The Berlin based studio Vaust creates design pieces made of marble, brass and wood as a bridge between art and furniture. Founder David Kosock from Düsseldorf spoke about the aesthetics of body and material.
How did you come up with the idea of founding a design studio?
We started this design studio for two reasons. The first is our close friendship with my two partners, Joern Scheipers and Bartosz Navarra, and the feeling of everlasting desire to set up a joint project. Secondly, the shared passion for the relationship between space and object that has accompanied us since our time together in Berlin 15 years ago. We founded Vaust because we are hungry and want to create things.
In times when a wardrobe costs less than a pair of jeans, is your studio a counter design to that?
Absolutely not. Basically, neither the cheap pressed wood wardrobe nor the $500 jeans matter to us. We are simply passionate about what we do and hope that it inspires others as well.
Do you consider your products to be furniture or art?
Pragmatically speaking, our objects are very close to furniture. But our intention when designing an object is never pragmatism, but solely the aesthetics of body and material. The mirror is not made of glass, but of hand-polished brass and the result is a golden, glorified image of itself. So if I had to commit myself, I would say neither furniture nor art. The term contemporary design is probably the most appropriate.
What is your mission?
Somehow it is the examination of design itself that makes us happy. With Vaust we pursue the goal of making this confrontation tangible, perceptible and experienceable – whether as an object or in space. We have a very unique perspective on these issues and apply it to the results of our work. If the result triggers something in the viewer and moves him to consciously perceive space and object, then we have achieved our goal.
Who are your clients?
The designs of our objects do not correspond to the profile of a target group. First of all, they correspond to our idea of contemporary or “vaustic” design.
What materials do you work with?
We do not really stick to a set of certain materials but we always choose new materials from project to project. In our first release, a micro-collection called “V33”, we chose Tunisian marble, custom-made acrylic glass from Italy, solid brass and oak wood. In the “Slabs” project, we restore antique marble slabs that we get from all over Europe and turn them into wonderfully expressive, decorative wall objects. The attraction here lies entirely in the beauty of the material and the uniqueness of its grain. We are currently working on three “one-of-a-kind” objects, which we are developing together with three material designers who will be in charge of the materials.
Who produces the furniture?
We work exclusively with manufacturers from Germany. For every material and every work step we have workshops that are 100% specialized in their field. Finally, we have a company that brings everything together and ensures that we deliver perfect craftsmanship.
You also design rooms. What do you like about interior design?
It’s the relationship between space, people and objects that we like. The contrast between the very obvious and the almost inconspicuous detail, which is often the deciding factor in the end. Actually, I have had the desire to design rooms myself ever since. In cooperation with Joern, who brings the necessary professional knowledge to our studio through his studies of architecture, our projects are created in a creative ping-pong … and it’s exactly for this ping-pong that Vaust exists. Our projects evolve from a “creative ping-pong” with Joern. He brings the necessary professional knowledge to our studio with his degree in architecture. And it’s the “creative ping-pong” we live for.
What does good design mean to you?
This raises the question what “good” design actually means. We would never presume to make an academic assessment of it. We are simply driven by design. Just like art does, or architecture. And because we are somewhere in a grey area in-between, we love good design as well as good architecture or good art.
Where do you want to be with Vaust in ten years?
If we can still do what we are doing in ten years, then everything will be fine.
About Vaust
Vaust was born in 2015 when three friends, David Kosock, Joern Scheipers and Bart Navarra, decided to bring their combined passion for art and design together and make furniture. Scheipers studied architecture and Kosock fashion design, while Navarra has a background in branding and communication. Their complementary disciplines formed the basis for the Berlin showroom and the experimental design studio Vaust, which launched its first collection in January 2018.
Images: VAUST Studio
