YOUR
LIFE
AS DO THE VASES FROM ROSENTHAL. WHETHER ON THEIR OWN OR AS PART OF AN INFORMAL SET.
FLOWERS MAKE YOU HAPPY.
VASES TRANSFORM ROOMS
AND THEY ARE AN IRRESISTIBLE EVERYDAY DESIGN OBJECT. G I A N L U C A C O LO N N A M A N A G I N G D I R E C TO R | R O S E N T H A L G M B H
WONDERFUL
Feldspar, kaolin, quartz. It’s amazing what you can make with just three components. Porcelain is a material with unimaginable creative possibilities. Twisted, pressed, cast, fired and finished by
hand, occasionally resulting in amazing works of art. Just like the vases from Rosenthal, which make stunning focal points in any room.
A vase can be so many different things – a room transformer, mood barometer, collectible, objet d’art. It even has a function
when it’s not being used, unlike many other objects. And even without flowers or branches adorning it, a vase is still the centrepiece of any decorative arrangement – whether on its own or as part of an informal set. When combined with surprising items,
cherished souvenirs and true pieces of art, it becomes a team player in a three-dimensional still life that brings a touch of indi-
viduality into anyone’s home. Well thought-out, maybe even boasting an artistic design, a vase exerts an almost irresistible magnetic pull.
Handicraft enthusiasts It’s a long road, however, until a vase such as Fast, Geode or Fondale makes it onto people’s sideboards, tables or shelves. Making porcelain objects is a complex process, which still in-
volves a lot of manual work despite modern production plants. Rosenthal draws on the extensive experience of its employees, including designers, modellers and porcelain painters. They
create collections in a sustainable and resource-saving way at
the Rosenthal am Rothbühl in Selb and Thomas am Kulm in
Speichersdorf plants. Great technical expertise and craftsmanship are required when e.g. a 3D printed shape is transformed into porcelain. What’s both surprising and gratifying – Rosenthal
porcelain is still made in Germany. They also collaborate with
other manufacturers when e.g. it involves making challenging, hand-blown glass objects such as the Jos, Dagg or Riite vase
collections.
Interior avant-gardists
The want-it-now effect first appears in the early sixties when Philip Rosenthal launches studio-line. The company develops spectacular interior and lifestyle collections, including numerous
vases that have since become design classics – created by designers and artists such as Tapio Wirkkala, Timo Sarpaneva and
Victor Vasarely. By always keeping a close eye on the unity of architecture, art and design, Rosenthal manages to transform itself from a porcelain manufacturer to a manufacturer of
avant-garde interiors.
VERSATILE
Design tinkerer Rosenthal has been a creative fixed star in an entire sector since
then, always keeping pace with the latest technological developments. The hub of creativity is the “Creative Center”, a development department independent of production. They tinker, test,
create, reject, approve. It was no different with the new collec-
tions, which were created together with renowned designers and newcomers such as Sebastian Herkner, Office for Product Design,
Charlotte von der Lancken and Helmi Remes. Different designers create vases that are just as different – they are gone with the
wind, golden pleated, spiralling and winding, adorned with glass droplets, stacked on top of each other, apparently smashed to pieces. Want it? Definitely!
SQUALL
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HOW IT AGES AND HOW IT CAN BE
RUBY BARBER
Ruby Barber has loved flowers for as long as she can remember. Raised in a family enthusiastic about art and design, the Australian stylist has now been living in Berlin for several years. She arranged the plants, flowers and fruit in this magazine for Rosenthal. Ruby Barber sells her floral pieces of art under the label Mary Lennox at her Am Lokdepot located showroom in Berlin. We talked to her about happiness, lifestyle and favourite vases. Flowers are your passion. Why? Nature is infinitely diverse. Every stem I hold in my hand is unique and every new project lets the plants and flowers shine in new splendour. Flowers keep my curiosity about life alive. What do plants and flowers have to do with lifestyle? Plants are deeply rooted in our culture – they symbolise the good and the beautiful. Plants and flowers have become more and more important ever since social values have been associated with a green lifestyle. Furniture, art – flowers? What part do plants play in interior design? Nature for me is an essential element of interior design. Lots of furniture and accessories are inspired by natural shapes and colours – so why not go back to the source? The aesthetic language of plants is very powerful with positive associations for the most part. A piece of nature can even make a very rough setting seem gentle.
