11 Questions for... Interior Conceptual Designer Lars Schneider

I am Lars Schneider, a native of the Rhineland and since 2005 a Berliner by choice. At the beginning of 2002 I founded the design office DESERVE together with Mario Lorenz. Based in Berlin and Wiesbaden, we work on projects that often merge spaces and media, such as exhibition concepts and media for various museums.

02. Whatdid you want to be when you were little and why?

When I was twelve, I was quite sure that I wanted to be a pharmacist. One of my aunts used to go from town to town doing vacation substitutions - as a freelancer, so to speak. I liked that :)

"I'm a big fan of "Simplicity""

03. Whatdo you like about your work or what makes it special?

The complexity of our customers and the associated tasks. Over the past 15 years, we've worked with a wide range of clients, from butchers to hairdressers, major banks and auditors to museums and the German Design Council. This allows multi-layered insights that constantly sharpen the view of things from new perspectives.

04. ...and what not at all?

That everyone likes to contribute their own opinion in design matters. The pharmacist has it easier - especially since his prices are fixed!

05. What is your most important work utensil?

My new folding rule that Mario gave me a few weeks ago :)

06. What is the most beautiful thing about your workplace?

My wonderful "Bird", a design by Danish designer Kristian Solmer Vedel for "ArchitectMade". The little one is the only one who is allowed to look over my shoulder all day and is my biggest critic - his beak unmistakably reveals: "Hop" or "Top" ;)

07. Where do you get your ideas from? What inspires you?

I'm a big fan of "simplicity." The visual clutter in our environments and digital media is increasingly shrill - so I think it's more enriching than ever when spaces and things are formulated to the point. The timelessness of Japanese design principles and Arabic geometries, as well as classicist proportions, fascinate me as much as barren, raw landscapes.

08. What went really wrong in the last few months?

In the summer of 2014, we had the opportunity to rent a beautiful space on the Landwehrkanal near our office at Tempelhofer Ufer. As you both probably remember well, I implemented here the idea of a store that had been cherished for many years, in which products from our own pen could be presented alongside products from young local designers in the long term. As a tribute to Berlin's transformation from a party city to a "boomtown" I christened the baby "BOUM" - it was a lot of fun and the response was good. What went wrong was that, in addition to the office and the store, I also coordinated the café operation that rounded out the offering. All in all, that was just too much!
After half a year a decision had to be made and with a heavy heart I decided to give the baby into other care. Today I like to be a guest at "BOUM" and I am happy that the place is so well received. I have learned a lot from the project and now more than ever I appreciate the benefits of being a freelancer.

09. What is your next goal? What projects do you have coming up?

We are currently working on various exhibition concepts that will be implemented soon. For the Salon BRUNETTE, which became three in the spring, I am currently developing the appearance further; as well as the website, which should reflect the development of the Salon in the future.

10. You developed and implemented the entire interior concept of BRUNETTE. How did you go about it and what criteria did you use to make your selection?

For me, a visit to the hairdresser is a very personal, intimate process. I myself have never felt comfortable in salons where I sat in a row with other customers, maybe saw the next row in the mirror, and through a shop window other audience witnessed the scenery. The two hairdressers André Staack and Henry Lemke worked in such a salon themselves until they went to master school - and also in the Hackesche Höfe, a tourist hotspot. Since Mitte was already becoming more and more "Düsseldorfy" at the time, I suggested looking for an authentic, out-of-the-way yet central location. During location scouting, a coach house in a wonderfully unadorned West Berlin backyard on Tempelhofer Ufer near Gleisdreieck Park, which was still under construction at the time, caught my eye; in the neighborhood of galleries and the "Station Berlin", where fashion and art fairs regularly take place.

In my view, a hairdressing salon can function wherever there is also room for a studio or gallery. Only the "reverse washbasins" must be permanently installed - the rest of the interior may be flexible. This quality was brought by the rooms, structured with a Prussian cap ceiling, which were last used by an agency for advertising films. In renovating the rooms, it was important to me to expose their core and prepare them for future use through a muted color selection - as a comforting contrast to the harsh environment. Only the vestibule with mullioned windows contrasts with this and welcomes customers with a sulfur-yellow "color lock" - the CI color of BRUNETTE.

Behind it, customers are greeted by a large black "backdrop table" on which, in addition to fashion, design and architecture magazines, products that complement the salon's range are presented at times. For example, "Mrs. Toni's perfume", "Teatox" tea, "Paletas" ice cream or jewelry from various designers. It invites customers to take a seat, read, try out products and exchange ideas - things that also make up a "salon". The heart of BRUNETTE is a mirror cube around which four operator stations are arranged. The module is so wide that it offers each individual customer sufficient space to be able to devote themselves to the respective hairdresser in a completely relaxed manner. From the cube upwards LED spots shine neutral light into the canopy ceiling and music fills the room from loudspeakers arranged next to it. The module, which stands on rollers, can be folded out like a shell and thus also serves as storage for materials and merchandise.

The lightness of the bright Japanese hairdresser's chairs is reminiscent of classics by Charles and Ray Eames; all other furniture is in matte black or gray and is very restrained. All other light sources - such as the chandelier above the backdrop table, staged from a beer garden chain - also rely on energy-saving LED technology that does not unnecessarily heat up the room climate.

In the warm season, customers can enjoy a sitting area in the leafy part of the intimate courtyard - protected from prying eyes - where they can let their hair colors, wrapped in aluminum foil, soak in. A visit to BRUNETTE thus becomes an experience that lives up to the credo of André Staack and his team: "Authentic styles for Berlin's urban jungle."

11. what you always wanted to tell the world:?

Life is not photoshop ;)

© Photos: Salon: BRUNETTE, utensils: Lars Schneider

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