Justus Kolberg
The Hamburg designer Justus Kolberg designs products, preferably chairs, that are self-confident yet at the same time unobtrusive – and emotionally appealing. They are characterised by their clarity in functionality and style. Justus Kolberg is one of the most sought after furniture designers in Europe.He is passionate about developing chairs. "The possible variations when designing a chair are huge", Justus Kolberg once told the design magazine md. "This fact is what makes every architect dream of one day developing a chair." This fascination "caught up" with the designer when he was still a student, visiting the Italian company Castelli. Kolberg’s innovative designs, for example the folding chair ‘P08’ for Tecno or the garden chair ‘Newport’ for Garpa, made waves in the industry. For him, chairs have somewhat of a "human dimension"; they accompany us throughout our daily lives. Which is why they are so important. You should feel comfortable with them. And: Even if there are already an infinite number of chairs, it is still extremely exciting, a great experience, says Kolberg, to create one of your own.
Silent servants
Justus Kolberg was born in 1962 in Schleswig and has been running his own design studio in Hamburg since 1997. He completed his studies in industrial design at the Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Kiel in 1990. After gaining international experience in Italy – where he designed for Castelli and Tecno – he worked with the Team der Wiege Wilkhahn-EntwicklungsGmbH in Germany. The Confair conference system was one of his larger projects there.
Justus Kolberg’s signature is understatement, combined with sensuality and lightness. A product, he says, should not be overloaded with innovations. However, it should show that it was made with intelligence. His comparison has been frequently quoted, that products for a workspace or a conference room should always be "silent servants". They should make sure, in a calm and unpretentious manner, that people feel comfortable and can work and communicate well with each other.
Justus Kolberg works for select international corporations such as Bene, Wilkhahn, Renz, Kusch, Garpa, Howe, Techno – to mention but a few. They all stand for high quality both in manufacturing and in design. Numerous awards confirm the superior quality of Justus Kolberg’s work. He has received such high-calibre prizes as: the IF Hannover Product Design Award, the Red Dot des Design Centrum NRW, the IDEA- Gold Industrial Design Excellence Award (USA) and the Japanese Good design Award.
Products by Justus Kolberg:
