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Siebensachen

Things and invisible things.

»I said I’d take the fountain pen, but I never used it. It has a super-thick nib, which is typical of my father — he liked things to be flashy and super-thick. The letters ‘a’ and ‘e’ are almost completely filled with ink. Then I went to Karstadt and asked how much it would cost to replace the nib with an M. The saleswoman said, ‘160 marks.’ I asked how much the whole fountain pen would cost. She replied, “380 marks.” Gulp! I would never buy a fountain pen for 380 marks. But I kept it anyway. I thought, ‘It’s a good fountain pen. Now you have it, and it belonged to Dad.’ But it has a thin nib now. This is my nib now; it’s one that I can write with. I can’t write with the other one — the thick nib. I thought it would be a shame to just leave this valuable fountain pen lying around unused. So I decided to use it too « — Adolf Loos & Franz Glück (1)

They are there. Often unnoticed. Yet, helpful. They are the things in everyday life that we have become so accustomed to that we no longer even notice them. Little things. Our favourite things. They are so commonplace that we almost forget they were once designed. They are so commonplace that we almost forget to ask whether they could be designed differently! So what are the stories told by the things around us? About ourselves? About themselves? About others?

When Lucius Burckhardt writes that design is invisible, he is not referring to the most comfortable use of a design, but to its social context: after all, what use is the most beautiful tram if it does not run at night? According to this understanding, designers should not solely strive to adorn the most functional object with formal criteria of beauty. Rather, they should aim to create designs »that are capable of consciously taking into account invisible overall systems consisting of objects and interpersonal relationships « (2).

(1)
Loos, A. und Glück F. (1962) Von einem armen reichen Mann – Sämtliche Schriften in zwei Bänden, 1.Bd., Verlag Herold, p 203. Translated from German by means of DeepL

(2)
Burckhardt, L. (2012) Design ist unsichtbar. In Design ist unsichtbar – Entwurf, Gesellschaft & Pädagogik, Martin Schmitz Verlag, p. 25.
 
This foundation class (3. semester) focuses on everyday objects and their seemingly invisible framework conditions. Step by step. Hands-on approach from exploring a context to the final design. No prior knowledge of three-dimensional design was required. Students had a wide range of media to choose from. Nevertheless, students explored how to develop and communicate design solutions using various digital and analogue prototyping techniques. Aspects of manufacturing, usability and product life cycles has been addressed. To this end, the class took a closer look at plywood (Formholz). An excursion to the Kohl veneer factory in Karlstadt, as well hands-on experience with workshop master Steffen Töpfer ↗ has been conducted.


Supervision Prof. Judith Glaser
Winter Term 2025/25

mö stands for slowing down, personalisation and intimacy. It is an adaptable object that blends with its user. As a personal companion for everyday life, mö creates a small, private space for eating, working, reading, drawing or relaxing. Thanks to its lightweight, compact design, it is highly versatile and enables you to spend quality time alone, regardless of location or situation.
The design was inspired by a common scenario: eating on the sofa after a long, stressful day. This small personal pleasure is often felt as improvised or restrictive with conventional furniture. Attempting to place a side table on one's lap revealed that existing objects do not respond to the body and its needs. 

This gave rise to the central question: could the form of the object adapt to the person rather than the other way around?
During the design process, the idea emerged to create an object that would conform to the individual user's body and become part of it. The shape of the user's lap formed the basis for the subsequent design, resulting in a piece of furniture that prioritises closeness, comfort and personal rituals.

Ist dir Jacke wie Hose, was du trägst?

The clothes you wear all day long should simply work for you in every way. My project began as a thought experiment based on the idea that nobody really knows how to visualise this concept. The result is a comfortable, durable, cool and versatile garment. Although it is shaped like a pair of trousers, it can quickly be transformed into a jacket by unzipping the zips. The mesh inserts in the accent colour that are revealed when this happens are integral to the jacket’s design.

Thanks to its outdoor-inspired material properties, it is lightweight and can easily be used to protect yourself against the weather and prying eyes. The idea of 'less is more' is embodied by the fact that Jacke wie Hose can be worn as both a top and bottoms. Jacke wie Hose is sometimes a jacket, sometimes trousers, and always both at the same time. It’s a garment that defies categorisation. Why not just wear it?

We’ve all been there: you come home and throw your things down somewhere, and then, when you have to leave again, you can’t find anything. Staeck is all about reimagining the traditional coat rack. The question is, how do you manage to store your 
Siebensachen in a minimal amount of space?
I’ve designed a coat rack with a modular system that can be customised to suit your needs. The 20 x 60 cm wooden board can be mounted on the wall either vertically or horizontally. Thanks to the grid, you can also combine multiple boards on the wall. This allows you to expand the coat rack system as needed.

The grid itself consists of two rows, each with six sections. Each section has two holes positioned diagonally opposite each other. Wooden rods can be inserted into these holes to hang jackets, bags or similar items. The angled holes are designed to hold a thin wooden board in place. However, items such as letters can also be placed in between them.

My grandma shaved her head.
She wants big, colorful flowers to adorn her ears.
Flowers wilt.
Maybe that’s what makes them so special.
Vanitas.
Transience.
Teaches us to let go.
And to make room for a new beginning.
Flowers wilt, but they sprout all the more beautifully from the earth the following year. We appreciate everything that has a foreseeable end much more.

créer is French for »to create« .

