Lighting designer Ingo Maurer has opened a new showroom in Munich, Germany.
The space was Maurer's factory from 1973 to 2006, when production moved to Schwabing on the outskirts of Munich.
The new showroom will provide a permanent showcase for Maurer's entire lighting collection.
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Ingo Maurer opens a new space in Munich
47 Kaiserstrasse is the long-established Munich headquarters of Ingo Maurer GmbH. The addition in December 2008 of a new showroom space has made this address an important public destination. The space, which was Ingo Maurer’s former production facility has been converted into a studio showroom, and atelier, it will showcase his entire lighting collection, and a large number of "One-Offs". Prior to the renovation of this new space his lamps had been manufactured since 1973 at the Kaiserstrasse location, and now Ingo Maurer has the chance to use the 700m2 (7500 sq ft) space to exhibit his work in the way he would like people to experience it.
"Many of our products have been virtually 'invisible‘ for such a long time - a situation which we were never really happy about. We understand that retailers have only limited space, and at fairs and trade shows we exhibit only our new product lines. We wanted to do something more."
"The showroom will be open year round and offer visitors the advantage to view the entire product line in one place. We will also offer retail sales from the showroom location, so when someone falls in love with a lamp, they may purchase it on the spot and take it home with them. This new space for us is mainly to be a place to share our enthusiasm for light and lighting objects", says Ingo Maurer.
"It is very important for me, that the space will be full of life, a place for communication, a place to share dialogue with others, with people who like my ideas and maybe want to experience them in ways they have not had the opportunity to do so before this time. We are currently planning a lecture series and exhibitions of other designers’ work, and in the true spirit of "the atelier" we will showcase new prototypes from the spring fairs in Kaiserstrasse location too."
The space became available when Ingo Maurer had decided in 2006 that production and shipping had outgrown its capacity and would need to move from the Kaiserstrasse location in Schwabing to the outskirts of Munich to take on a space that could accommodate the growing business volume. A difficult decision, which forced everybody in the company to change familiar habits and processes. The company is confident that the benefits of having a showcase for our product will far outweigh the short-term drawbacks.
When the industrial style building with a series of skylights was empty, the company had to choose between creating office space or a showroom. Together with his team, Maurer decided to use the space as showroom, to present for the first time, the entire collection, illuminated and installed in a permanent exhibition space.
"To communicate the aesthetic and functional potential of a lamp, it‘s best to have it where we can control of the environment it is in. The customer can see both the lamp and the quality of light it creates, and try out how it works", Maurer explains. "We have learned this consistently from the tradeshows, fairs and at our showroom in New York. We are looking forward to transfering this knowledge into the experience at Kaiserstrasse."
Unique pieces and custom-made One-Offs now have the necessary space to unfold their singular beauty in the approximately 700 m 2 of space, housed on two levels. Many ideas which are unfit for serial production find their expression in these one of a kind objects, and have enchanted visitors of Maurer‘s exhibitions during the Salone del Mobile in Milan and elsewhere.
Now they have been given a permanent home for viewing in Munich. As lighting objects illustrate the effects of extraordinary interiors, clients who are looking for exclusive public or private interior design may now visit Maurer’s showroom to explore the range of possibilities Ingo makes available for designers and private customers to choose from for their projects.
"My pleasure to create is still very strong. However I‘m not only a designer, but also an entrepreneur", states Maurer. "That combination is quite rare, and even clients sometimes think 'Ingo Maurer and team' is a name for a design studio. In fact, Ingo Maurer GmbH is a company, one that designs, develops, produces, and sells products worldwide."
"Most of our lamps are been manufactured in Munich, with a lot of patient, detailed hand crafting. I think it‘s the best way to get a finished product the way I want it to look and be delivered to the customer. Without my close relationship with staff in all parts of the company, we wouldn‘t be as successful as we are. Some of my team have been working with me for over 40 years now", says Maurer, "and there is a direct relationship between that and the enduring quality of our products."
The love for the products is present in all departments. Everybody has his or her own darlings among them, which sometimes also serves as desk light. In the new production hall, the shipping department works under three XXL Domes lacquered in pink and orange on the inside. The kitchen at the other end of the hall is equipped with several smaller pendant lights, creating a cheerful atmosphere to spend a lunchtime break.
"I do hope that the new space on Kaiserstrasse will give lots of people the oppurtunity to see what we do and be infected by our enthusiam for quality and original lighting. It‘s important for our everyday life and that is why we do it."
studioshowroomwerkstattatelier
Ingo Maurer GmbH
Kaiserstraße 47
80801 Munich
Tuesday - Friday 11am – 7 pm
Saturday 11 am – 4 pm
About Ingo Maurer
Ingo Maurer, born 1932, started to design exceptional lamps and lighting systems in 1966, which his company, Ingo Maurer GmbH, produces and distributes worldwide. Among his best-known designs for serial productions are Bulb (1966), the low-voltage system YaYaHo (1984) and Lucellino (1992), the winged bulb.
The lighting for “Westfriedhof” subway station in Munich (1998), the LED-lit atrium of Lafayette Maison in Paris (2004), and the UNICEF Crystal Snowflake for New York (2005) are just a few items on the long list of commission works and spectacular one-offs for private clients and public buildings.
Maurer has received a number of renowned design awards and has been conferred an honorary doctorate degree by the Royal College of Art, London. In 1999 Ingo Maurer LLC opened on 89 Grand Street, Soho, New York. To date it is the only permanennt showroom of Ingo Maurer’s worldwide.
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