Nomination
Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2012
With the nomination for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2012, Felix Schwake received recognition for a project that exemplifies his approach to combining function, order, and minimalist design. The nominated project was the desk K-1 — a design that fully integrates technical requirements and everyday working processes into a reduced geometric form.
At the time, the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany was regarded as one of the country’s most significant state-supported design awards, recognizing projects that combined design quality with innovative development.
The desk K-1 follows a consistently purist formal language. Its external appearance remains calm, clear, and free from visible technology or organizational clutter. At the same time, the design conceals a complex functional system within its interior.
Four extendable functional compartments integrate multimedia technology, computer hardware, and organizational work materials directly into the furniture itself. Cables, devices, and office materials are fully absorbed into the construction while remaining immediately accessible at all times.
Particularly essential to the concept is the idea that function should neither be suppressed nor simply made invisible, but intelligently organized. The design does not attempt to artificially abstract everyday work processes, but instead develops a spatial order that enables concentration without restricting usability.
As a result, the working surface remains free and calm without requiring technical infrastructure or work materials to remain permanently visible. At the same time, there is no loss of functionality or accessibility.
The desk K-1 exemplifies the central design attitude of Felix Schwake: architecture and design should create clarity without denying actual use. Technology is not staged visually, but fully integrated into a calm geometric order.
The nomination for the Design Award of the Federal Republic of Germany 2012 therefore recognized not only the formal qualities of the object, but above all the connection between minimalist aesthetics, technological innovation, and functional precision.