FLORIS STYLIST
Do flowers change like fashion? There are undoubtedly flowers that go in and out of fashion. But going with the seasons is always timeless. Which flowers did you use for the Rosenthal shoot? Rosenthal is an iconic company – it was great fun pairing selected flowers with specific vases. We looked for flowers with personality, for the unexpected – at farms and markets in Berlin, Hamburg and Aalsmeer. As every vase is different, we wanted to pay homage to every single one with a surprise. This is why we selected unusual plants such as hanging Vanda orchids, exotic fruit, carnivorous plants and flowering herbs for the photo shoot. Do beautiful flowers have to be expensive? It depends on the context. Some of the most beautiful flowers I know grow wild in nature or are sold on the roadside. Flowers are often pricey in towns, but it’s worth spending a little more for beautiful flowers full of character. Flowers are perishable. Is that melancholic or beautiful? The life cycle of a cut flower includes both beauty and melancholy. We need to learn to appreciate the beauty of every single flower, no matter how short-lived. Your favourite vase from Rosenthal? I like the Fondale vase from Office for Product Design, a design studio in Hong Kong. It’s simply wonderful the way this vase frames the flowers with its round opening. Can flowers make you happy? Definitely! It’s even been scientifically proven that plants make you happy. Even looking at a floral painting will make you feel better. What stays, what’s next? I think flowers as a form of expression are here to stay.
VA R I A B L E
M U LT I FAC E T E D
HOT SPOTS
AT T I T U D E
I N T E R P L AY
COLOUR THEORY
BY C H R I S T I N E R AT H M A N N
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OLAF ORCHARD’
Olaf Borchard thinks in pictures. He is an illustrator and a creative consultant. And he also develops the artistic concept for this magazine. The photos – cool still lifes with flowers, blossoms and branches, arranged by the florist Ruby Barber in the fine porcelain and glass vases from Rosenthal. Sometimes Olaf Borchard even picks up a pencil and lets photo shoots, everyday things, fashion and nature inspire him.
TEMP ATIONS
He has come up with two new figures for a series of illustrations,
which he simply calls “Misses”: Miss Palm and Miss Dahlia. Both are tall, slender, have a black pageboy haircut and seductive red lips. And are dressed quite extravagantly. Whereas a bilious green banana leaf snuggles around Miss Palm’s waist up to her
throat, Miss Dahlia’s bright red gown seems to explode with splendid flowers. As different as the two elegant ladies are, they have one thing in common – Miss Palm and Miss Dahlia look
fabulous as they enticingly walk across the porcelain surface of
the limited mug collection from Rosenthal.
