Sebastian Herkner at imm cologne 2016

Sebastian Herkner, a product designer with his own studio in Offenbach am Main and a graduate of Offenbach University of Art and Design will be designing the experimental format »The House – Interiors on Stage« as Guest of Honor at the next imm cologne in January 2016. This involves a simulation of a home, which is set up in the middle of the Pure Editions (Hall 2.2) and covers an area of around 240 square meters; the idea each time is dreamed up by a different nominated designer. The combination of furniture, colours, materials, lighting and accessories chosen by the designer creates an individually configured interior design, which should not only be future-oriented, but also functional and authentic.

At a press conference on September 9, 2015 at the Lili Tempel in Offenbach, Herkner presented some of his previous works to an international audience, along with his concept for »The House« in 2016. Creating a soft architecture, in Herkner’s house walls will be replaced by flexible curtains made of home fabrics, PVC and industrial textiles. With the current refugee crisis as a major source of inspiration, the designer views his »House« as a statement for greater openness and freer living.

With this nomination, Herkner joins a series of renowned designers: In 2012, the Indo-Brit design duo of Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien launched the new format, staging an almost organically grown space that permits communicative togetherness of inhabitants and cultures. In 2013, Italian product designer Luca Nichetto continued this design event with an elegant ensemble open to nature on all sides. In 2014, it was Danish designer Louise Campbell made »The House« into a low-tech anchor of calm, and most recently the Chinese architect couple Rossana Hu and Lyndon Neri challenged traditional rituals of living. imm cologne 2016 takes place from January 18 to 24, 2016 in Cologne.