Austrian designer Stephanie Hornig’s nomadic solutions transcend interior and outdoor living. Referencing camping, three distinct objects bring the feeling of home anywhere. Though a collage of material, each piece reflects an autonomous simplicity of singular form. We spoke to Hornig about her Camp Collection, fledgling practice and future ambitions.
What life experiences inspired you to develop nomadic furniture? Stephanie Hornig: For various reasons, I've had to live in a number of different apartments over the years. It felt great to be free and independent, like camping. I realized that outdoor furniture is more suited to being shifted around. It usually lasts longer, it can stand alone in a space, and it's light in both appearance and function. I missed these qualities and attempted to bring them into my interiors.
The outdoors influenced Camp's form and function. What determined the materials? I was actually most fascinated by the materials used in the camping industry. Impeccably designed, they're developed to be used in extreme conditions. Camp is an assemblage of function and material sourced from both exterior and interior contexts. Daybed, for example, uses textiles normally found in backpacks or mattress membranes. Lamp is constructed from aluminium to reduce heat, whereas its power strip is made from marble. A plastic base filled with water stabilizes Table.
How does this collection reflect and define your practice as a designer? Most of my work emerges after considering how we interact with everyday objects. I like to identify an area and then experiment with forms and materials. Camp involved a lengthy process and therefore comprises aspects from previous projects.
What do you hope to achieve with future projects? I would like to continue exploring the topic of camping while simultaneously collaborating with industrial experts. Developing a structure or determining material requires engineering and craftsmanship. ‘The designer will bring together specialists from various fields to create collectively,’ predicted Buckminster Fuller, whose work I discovered in the beginning of my studies.
City of Residence: London, UK
Age: 27
Education: University of the Arts, Berlin
Motto: To be curious and demanding at all times
Best advice received: Dobbiamo sempre essere stupendi (always try to do your best)
Best tip for designers: Listen to yourself first, then to others
Three things every designer needs: A relaxed working space, Fiskars scissors and a free mind
Newest addition to your studio: A Book on Arne Jacobsen's SAS House. I would love to design a whole environment, from façade to furniture
First design that inspired you: Bregenz Austria's Kunsthaus, designed by Peter Zumthor, showed me how great things could be designed with simple tools
Photos Salomé Jartoux, Stephanie Hornig