature: Architecture and interior design. Art and design. Music, events, and last but not least, crafts.

In 2008 MORGEN divided its activities into four categories.

• MORGEN studio
• MORGEN collection
• MORGEN & friends
• MORGEN gallery

MORGEN studio oversees interior design projects from idea to execution in public and private buildings. The studio, in Frankfurt’s east harbour, carries out projects and designs furnishings for trade fairs, museums, restaurants, shops, offices and the furniture industry. Every piece of furniture produced at the company’s own factory is made using traditional artisan methods. MORGEN pieces can be seen at Atari, Bread & Butter Berlin & Barcelona, cocoonclub, Goldman Holding, Grey Worldwide, Jung von Matt 1:1, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg, Nike and Red Bull. They are also popular with smaller but no less influential companies and private customers.

MORGEN collection features timeless objects which have been inspired by work with individual clients and high-profile personalities. All the furniture items have their own background, idea and history. They have no affectations but still demonstrate a strong character. They can be integrated into their environment without receding into the periphery. They can be combined and transformed but always work in isolation as well. Coated birch plywood, aluminium, elegant veneers and solid woods are the core materials used in the collection. Before delivery, each unique piece is signed and embossed with a serial number. They are available in selected stores in Europe and the US.

MORGEN & friends is the company shop. Occupying more than 350 square metres, it serves as a showroom for international furniture and lighting manufacturers and, of course, artisans working in all trades. Down the years and from day to day, many strong collaborations have been forged which have fine-tuned our flair for living space design.

MORGEN gallery is the living room, the passion and the inspiration. MORGEN uses it to stage exhibitions, concepts, readings, installations and memorable parties. But it is mainly the guests who help make each evening a special one. Our thanks, as always, go to the artists who work and exhibit with us.

Maedchenwahn, the micro-label known above all for its recycling of textiles, was founded in 2007 by the interior designer Izabella Markiewicz. She started off by taking an old but much loved jumper and sewing it to make a cuddly toy. This was followed by other recycling projects, such as bags and accessories for the home.

The designer sews intricate one-off items and mini ranges by hand, including accessories, jewellery and designs for the home.

Bags, cases and purses, plus jewellery and home accessories made from material, all evolve from recycled textiles that she obtains from flea markets and second-hand shops or that have been donated. The selected textiles are cut up, sorted, decorated and combined with other textiles or materials before re-emerging as colourful, lighthearted but always practical creations.

The designer gains inspiration during the creative process. A worn-out piece of clothing, the given form, or maybe what she knows about the previous wearer often plays a role in the products’ development. She values individuality, handwork and sustainability. She creates products aimed primarily at young women and children who would like to share her colourful world of Maedchenwahn.

Founded by textile designer Susan Krieger, this young workshop explores the opposing principles of beauty and transience, and puts them at the heart of its exclusive concept.

The interplay between material and form evokes the expressive force of a near-forgotten aesthetic. An entire era’s splendour and decadence are united and brought to new heights in harmonious floral patterns of eye-catching grandeur. The motif that reigns supreme is the noble and beautiful lilium regale or regal lily.

Lydia in St. Petersburg brings together elegance, timeless aesthetics and the decadent charm of bygone days in extraordinary products that improve with age.

Susan Krieger studied textile design at the highly respected Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design in Halle an der Saale. For her graduate project, she showed early signs of a great aptitude for transforming surfaces through oxidative processes. The resulting patina is the signature finish for products bearing the Lydia in St. Petersburg name.

Lydia’s craft

Using traditional screen printing, and exclusively by hand, a wide range of materials such as silks and high-quality paper are coated with metal and subsequently oxidised in several laborious stages. This gives the finished products their unmistakable patina.

New life is breathed into an old-established craft, incorporating innovative design. The main style feature is a vibrant patina. Over time, this produces noticeable changes in the surface of the product, from elegant jade sheens to a broad spectrum of subtle hues.

This results in one-of-a-kind pieces with an exceptional look and feel. The finished textiles, which are fashioned in numerous phases, boast a timeless aesthetic and enduring appeal which makes them suitable for various uses. Originality and style are the hallmarks of the various patterns and colour schemes.

The levels and structures underpinning the design often reveal themselves only on second inspection. Changing your viewpoint or the angle at which light falls can complement this effect.

Light & Sound, Light & Media, Light & E-Motion. These were the themes of the 2010 Luminale. Light animates and has the power to transform an atmosphere and brighten moods. Lighting installations draw attention to public rooms, which would otherwise have remained in the shadows.

The fifth version of this lighting biennial was held in Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region from 11 to 16 April, at the same time as the leading international exhibition Light+Building. There were a total of around 150 light-themed events. Artists, designers, performance and visual artists, VJs and DJs, architects and engineers accepted the offer from Luminale to transform museums, galleries, industrial architecture, building sites, monuments, facades, squares and parks into an international lighting laboratory for the duration of the fair.

On 31 October 2009, in the heart of the Odenwald forest, a factory unlike any other opened its doors to the public – the Glücksfabrik or “happiness factory”. It is home to the interactive exhibition of koziol, which has been making high-quality design products from synthetic materials for more than 80 years. The brand, the concept of happiness and, of course, design all come under the spotlight here.

Stephan Koziol, the current family owner, had long held a desire to launch this extraordinary project. An open day in December 2006, which drew more than 4,000 people to Erbach, finally convinced him to turn dream into reality. His unique creation, the only one of its kind in the world, serves to satisfy this huge demand for information and inspiration. Adopting an original, exciting and entirely new approach, it was intended as a popular new visitor attraction for Koziol’s home region.

It didn’t take long to find the perfect name: Glücksfabrik meaning “happiness factory”. Because happiness is the brand’s core value and lies at the heart of everything this long-established company does.

“Better Design – Bigger Smile” – this koziol motto takes centre stage in a hands-on 3D experience which brings to life the brand’s unique appeal. It also communicates the firm’s fundamental values: 100% recyclable materials, 100% eco-friendly production, 100% made in Germany. Here you can see and experience for yourself the latest in social and economic sustainability.

The ‘happiness factory’ comprises three sections: the koziol museum, the ‘happiness canteen’ and the new design outlet store. These are places that deliver memorable moments as they educate – but also entertain – with their focus on design and current affairs over the decades.

Viennese designer Tino Valentinitsch was commissioned to design the museum.

Facts and figures:

The “happiness factory” covers an area of around 1,500 square metres, encompassing the koziol museum (approx. 850m²), the design outlet store (450m²), and the “happiness canteen” (200m²). There are also some 1,800 square metres of grounds.

Aside from the general public, the attraction targets retail partners who travel to Erbach to find out about the specific merchandising solutions and positioning techniques.

The energy-efficient building was designed with careful consideration for the local environment. It has a green or ‘living’ roof, the existing structure has been integrated into the new, and the waste heat produced by machinery is used for air-conditioning.