Christian, Jeremy and I started our design practice in a small room in a shared office building. The house was full of creative energy thanks to its wonderful residents. Collectiveness and kindness and warmth made it the perfect incubator for our humble beginnings. The flexibility and goodwill of our studio neighbors made it easy for us to grow our space as we slowly grew our team.
Last year we made the decision to head out. We felt in need of better infrastructure and more room. We felt ready for new surroundings and new perspectives. We’ve found what we were looking for close to the Lake of Zürich at Seefeldstrasse 307. Embedded in a professional community of art, architecture, product and brand design, we feel very well placed. The whole team now works in one big, open space. Something that I missed quite a bit in our previous setup. Thanks to Emanuelle, a fantastic interior architect and a friend of the studio, we found clever ways to make the dozen work stations easy to access and still intimate to work at. For phases of intense collaboration we have two separate rooms where we can go loud and wild. All of the spaces and how they are connected form a lively environment for intended and spontaneous encounters. Objects, materials, textures, and colors tell the story of the people working here. Clear shapes, minimal decoration, focus on functionality. It’s all us. Just reimagined.
Prompted by an overheard conversation where the term “more established, more professional” was used to describe the new studio, I thought about what this means for our practice. Is it more established because of the new space? Certainly not. Is it perceived as such by first time visitors? Probably, yes. Could it change our own perception? Potentially, it could. This would mean, the character of a space is not just declarative of its inhabitants, but also instructive for their behavior. I’m fascinated by this thought, but have no idea if it holds any truth.
What I do know is that for me, Interactive Things feels more grown up. Although still in the process of growing up. Our new studio seems to be indicator and benchmark at the same time. It gives us space, but also demands us to live up to its promises.
When I was talking to a friend about the new place, she said the following to me: “It must be so nice to be able to have, you know, built something that can live in a place like this. I supposed that’s a weird way of saying it, but I think you know what I mean.” I do know what she meant. I can’t say that I disagree with her.