Tables by Sebastian Scherer

Dirk Schrijvers

Sebastian Scherer was born in Aachen, Germany and studied product design at the University of Applied Science under Dutch designer Karel Boonzaaijer and German furniture designer Jan Armgardt in Aachen . After his graduation he moved to Berlin, where he worked for various design studios and architectural practices, such as GRAFT. The recent recession forced him to re-evaluate his focus, and he decided to set up his own studio in 2010.
His design language is considered as futuristic and minimalist, but with an extrovert twist. In his projects, he investigates the symbiosis between material and form. His objects express individuality as well as functionality. He decodes forms, functions and materials of postmodern design and assembles them anew to create new and unique objects.
One of his first designs was the X-chair (Figure 1), which was made of a steel frame with a wooden seat that won the Promosedia International Design Competition 2010. The bended steel and coloured frame had rounded edges and did give a feeling of fluidity that he also used in later designs such as the Aluminium Chair.
The Aluminium Chair was the first product in a series in which he wanted to create three-dimensional objects by folding two-dimensional materials. The chair has rounded edges giving it an continuous fluid form while the geometric corner elements create a kaleidoscopic effect. This is a characteristic of the collection, which also comprises a table and a coat rack (Figure 2). In 2012 his Aluminium Table was nominated for the ”Designpreis der Bundesrepublik Deutschland”.
In the series of Diamond lamps, the forms become more geometric with harder lines at the edges. The hexagon-shaped lamps have 12 facets that reflect the light into different directions. They are executed in chrome, copper, white and black (Figure 3) .
Based on another geometric form, the hexagone, he created the series of “ Isom glass tables “(Figure 4). The tables exist of a hexagonal top resting on three upright pieces of glass in blue, green, grey and bronze and are executed in two sizes, 60 cm in diameter, 25 cm high, and 120 cm in diameter, 35 cm high. When looked at at a certain angle, they look like an isometric drawing of a cube due to an optical illusion effect. They refer to the optical “Opt Art” movement with Vasarely as one of the main exponents (Figure 5).
The design of Sebastian Scherer shows different aspects of the same philosophy with their minimalistic forms but by adding different linings or colouring, each object is unique in its expression.

References
http://www.sebastianscherer.com/
http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/03/isom-glass-tables-by-sebastian-scherer/
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/14/Hungary_pecs_-_vasarely0.jpg
http://www.archiscene.net/design/diamond-lamps-sebastian-scherer/