Design
Bodo Sperlein’s genius
Lladro Canvas Vase- Flower Tapestry. Available in either white or black porcelain and in a number of hand-painted finishes.
Sperlein adds functionality to Lladro’s offerings with this white porcelain vase with flower decorations.
Image courtesy of: Bodo Sperlein
Bodo Sperlein has been designing beautiful products for two decades. The German-born designer lives in London; he studied at University of Arts London. In 2020, after being awarded the Sainsbury’s Scholarship and Crafts Council Grant, Sperlein founded his studio. His first bout with notoriety occurred when he designed a home accessory collection for Browns, London’s iconic fashion store.
A jack-of-all-trades, Sperlein has collaborated with companies in many different industries, from furniture to electronics. An international clientele includes LVMH Group, Swarovski, Lladro, Loewe, and Godiva. Working with such a wide range of companies called upon Sperlein’s talents as a product designer and artistic director. In addition, Sperlein has delved into the world of high-end home technology.
Bodo Sperlein
Image courtesy of: Love That Design
Sperlein ensures that companies maintain their brand DNA when collaborating with his studio. Through marketing strategies and market research, companies are able to tap into unrecognized potential and hidden strengths. Understanding the client’s identity, as well as their history and ethos, is at the heart of successfully reinvigorating an image.
Sperlein further believes that design should tell a unique story and that high-quality materials should be used to ensure a product’s longevity. Using traditional materials and craftsman skills, the studio produces both commission and bespoke items. However, the door is always open for modern technology and all the possibilities that marker may offer.
Contour Chair. Each chair is produced from several wood planks in order to create more stability. Chairs are available in Black Walnut, Oak, and an engineered-grade timber. A Beech-wood option is available and finished using Shou Sugi Ban, a Japanese charring technique that highlights the wood’s textures and details.
Image courtesy of: Atelier Courbet
The studio debuted the Contour furniture collection earlier this year. The inspiration for this beautiful collection was the Art Nouveau movement. The collection debuted at Galerie Philia’s Cabinet de Virtuosities II to much acclaim. The walnut wood comes from a source in London, and each piece is made in the United Kingdom by skilled craftsmen. Each Contour Chair takes a week to create using planks of wood that are individually chosen to keep the grain consistent.
Sperlein attests that first and foremost is understanding the material; he says that each and every material has taught him something. The special relationship with wood began eleven years ago. Contour is a combination of ideas and conclusions that came about through the designer’s (courtesy of The Design Edit), “interest in the fluid curvaceousness in wood.” He is quoted as asking, “courtesy of The Design Edit), “How can I create softness and elation in a natural material?”
Contour Side Table in cast bronze.
Image courtesy of: Atelier Courbet
Having time to learn to work with bronze was an upside to the pandemic; this extra time allowed Sperlein to experiment with the previously unfamiliar material. Similar to how he hoped to create a lightness and fluidity to wood, the designer soon realized that he could apply those aspects to working with bronze in a “fragile way”. Testing the limits to how thin it was possible to get the material, Sperlein worked to capture “a feather-like lightness in bronze without compromising stability.”
The pieces made in bronze were all initially conceived in wood; however this unique iteration highlights the (courtesy of Atelier Courbet), “consistent visual and tactile sensuality in the designer’s vocabulary as the dual bronze finish highlights Contour’s movements and folds.”
Script Chandelier. The collection debuted at Paris’ Maison & Objet; it includes a table lamp, a floor lamp, a wall lamp, and several chandeliers.
Image courtesy of: Kneen & Co.
Sperlein’s genius further extends to lighting collections. In 2019, one of Vienna’s premier glass manufacturers invited the designer to create a collection to add to their extensive catalog. Lobmeyr was founded in 1823 with the mission of connecting traditional craftsmanship with contemporary ideas… as such, Sperlein was a perfect addition!
Sperlin created Script, a series that gives (courtesy of Lobmeyr’s website) “a contemporary twist to the Viennese modernist design typography exemplified in Lobmeyr’s iconic collections.” Each piece is hand-crafted at Lobmeyr’s Vienna studio, drawing upon a collaboration between esteemed Austrian glass-blowing and metal-smithing studios. The fixtures are made from bent brass bars with mouth-blown crystal domes that are frosted on the inside. As always, the design is fully versatile and allows for a full range of customization possibilities. Simply lovely!
