Das Haus – Interiors on Stage: a special highlight of the imm cologne 2012
News Infurma13/03/2012
During the imm cologne, there were 180 square metres at the centre of Hall 3.2 that were clearly distinct from the rest of the trade fair: this is where designer duo Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien were given the opportunity to orchestrate the very first “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” special exhibition. Just a few hours after the opening of this year’s furniture trade fair it was already clear: “Das Haus” was not just well worth visiting, it proved to be an absolute crowd magnet”. 
With “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” event, the imm cologne was pursuing a revolutionary approach to an exhibition. It was all about creating a living environment of the future, which brought together everything that the London-based designer duo believes will influence how we live tomorrow. A central focus was – above all – the fluid transitions within the installation: the kitchen was simultaneously a workshop and directly adjacent to a green oasis at the core of the apartment, the bedroom was not – as is actually the norm in contemporary homes – separated from other rooms, but openly accessible. And “Das Haus” was one thing above all else: colourful. Doshi Levien brought together designer pieces from all over the world, creating a most delightful mix in the process. 
Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien, who – as a team – already combine numerous influences with their Indian and British heritages and have made themselves a name as avant-garde designers, were thrilled to be offered this fabulous commission. “This joint project with the Koelnmesse was absolutely outstanding. We believe that – with ‘Das Haus’ – we have been able to develop something far-reaching and visionary”, state the designers. “The positive resonance that our improvised design at ‘Das Haus’ received at the trade fair came as a total surprise to us.” 
And Dick Spierenburg, Creative Director of the imm cologne, was also thrilled by the highly-successful premiere: “The collaboration with Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien was fantastic”, reports Spierenburg. “As part of Pure Village, we created a turnkey version of the possibilities offered by future living spaces. And all of this with a very personal twist. Most trade fair visitors were simply blown away! With ‘Das Haus – Interiors on Stage’ event, we achieved exactly what we were hoping to: establish a new, innovative format. I am already looking forward to the first discussion round for ‘Das Haus 2013’ and wait with baited breath to discover which designer will be presenting his or her visions next year.” 
The choice to invite the London-based designer team as guests of honour to design the premiere of “Das Haus” was a conscious decision on the part of the imm cologne teams for two representatives of the avant-garde who were commissioned to lend the project an experimental character while simultaneously already bringing sufficient international experience in furniture design to be able to furnish “Das Haus” with their own pieces. After all, the installation was initiated to express a true-to-life vision of a home. Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien then also brought such personal charm to “Das Haus”, so much so that they may follow this fantastic simulation with a real home in India in the not so distant future. “Doshi Levien have set the bar extremely high for ‘Das Haus’”, assesses Dick Spierenburg in his concluding words on the work of the designers, who have – above all – made themselves a name within the designer community with their designs for such companies as Moroso, Cappellini and Richard Lampert. “At the same time, they have fulfilled our expectations of creating a very personal statement. For this reason, the designers that we plan to commission in the future – whether established stars or newcomers – will also be given complete freedom in their search for personal expression. This was really important to us.” The success of the new format is therefore also down to intuitiveness in our selection of the designers. 
Following this outstanding success, it hardly comes as a surprise that Koelnmesse is planning a re-edition of “Das Haus” for the next trade fair double at the imm cologne / LivingKitchen in January 2013. The next trade fair double imm cologne // LivingKitchen will be taking place between January 14 and 20, 2013. Read more news related Imm Cologne published at Infurma Imm Cologne 2012 final report published at Infurma Visit the Imm Cologne website
With “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage” event, the imm cologne was pursuing a revolutionary approach to an exhibition. It was all about creating a living environment of the future, which brought together everything that the London-based designer duo believes will influence how we live tomorrow. A central focus was – above all – the fluid transitions within the installation: the kitchen was simultaneously a workshop and directly adjacent to a green oasis at the core of the apartment, the bedroom was not – as is actually the norm in contemporary homes – separated from other rooms, but openly accessible. And “Das Haus” was one thing above all else: colourful. Doshi Levien brought together designer pieces from all over the world, creating a most delightful mix in the process. 
Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien, who – as a team – already combine numerous influences with their Indian and British heritages and have made themselves a name as avant-garde designers, were thrilled to be offered this fabulous commission. “This joint project with the Koelnmesse was absolutely outstanding. We believe that – with ‘Das Haus’ – we have been able to develop something far-reaching and visionary”, state the designers. “The positive resonance that our improvised design at ‘Das Haus’ received at the trade fair came as a total surprise to us.” 
And Dick Spierenburg, Creative Director of the imm cologne, was also thrilled by the highly-successful premiere: “The collaboration with Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien was fantastic”, reports Spierenburg. “As part of Pure Village, we created a turnkey version of the possibilities offered by future living spaces. And all of this with a very personal twist. Most trade fair visitors were simply blown away! With ‘Das Haus – Interiors on Stage’ event, we achieved exactly what we were hoping to: establish a new, innovative format. I am already looking forward to the first discussion round for ‘Das Haus 2013’ and wait with baited breath to discover which designer will be presenting his or her visions next year.” 
The choice to invite the London-based designer team as guests of honour to design the premiere of “Das Haus” was a conscious decision on the part of the imm cologne teams for two representatives of the avant-garde who were commissioned to lend the project an experimental character while simultaneously already bringing sufficient international experience in furniture design to be able to furnish “Das Haus” with their own pieces. After all, the installation was initiated to express a true-to-life vision of a home. Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien then also brought such personal charm to “Das Haus”, so much so that they may follow this fantastic simulation with a real home in India in the not so distant future. “Doshi Levien have set the bar extremely high for ‘Das Haus’”, assesses Dick Spierenburg in his concluding words on the work of the designers, who have – above all – made themselves a name within the designer community with their designs for such companies as Moroso, Cappellini and Richard Lampert. “At the same time, they have fulfilled our expectations of creating a very personal statement. For this reason, the designers that we plan to commission in the future – whether established stars or newcomers – will also be given complete freedom in their search for personal expression. This was really important to us.” The success of the new format is therefore also down to intuitiveness in our selection of the designers. 
Following this outstanding success, it hardly comes as a surprise that Koelnmesse is planning a re-edition of “Das Haus” for the next trade fair double at the imm cologne / LivingKitchen in January 2013. The next trade fair double imm cologne // LivingKitchen will be taking place between January 14 and 20, 2013. Read more news related Imm Cologne published at Infurma Imm Cologne 2012 final report published at Infurma Visit the Imm Cologne websiteNews Infurma:
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