Haus Otto with Nils Holger Moormann curate the future of design in Salone di Aschau

The inaugural Salone di Aschau, a collaborative design festival, took place in Aschau im Chiemgau in Bavaria, Germany, on July 13 - 14, 2024. The event was hosted by furniture publisher Nils Holger Moormann and curated by the design studio Haus Otto.

Designers, retailers, furniture labels, students and design enthusiasts came together to develop a contemporary concept of a 'design fair'. Salone di Aschau was aimed at both professionals and design rookies, to exchange experimental and inclusive concepts concerning the future of design. The participants included Bottone, Dante – Goods and Bads, Farm Group (Hannah Kuhlmann, Haus Otto, Johanna Seelemann, Lukas Marstaller and Oliver-Selim Boualam, Studio Œ), HFBK Hamburg, Jerszy Seymour, Loehr, Mono, Nils Holger Moormann, Sianza (Radio 80000) and Tecta.

At various locations around the headquarters of Nils Holger Moormann, artists, designers and brands showcased exhibition pieces, conducted workshops and presented performances. This diverse range of activities fostered a relaxed atmosphere of exchange, where important topics were playfully debated, sparking new ideas and inspiration.

The OpenDesign class from HFBK Hamburg, under the supervision of Studio Œ, garnered significant interest by hosting a workshop where participants could craft their walking sticks. Using self-designed tools, the students set up their own product design line, transforming craftsmanship and DIY creations into an art form.

Kuhlmann intrigued guests with her performative installation, Nail in the Haystack (Nagel im Heuhaufen). Specialised in metal works, the interdisciplinary designer hid refined nails in a haystack, turning the act of searching into a creative experience.

Brands Loehr, Dante – Goods and Bads, Bottone, Mono and Tecta displayed exhibits beyond their standard collections in the historic stables of the venue: The former horse stalls served as windows into various work processes, values and portfolios of the furniture design brands.

In the courtyard in front of the Festhalle, Holger Moormann demonstrated the often complex development of design and production processes using an early prototype of the Bruto chair design, as well as a playful reimagining of the FNP shelf as a giant sound system.

Mono, a traditional family business dedicated to crafted table culture and Johannes Seibel, part of the sixth generation of the family business, distributed eateries and limited spoons with integrated carabiners that became an omnipresent gimmick of the event. Later in the afternoon, a performance by product designer Lukas Marstaller provided a moment of collective tranquillity in front of the Berge guest house.

Marstaller and Oliver-Selim Boualam (BNAG) were also part of a workshop which showcased sustainability and DIY in a playful rather than didactic manner. Using parts of the iconic FNP shelf by Axel Kufus and brackets developed in collaboration with the type foundry Dinamo, visitors could create their seating objects.

Across the design exhibition, several design objects could be found, including the humorous contemporary design interventions by Studio Œ, or the works by designer and researcher Johanna Seelemann, whose Harvest Crown for Pigs and Oase vases explored the intersections between humans and nature.

With Salone di Aschau, Nils Holger Moormann provided an open platform for exhibitors. Additionally, the furniture designer presented critical perspectives, highlighted by an installation by the Pentagon Group from 1991 that questioned the purpose of furniture fairs. Gestures like these make the company a consistently surprising and critical player in the design landscape.

With its interdisciplinary approach, versatility and creativity, Salone di Aschau offered new ideas for future fair concepts. By fostering a sense of community, the design event shifted the focus away from consumption and growth, emphasising the unfinished, the communal, the small and the refined.