After meeting in Milan in 2007, Jerry Helling, CEO of Berhardt Design, asked HANSANDFRANZ to give him some thoughts on a new piece for the company. After analyzing the Bernhardt portfolio, they decided to create a bench and a stool in a timeless shape: a light frame of two intersecting loops made of polished stainless steel with a thin cushion of alluring color. “Our thought was that they should be minimalist multifunctional seating elements for private and also public rooms, which do a little more than the usual,” says Landuris. “Cycle’s open character wants to encourage people to communicate, for example, and its generous face invites people to take a seat. Berhardt liked the idea and the collaboration began."

Is a high-powered LED light object manufactured by Macrolux that can expand between floor and ceiling, and using the wall as a reflector, and the transformable shade’s dexterity; create a ‘light-atmosphere’. The concept is a lamp that is integrated into its architectural surrounding, which makes a minimum use of space and a maximum emotional impact. “We are a generation that is not pioneering in design but pioneering in ideas,” reflects Wittmann. “It’s easy to say we’d like to design for unknown galaxies or imagine how to build furniture for people living on Mars – it is much more challenging to design products for Earthlings that they connect with and find useful, while also being provocative. We do what we can with this by using interesting materials, and unusual shapes, and different thinking.”

This a concrete landscaping system with elements of inspiration from Hadid’s Wave (the idea of an ongoing sidewalk that becomes public space seating) born of another unusual collaboration with concrete manufacturing company Godelmann, normally in the business of manufacturing sidewalks. The system is designed to be multi-functional and user-specific. 3D concrete surfaces can combine in modules to become lounge areas, tree-beds, sandboxes or ponds, and for public spaces, have elements that provide for umbrellas, trashcans, signage and lightpoles. “Our basic premise is: let’s look into the future, guess what is there and strive for this in our products,” says Landuris. “We are constantly trying to imagine the needs of the future by thinking about what materials and technologies will be available then, how to work with these, and how these will change the demands of and reasons for how and why things are made. How will we live in 100 years or 1000 years? Will we even need furniture? Will we need kitchens? Because we think these things and work them into our designs, our work is sustainable in the sense that while some of it may not appear so useful for now, it will reveal its uses in the future. We hope people understand this and fall in love with the thoughts behind our work”. The next unusual collaboration is with Pure Cast iron melting company – on a cast, re-imagined stainless steel chess set.

HANSANDFRANZ’s current inspiration with business is collaboration with unexpected clients. Lefty is a prototype lightweight chair proposed for a cycling company that didn’t go through but the concept was cool. The proposition is a basic stacking seat for indoor and outdoor use made of powder-coated aluminum profiles cut in varying lengths and angles, and welded together to form a minimalist but stable construction. With its visible welding seams, it refers to the industrial provenance of motorcycles and bikes. The polyurethane backrest and seating function as add-ons and are fixed in place to mimic a motorbike saddle. “During the development of our self-initiated Lefty project, we tried to question conventions and avoid reverting to already existing archetypes in order to experiment and explore with new ways of sitting,” say the duo. This ignited their zeal for imaginative co-creative opportunities: “Eventually, we would love to be working on the Apple chair, or the Facebook lamp.”

This E.T. phone home-like lamp received a Special Mention from the Milan jury the first and only year HANSANDFRANZ went to Milan (2007). Italian manufacturer Kundalini took it on. “We had to make only little changes to our prototype so as to fulfill some electrical and mechanical requirements. The original name was Troja because it reminded us of the tail of the Trojan Horse but in Italian this is a very bad word, so we had to also change the name,” recalls Wittmann of their first self-generated prototype to go into manufacturing. Based on the technology of LEDs, this lamp is constructed in two bows (one aluminum, one LED) that slide against one another, giving it the ability to extend and react to the user’s individual needs. At times a reading lamp and at others a sentient creature that evokes a whole room-aura with its shape and otherworldly LED luminosity – this is a nod to tomorrow’s world.

The first thing visitors see when approaching the Lenbachhaus is the letter sculpture designed by Munich-born artist Thomas Demand. The artist, whose works have been shown at London's Tate Modern, the Guggenheim in New York, and the Stadel in Frankfurt has created a contrasting statement to the brass facade. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

The sliding doors to a deck are by the Canadian company Dynamic Architectural Windows & Doors.

Serve treats on a tray as rich as dessert itself with the marble-and-walnut Duo serving tray from Bower.

Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany: 2006 World Cup) Luminous and lofty, Allianz Arena lit up the 2006 competition with its revolutionary façade, a membrane of inflated plastic panels that can change color. Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron designed the stadium to put spectators as close to the action as possible. Photo by Mohamed Yahya, Creative Commons

Architect Ulrich Hamann of the London-based firm Foster & Partners created a seamless addition to the 19th century Neo-Classical building that was home and studio of artist Franz von Lenbach. For the Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau, as the new addition is known, Hamann wrapped the exterior in brass. Making this eye-catching statement, he set if off from the palatial style of the museums that surround it. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

When the villa was completed in 1890, its architect, Gabriel von Seidl designed the peaceful Italian Renaissance garden that surrounds it. The café in the Foster & Partners addition will overlook the restored gardens. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

Visitors to the Lenbachhaus Museum used to enter through the villa's front door. To the left is architect Ulrich Hamann's new entrance into the skylit atrium. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

Custom built-in furniture takes design cues from the home’s timber frame. The staircase and all built-in storage objects are made of wood. Two black wood units separate the stairwell from the living room and kitchen.

Thanks to its timber frame and simple design, House B was built in less than six months.

Sky-high ceilings are created by a sculptural pitched roof. Its uneven angles are the result of the required setback distances from surrounding roads and houses.

What everyday item would you like to see made domestically? We would love to see more of the technology we use in our daily lives—everything from laptops to smartphones—produced here, but the manufacturing side of our economy has historically focused on industrial products. Duo Server by Bower, $180.

The underside of the home’s timber floors are left exposed, creating geometric wood ceilings for the rooms below. FRdesign’s pared-down Mass sofa maintains a quiet presence in the living area.

The EOS GmbH rapid-manufacturing facility in Munich employs laser sintering machines to produce the Trabecula bench. Sintering is the process in which laser energy is used to fuse together individual particles of matter.

The Cuvilliés-Theater in Munich is a gilt fantasy.

As the sun angle changes throughout the day, the aperture of the facade tubing changes with it, sometimes projecting an array of individual spotlights around the living room and gallery.

In the top floor study area, a pair of Copenhague Desks by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for HAY are stationed below a Sax hanging light by Vertigo Bird.

A family of Eames Molded Plastic Side Chairs surround a Loop Stand High Table by HAY in the dining area. Aplomb suspension lamps by Foscarini, a Smeg stove, and an oblong Cut vase by Studio Minotti for Bosa adhere to the home’s black and white color palette.

White polyurethane floors create the illusion of increased space, and add brightness and depth to the interior.

Centro Duo Oval Free-standing Bathtub by Scottsass Associati, produced by Franz Kaldewei GmbH& Co. KG.

A handsome duo of chairs also by Channels.

The ModuLayer magnetic wallcoverings from Visual Magnetics Dynamic Spaces allow endless personalization, as the designs can be moved freely without any special adhesives or glue.

Playfully protruding and recessed windows define the street-facing side of the house, maintaining privacy while ushering in sunlight. A series of large glazed windows face the backyard garden.

Design duo Morten & Jonas find inspiration from their view of a fjord in Bergen, Norway. The colors and curves in their office belie their playful style, exhibited in creations such as the Wobbelhead Lamp.

Winter holidays are the time to be adorned with jewelry for the season. Jeweler Julie Cristello created these beautiful duo tone ceramic beads using Heath's very own clay and glazes. The single statement bead measures 2.75", fitted to a brass choker that is 16.5" long.

This dynamic duo traveled to some of the world’s most beautiful places while running a successful creative business from the road. Having recently completed their second DIY conversion, Lexi and Cody continue to embrace the trials, tribulations, and joys of van life, giving the concept of an “open office” a whole new meaning.

New York–based design and manufacturing studio Allied Maker was started by Ryan Rizzo in 2012, operating out of a garage woodworking studio on Long Island. A year later, then-neighbor Lanette entered the picture, and the new couple and creative duo went on the build the dynamic studio we know today.

Up above the sitting room a duo of Eames shell chairs and a bank of luminous operable windows await a pair of weary readers.

Furniture by Belgian duo Muller Van Severen. Photo by Fien Muller.

A 1972 ticket to the Munich Olympics, a vintage lacquer plate, and Eva Zeisel salt and pepper shakers for Nambe perch in front of the atrium which abuts the kitchen.

According to Deming, "we created Yield as a vehicle to introduce objects that we want to see exist in the world.” The designers “hope to challenge some of the traditional boundaries that exist between industrial design, fashion, and business as the work we do straddles them all.” The result is an inclusive and cohesive design brand that balances thoughtful material use with innovative design elements.