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Cover Feature


“I CHOOSE TO WORK WITH CLIENTS WHO FIRMLY BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF DESIGN”


Above: The Gyrelevel kitchen design for Hettich


Below: The Vello bathroom by Twyford Bathrooms combines a soft romantic aesthetic with optimum functionality and adaptability for a contemporary yet understated bathroom scheme


mind and that he is most proud of. “It is the Scoop collection because it is so sexy – especially the free-standing basin – and because it is the first project that I worked on for Falper.”


Having worked on so many bathroom


projects and products now, it is obvious that for Schmidt there is an inherent attraction to this particular room of the house. And without hesitation he reels off the reasons: “Firstly, I love water and the emotional impact of it on my skin. “Secondly, the bathroom is maybe the most important room in the home. You start the day in the bathroom and you find your freedom and relaxation at the end of the day in there.


“And thirdly - and maybe most importantly of all - when I design products for the bathroom I have to consider so many things: the architecture and interior, the technique, the users, the functionality, the emotion and all the various materials that we can use for the product. So, it is the complexity and the various facets that create this attraction for me,” explains Schmidt. But when asked which of the products he has designed throughout his career is his favourite, the answer does not come quite so easily. “To be honest, I can‘t really say. For the most part every product I have designed has its own special story. Designing a product is a long process and one that starts with a great deal of desire and ends with


a question: did I find the right solution for my ideas and thoughts and does the story I have created about the product inspire the people?”


In fact, Schmidt admits that his favourite


project is always the next one, the one he is about to start. And he already has a few ideas regarding what he would like his next projects to be, including a kitchen, cooking utensils and an e-bike. He has even identified companies he would like to work with. “To work for Loewe would be a great


pleasure for me. Last year, we undertook our first project in the home entertainment sector for a Japanese company, but we weren’t able to incorporate all of our ideas into the project. So I think that Loewe would be the right company to work with,” says Schmidt assertively.


But for the moment, he is concentrating


his work in two distinct directions: bathroom lighting and outdoor lighting. “With LED technology there will be so many new possibilities. I am working on these two areas together with the LightFusionLab of the Fraunhofer Institut in Stuttgart and we are hoping to have our first results at the end of this year.” designer


Code2design www.code2design.de


Alchemy Design Award www.alchemyaward.com


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