A special wallpaper design for Kettnaker's 150th anniversary
At the center of the great anniversary year of our furniture manufactory is the MEISTERSTÜCK 150, a limited edition piece of furniture developed by Kettnaker and presented for the first time at the imm cologne 2020. A highlight of the staging of our anniversary was the extraordinary wallpaper design by Belgian-Italian artist Patricia De Zutter. Creative Director Karin Brobeil pursued a very unique vision for the anniversary trade fair stand: "My wish was to tell our long history, tradition and vision of the future on one wallpaper," explains Karin Brobeil. "We have been working together for a long time and share the same passion for design and the decorative arts. Against this background, I knew that Patricia De Zutter with her innovative wallpaper design was the right cooperation partner". The result not only convinced the visitors of the imm cologne. "Patricia has succeeded in visualizing the traditional history of the furniture manufacturer in a modern way in her very special style," reports Karin Brobeil.
The theme of wood as a leading motif for individual wall design
In order to tell Kettnaker's company history in a visually interesting way with her wallpaper design, the designer chose wood as a leading design motif. This natural material forms the basis for furniture construction. In De Zutter's wall designs, for example, elements on the theme of wood appear repeatedly: Trees, stacked wood, wood patterns and also concise elements like annual rings. "It was an exciting process to experience how the artist approaches our history and how she opens up our world in her creative language", says the client Karin Brobeil. The wallpaper designer received a "carte blanche" for the design of the walls. Within the visual integration of family photos and old documents of the former Kettnaker carpentry workshop in harmony with the artistic leitmotif, Patricia De Zutter succeeded in an exciting balancing act between modern design and historical homage.
Creative wall design and artistic freedom
With Patricia De Zutter, Kettnaker has chosen an artist who has dealt with the challenging subject of the history of the furniture factory in an unbiased manner. "She is a natural talent when it comes to questions of aesthetics and the creative realization of challenging content," Karin Brobeil grants in the collaboration. In the field of wallpaper design she is an autodidact in the best sense of the word: "learning by doing" is her art school. Her unconventional way of working is characterized by an elaborate design process. Intensive research, continuous testing of different color combinations and consideration of possible shadow plays only lead to the final wallpaper design. "My works consist of 99% hard preparatory work and 1% inspiration," says Patricia De Zutter about her creative work process. The secret behind her creativity is the intensive research into the theme of the respective wallpaper design.
Digitalization also in wallpaper design
Patricia De Zutter's design tools have changed over the years. As in furniture manufacturing, which today combines high-tech mechanical processes with traditional craftsmanship, the wallpaper designer combines her manual work with digital design processes.
Her wall and wallpaper designs are the result of a mix & match of shapes and colors. Scanned photos, texts from encyclopedias, paintings and drawings are used to create combinations and collages. De Zutter works with different materials and uses different techniques. Over the years she has expanded her spectrum more and more: In the beginning she mainly painted with watercolor, later with chalk, acrylic and finally with charcoal and pencil. Today she increasingly uses digital techniques. The wallpapers themselves are produced from fleece and consist mainly of 150g grammage. De Zutter likes to play with soft, matt surfaces or with wallpapers made of vinyl, which are much more robust.
Combination of tradition and modern design as an important common denominator
In the development and production of high-quality system furniture, Kettnaker combines its many years of expertise with contemporary interior design. Patricia De Zutter also refers to a craft with a history rich in tradition: wallpaper design has an important place in the history of art. For new wall designs, the designer often finds ideas in historical elements of the decorative arts such as classical facades, in her old kilim collection and in African masks from various journeys. For some years now, wallpaper has been making a comeback in modern interior design. Individual wall designs are gaining popularity again and play an important role in interior design.
Individuality, exclusivity, translation of craftsmanship and tradition into a contemporary design: the standards and values of the Kettnaker furniture manufacturer find a like-minded counterpart in Patricia De Zutter. Furniture and wallpaper design thus combine to form an aesthetically and content-wise convincing overall ensemble.