NEWS - 30.10.18

SALON – Interview with Philipp Hoflehner

»Having a stylish tension in the room is what really thrills us.«

For the summer issue 2018 of the ›New Art Magazine‹ Salon, Creative Director Philipp Hoflehner has been interviewed about his ideas on the timelessness of good design and the connection between art and interior design.

He knows his way round East Hampton. He has worked in this paradise of style in Long Island as well as in New York, he greatly appreciates Cy Twombly and Lucio Fontana and, following a sabbatical, he has been the Creative Director and partner at Bernd Gruber international interior design studio for a couple of years now. We spoke to Upper Austrian Philipp Hoflehner about craft and art. 


MF – Does design adapt to the times?

BG – Design has a time stamp and is often ephemeral. As interior designers, we work on an interior design combination and attempt to attain timelessness by combining the right elements and thus creating such a stylish atmosphere. Each of our designs is comprised partly of the client's idea and of our input on the other hand. Of course, the location also plays a decisive role. A city villa in London is naturally planned in a different manner than a chalet in Kitzbühel.

MF – With whom would you prefer to connect - the owner of a 900-square-metre house or a medical student with just 33 square metres of space?

BG – We are currently working on very big buildings, but smallscale projects can also be inspiring. It is important to us that it is an interesting project, that in particular, allows for creativity. While working, I don't want to have to focus on the size - what counts for us is whether we can let our creativity flow and whether our client trusts us.

 

MF – Has there ever been an owner who wanted something designed for his 300-piece art collection?

BG – Art is practically always a component of our plans, since its power in rooms is incomparable. We haven't had an owner yet, though, who had us design something for his extensive art collection. It would interst me to approach art by means of planning for interior design.

 

MF – What do you think of an old 17th-Century French commode with a Baselitz above it or a modern commode combined with an Old Master?

BG – Excellent combination. While planning, we attempt to achieve a balance between materialities and that is precisely what happens when various art styles come together. Having a stylish tension in a room is what really thrills us.

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