Winner
Interior Innovation Award 2014

The desk by Felix Schwake, awarded the Interior Innovation Award 2014, exemplifies a design approach that fully integrates technical functionality into a calm architectural order.

At the center of the design stands the question of how concentrated work can be enabled within a technologically complex working environment without allowing technology to permanently dominate the space visually. The answer lies not in additional technical staging, but in the conscious spatial integration of technology itself.

Beneath the extendable work surface are integrated storage areas, power and multimedia connections, as well as a fully concealed cable management system. Work materials, charging devices, cables, and technical infrastructure therefore remain immediately accessible while visually receding entirely into the background.

It was precisely this combination of high functionality and external calmness that convinced the jury of the Interior Innovation Award 2014. Despite extensive technical requirements, the design maintains its clear geometric order and consistently reduced formal language.

The extendable work surface allows direct access to technology and work materials without permanently sacrificing the clarity of the tabletop itself. Mobile phones can be charged within the object, while pens and documents remain organized and readily accessible without visually overwhelming the space.

The design consciously understands the desk not as a representative individual object, but as part of a concentrated working atmosphere. Architecture and furniture are conceived as a background for thought, communication, and everyday life — not as a permanent visual assertion.

The reduction does not serve decorative minimalism, but spatial concentration. Open surfaces, clear proportions, and the visual withdrawal of technical elements create conditions for calmness, order, and focused work.

Materiality, light, and precision of craftsmanship play a central role within the project. Its effect emerges not through formal complexity, but through the conscious organization of all functional requirements within a calm geometric structure.

The Interior Innovation Award 2014 particularly recognized this connection between minimalist design, technical integration, and enduring spatial quality.

The work of Felix Schwake consciously positions itself between architecture, interior design, and functional art. Design is not understood as a short-term visual effect, but as a lasting spatial experience within everyday life.