My grandma wanted flowers; I wanted to grant her wish.
In a world of Temu and Shein, we don’t need even more disposable jewelry made from the cheapest materials and imported from China. The sustainable alternative: compostable, disposable jewelry that you can create at home using just a few ingredients.


Every piece of jewelry is unique, tailored to your taste.

stille wasser is a lamp that responds to touch and emotions. A focused light illuminates a shallow bowl filled with water, casting a harmonious play of light onto the surrounding space.

When stressed, the mind becomes restless and the hands rarely stay still. Touching the water creates waves that are immediately transformed into visual patterns which allows tension to be released through movement. The interaction offers a moment of distraction, shifting attention away from racing thoughts.

stille wasser is designed as a tool for slowing down. By interacting with the water, users can calm their thoughts, reduce stress, and gradually return to a state of focus and balance.

Vertica is a modular container system composed of three independent elements, designed for compact living environments and dense urban spaces. It responds to a present in which space is limited and must be used flexibly. Rather than occupying floor area, Vertica organizes space vertically.

The individual containers can be stacked, separated, and recombined. This creates an organizational system that is not fixed but remains open and adaptable. Vertica brings together function, variety, and object character, understanding order as a fluid and evolving state.

1 square. 4 straps. 6 holes. 1 square — X ways to use it. My possibilities.

I take 1·X. I feel the fabric. I let the straps glide through my hands. I drape 1·X over myself. I wrap 1·X around myself. I tie 1·X in a knot. I sit on 1·X. Me and 1·X. My possibilities. I sense, I feel, I think, I see. I see my possibility, not in buying, but in appreciating, reinventing, and being creative.

1 square. 4 ribbons. 6 holes. 1 square, X ways to use it. My possibilities.

The coffee table explores the principle of clamping as a structural and design element. Inspired by the mechanics of a paper clip, it creates a connection in which stability is achieved not through fixed screw fastenings, but through tension. The tabletop is clamped between the table legs, thus forming the functional and visual centerpiece of the object.
This open construction principle developes into a modular system. The tabletop and fabric pouch are interchangeable and not permanently fixed. The fabric pouch is attached to the table legs with buttons.

The table is conceived less as a finished piece of furniture and more as a variable system that allows for change. Material, function, and use are deliberately left open and can be individually reconfigured by the user.

Skräp, or in other words »Kram«,  is a modular shelving system designed to store all the little things that accumulate in everyday life and often don’t have a designated place. Since items vary in shape and size, the system prioritises flexibility over rigid compartments. A clear grid forms the basic structure into which individual shelves can be freely inserted, moved or removed, all without the need for drilling, hammering or gluing. 

This allows for ever-changing compartment sizes, tailored to the specific contents. Starting with a simple base unit, a versatile organisation system emerges that can be reconfigured at any time. Skräp combines functionality with a playful design, turning storage into a personal creative process.

We don’t want no smoke, we just CLIQ.

CLIQ is metal cardholder built around a familiar motion: the unmistakable flip of a Zippo-style opening mechanism. Not because it is loud or dramatic, but because it is precise, satisfying, and impossible to resist repeating once you have tried it. Machined from metal, the cardholder has a clean, restrained form that lets the mechanism do the talking. The opening action introduces a small, deliberate pause between closed and open, a moment that turns a functional task into a tactile experience. It opens with intention, closes with confidence, and feels complete in both states.

Aesthetically, the design balances sharp edges with controlled proportions, creating an object that looks composed even when doing nothing at all. When opened, the hinge and motion become part of the visual language: exposed, honest, and quietly mechanical. Beyond holding cards, the mechanism doubles as a discreet fidget. The flip is smooth, repeatable, and oddly calming, ideal for idle hands, overthinking minds, or anyone who appreciates well-engineered movement. It does not promise productivity, but it may improve meetings. In the end, this is not just a cardholder. It is a small object that combines structure, motion, and aesthetics into something you will use for your cards and keep flipping open for no practical reason at all.

We’ve all been there. You’re standing in the supermarket, thinking to yourself, »Crap!« – you have forgotten your shopping bag again. If you even have a purse with you, it can barely hold anything. So the stacking begins: With every item you add, your mobility becomes more restricted, and eventually you end up leaving some things behind altogether. The walk home? A nightmare! Wouldn't you rather just get a plastic bag for 50 cents?

LAGOM is designed to solve this problem. It’s the bag that expands to fit its contents. It's stylish enough that you'll want to use it every day. It's designed so that you won't need another bag. It's perfect for spontaneous shopping trips or for being well-prepared for any situation. The name LAGOM comes from the Swedish word for »not too much and not too little«, in other words, »just right«. The bag embodies this principle perfectly, always adapting to its contents.

Hochstapler functions as a modular plug-in system. Its foundation is a minimalist s-shape. As the pattern repeats, the stack grows, and order emerges. Volume and surface area are created. Height meets width, and the design remains flexible. Colored bricks stabilize and define the structure. Remove a colored brick, and space opens up for the next module. Board by board. 

New pieces find their place wherever space becomes available. The building block shapes follow a grid that runs throughout the entire system. Variety emerges through combination and experimentation. No shape is final, every arrangement is open to expansion. Storage space is not planned, it grows. Add another one on top!