rendering Das Haus 2017 by Todd Bracher - courtesy of imm cologne

rendering Das Haus 2017 by Todd Bracher – courtesy of imm cologne

Das Haus” is created anew every year at imm cologne by another designer. They have already been from London, Venice, Copenhagen, Shanghai and Offenbach. Next year the American designer Todd Bracher will design the approximately 200-square metre area in the popular “Pure Editions” area in Hall 2.2: a walk-in, almost habitable, fully-fitted and furnished house.

Why do we live in a particular way and not differently? Why do our homes have corners? How many walls do we need to feel comfortable, and why do we prefer particular furniture? Questions like these drive Todd Bracher when he is developing his diverse spectrum of work, ranging from product design, brand innovation to design strategies. The design event at imm cologne provides him with the perfect platform to challenge the traditional notions of how one lives today. “Das Haus 2017” will offer visitors to the international interiors show exciting insights into a close convergence of living and life.

“The home is an elementary synthesis of needs and functions that is very precisely directed toward supporting the people who live inside it in their daily lives and their growth,” is how Bracher understands the concept of “Das Haus”. The holistic project combines architecture, interiors and product design. For his “Haus”, he will follow his classical approach to design rigorously: reducing complexity to its simplest elements and functions. “Why do we choose a particular lifestyle?” asks the 41-year-old and sets out his intentions: “We want to question our conception of what makes contemporary living by rethinking the principles that define the home and asking ourselves if they meet the requirements of the world today.”

Todd Bracher is considered one of the leading names in the American design scene. Born in New York in 1974 and the son of a carpenter, he graduated in Industrial Design from the city’s prestigious Pratt Institute. Between graduating and founding his own studio, he took a exciting journey through the different cultures and design traditions of the “Old World”. Optaining a masters in design at the Danish Design School in Copenhagen; working in Milan, Paris and London; serving as Professor of Design at l’ESAD in Reims, France, and Creative Director of the Danish luxury brand Georg Jensen before returning home to New York in 2007 and setting up his own studio. From his Brooklyn base, he collaborates with leading design brands from around the world, including Cappellini, Fritz Hansen, Herman Miller, Humanscale, Issey Miyake, Swarovski, Zanotta and 3M.

“After Neri & Hu from China and the German designer Sebastian Herkner we do with Todd Bracher again a very wide step to the west,” said the creative director of the imm cologne Dick Spierenburg to the choice of Todd Bracher. “Surprisingly, we return therefore to our own design tradition, Todd knows firsthand. It shows the essential, without abstaining from an independent, aesthetic form. I expect a ‘Haus’, which is both: current and timeless and which provides a bridge between the US and Europe.”

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rendering Das Haus 2017 by Todd Bracher – courtesy of imm cologne

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