Guest Contribution by Pascal Panagiotidis

The redefinition of an existing object is not always an easy task. Above all it requires imagination, creativity and a good knowledge of the techniques to be applied. Especially when we are talking about simple things like a stool; in other words a chair without a backrest. Every now and then new innovating stool designs come up in an attempt to make the difference. Daniel Heer's vision is to create a modern piece of furniture by matching two different materials in a simple way, a combination of wood and textile.

Keil is a cubic form stool that can be used in different ways changing its position or height. Trying not to hurt the material, Daniel doesn't use any pins allowing this way the wood to interfere with the textile, a combination that turns the whole project into beautiful seating furniture. High quality materials are used, native wood (oak, walnut, pear) for the frame and fabric straps, premium grade leather or transparent nylon webbing for the seating part. Both elements are mixed in such a way that allows the structure to show off as an essential part of the concept. The simplicity of Heer's project also ensures the minimum use of resources.

Based in Kreuzberg neighborhood of Berlin, Daniel Heer is an expert of the handcraft tradition, a legacy of his family's over the past three generations. His vision is to use and transform the classical norms into a modern functional aesthetics. Keil as an object itself represents a reinterpretation of the classical techniques into a new form. This is more about a deconstruction of old traditional norms; by reconstructing them afresh, the designer is driven to a totally new concept free of conservative formulas. The benefit of such a procedure is that even the simplest, classical objects can be redefined in terms of design without modifying the original concept values.