Designer Sebastian Herkner studied product design at the HfG Offenbach am Main (Offenbach University of Art and Design), and from the start he focused on designing objects and furniture merging various cultural contexts, combining new technologies with traditional craftsmanship in order to highlight the multifaceted beauty of the materials and draw renewed attention to small details.
Since founding his own design studio in Offenbach am Main in 2006, he has designed products for manufacturers such as ClassiCon, De Vorm, Moroso and nanoo, as well as working on interior design projects and for exhibitions and museums.
The “Bell Table” turns our perceptual habits on their head, using the lightweight, fragile material of glass as base for a metal top that seems to float above it. Hand-blown in the traditional manner using a wooden mould, the transparent tinted glass base asserts a sculptural presence in space, contrasting intriguingly with the solid brass frame on top while also forming with it a harmonious unit recalling the elegant curving silhouette of a bell.
The tea set Chado for Verreum is designed for the celebration of drinking tea. The origin of its name Chado is based on the Japanese designation of tea ceremony. It is a set of archaic and simple designed objects consisting of a tea cup, milk jug, tea pot, cookie bowl and a metal tray. Sebastian Herkner’s aim was to concentrate on the materials like silvered glass and colored frosted glass combined with marble and brass. Every object of this set is made of its most suitable material. The cup for example is made of double walled silvered glass, the tray of metal spanned brass.
“Mint” is a bar on the inside, and on the outside it´s a side table. The story behind the table is the celebration of traditional wood turning. “Mint” hides and integrates a small mini-bar that allows you to store a bottle of wine or other beverages and glasses, which are placed on a separate tray inside. The design provides an inserted intermediate bottom for the glasses and black chrome slide-open lid on the top of the side table.
This shelf called Transit is actually a DIY-project, that Sebastian Herkner designed for the Sueddeutsche Zeitung magazine. Simple, smart and convertible are some characteristics. You can change the order of the elements easily, using them like a box or upside down like a presentation plattform. Besides the fact of storing books, shelves become more and more displays for souvenirs, personal belongings and memories. You can download the (German!) instructions for the shelf here
The Containers are made of silvered and tinted glass. You can use them like a vase or together with the lid like a vessel. This project is a result of the Glass is Tomorrow workshop 2012. Pulpo picked it up 2013 for their new collection.
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