Product designer
About beer mats and 3D printers
Chris von Mallinckrodt is Zimmermann, architect and product designer. You can tell from his Objekten that he enjoys working with material, form and construction. For MAGAZIN he has designed the SCHLUND folded wall console made of sheet steel.
SCHLUND is a special kind of storage unit! Hung individually or in a row, SCHLUND organizes at least part of the household: in the hallway the gloves, keys, family telephones, next to the bed the pile of books and the prominent alarm clock and in the office the many this and that. This is how SCHLUND creates order and, as a charming little piece of furniture, is a welcome helper in many places. A MAGAZIN product, developed and produced by MAGAZIN.
Schlund wall bracket
You work with different materials. Which one do you like best?
I enjoy the advantages of versatile materials. As a trained Zimmermann, however, my heart beats for wood in a special way! It ages gracefully. It is easier to work with than stone or metal. All you need is a hammer, a few nails, a sharp saw and - bang - anything is possible! It even works without electricity.
What role do new manufacturing techniques play in your design approach?
I find 3D printing very interesting in two respects: from the architect's point of view, the flexible production of 3D printing is particularly exciting for customized one-offs or small series. From the craftsman's point of view, I like the idea that the means of production are freeing themselves from the monopoly of industry. Smaller companies could also benefit from this in the future.
How would you describe the way you work to get from the idea to the finished product?
At the beginning, you only have a vague goal in your head and this is followed by a mixture of research, trial and error, discarding and further thinking. All means are right as tools in the process: from the sketch on the beer mat to the physical model to the 3D model.
