German Design Award 2016
Three works by Felix Schwake were nominated for the German Design Award 2016. The nominations recognize an ongoing design investigation into questions of materiality, function, and spatial clarity.
The nominated works — a desk with sideboard, an executive desk, and a conference table — follow a reduced architectural approach. Design is not understood as decorative staging, but as the conscious organization of use, material, and atmosphere.
At the center of the works lies the question of how functions can be fully integrated into clear geometric forms. Technical requirements, storage, and usability are not made additionally visible, but are developed as natural components of the architectural order itself.
The reduction to precise proportions and calm materials does not serve formal rigor alone. Rather, the objects create conditions that support concentration, calmness, and spatial clarity. Architecture and functional art are understood as a background for communication, work, and everyday life.
Materiality and craftsmanship are of particular importance. High-gloss lacquered surfaces, natural stone, and precisely executed details respond sensitively to light and space. The objects change their appearance depending on perspective, use, and the atmosphere of their surroundings.
The nominations for the German Design Award therefore reflect less a search for formal attention than a long-term engagement with permanence, material awareness, and spatial quality.
The work of Felix Schwake consciously positions itself between architecture, interior design, and functional art. Design is understood not as a short-lived visual appearance, but as a long-term spatial experience that continuously influences everyday life and perception.