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BY H E L M I R E M E S
RIITE
SURFACE APPEAL SURFACE & STRUCTURE HAPTIC SENSATION BALANCE GLASSBLOWING ART
covers Helmi Remes’ works at the Glass Museum in Riihimäki. The product development manager at Rosenthal is so ecstatic that he spontaneously hires the designer for a project. The artistic vase is called Riite and is hand-blown at Xaver Hofmeister’s glassmaking company. “Please touch me!” Riite seems to be calling out. The vase by the Finnish glass designer Helmi Remes is in fact quite sensual, which is mainly down to its haptic quality. A soft, round body meets a roughlooking cuff made from white murrina. “I like things that have a simple design and radiate peace,” Remes responds to the question of whether any aspect of her work could be regarded as typically Finnish. Riite captures the moment in her design, allows the unexpected, plays with contrasts, expresses the quality of the material. “Small grooves on the surface of the glass create a sense of vitality. They are a part of the manufacturing process and have stories to tell.” Family matter Every vase as well as the corresponding bowl Xaver Hofmeister makes is one of a kind. The craftsman comes from a family of glassmakers and is passing down the tradition to his son Sebastian. “We probably have pieces of glass in our blood,” he says, laughing. Father and son work together in a small glassworks in Gebenbach near Amberg in the Upper Palatinate in Germany. Apart from their own designs, the family business also brings high-quality designs by artists to life. Xaver and Sebastian Hofmeister combine contemporary design with traditional craftsmanship techniques. “I want to pass on my knowledge because otherwise the centuries-old techniques will be lost,” Xaver Hofmeister says, and you can see his enthusiasm for the craft.
HOW LIQUID GLASS BECOMES A VASE
MAKING OF
Robert Suk travels to Finland in summer and dis-
RIITE
Matters of the heart Before Xaver Hofmeister started his own business, he had been the head of Rosenthal’s glass studio.
This is why the 58-year-old seems predestined for making creatively ambitious glass objects such as Riite. “When we got the drawings from Rosenthal, we weren’t sure whether we could actually realise the design,” he admits. Fortunately, Hofmeister likes to experiment and loves challenges. The Riite collection is so difficult to produce because it combines two different techniques. This is very rare nowadays as it is very labour intensive, the glassmaker explains.
Works of art Whereas the body of the Riite vase is blown in a wooden form, making the tiny white glass rods is particularly tricky. They are attached to the rim of the vase as a kind of ribbon. “The transitions from rod to rod have to look good and still hold their own,” Hofmeister explains the technical challenge. “Glass doesn’t forgive mistakes, but I think it’s wonderful to be able to create something that can last for centuries.” And Helmi Remes? She compares the art of glassmaking to dancing, “It’s hard physical work
yet still very playful.” How true!
BY H A N N A K R Ü G E R DOUBLE GEMS
J S
J S STAC K A B L E
S U BT L E
T R E A S U R E B OW LS
2 7 c m
2 2 c m
3 0 c m
1 3 c m
2 7 c m
3 2 c m
2 3 c m
3 2 c m
3 2 c m
3 2 c m
4 0 c m
2 7 c m
2 7 c m
2 7 c m
2 7 c m
GEODE
SQUALL
FA ST
2 7 c m
2 7 c m
3 8 c m
2 2 c m
17 c m
1 3 c m
2 1 c m
2 9 c m
2 5 c m
3 8 c m
ODE
COLL ANA
FALDA
2 2 c m
2 8 c m
1 6 c m
2 2 c m
1 6 c m
2 8 c m
1 6 c m
2 8 c m
2 2 c m
2 8 c m
2 2 c m
2 8 c m
1 6 c m
1 6 c m
2 2 c m
3 8 c m
3 3 c m
2 4 c m
3 3 c m
3 3 c m
3 3 c m
FONDALE
HOT SPOTS
2 7 c m
DAGG Ø 20 cm | H 24 cm
Ø 15 cm | H 12 cm
Ø 15,5 cm | H 18 cm
Ø 16 cm | H 19 cm
Ø 15,5 cm | H 11 cm
Ø 28 cm | H 19 cm
3 6 c m
3 3 c m
R I I TE
JOS
ROS E N T H A L G M B H
PUBLISHER
ANDREAS GERECKE
E D I TO R I A L O F F I C E L AYO U T
TEXT
P H OTOS
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P RO D U C T I O N
R OS E N T H A L G M B H H E A D Q UA RT E R GERMANY
SA M B O N E T PA D E R N O I N D U ST R I E S S . P. A . I TA LY
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CO P Y R I G H T
IMPRINT
C R E AT I V E D I R E CT I O N
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C L AU D I A S I M O N E H O F F
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