Milestones

Photo: Roswitha Schneider

Inner life 

5 under one roof — Meusburger, Fröwis, Lenz, Strolz. As interior pecialists, the joiner’s workshop, the floor installer, the stonemason and the lighting manufacturer presented themselves together. The distillery “brenn.” additionally gaves insights into their craft. A temporary studio was the showcase for the excellent craftsmanship of the five Bregenzerwald companies.

Strolz at the International Crafts Fair in Munich
Our light series Brera, was presented on the Green Campus of the craft fair in Munich. With 125,000 visitors and 2500 square meters of space for the presentation and sale of green products, the Green Campus is the largest green marketplace in Europe.

The products of the Green Selection were presented to the public on the 350 sqm special award area.

Green Product Award Selection

See the products:

Brera table lamp, walnut / brass, white linen

Brera table lamp brass burnished / brass, black plissé fabric, golden inner

Real calf parchment contrasts lacquer, brass or walnut - all handmade to the smallest detail. The life of the parchment can not and should not be tamed, creating an extraordinary atmosphere.

High-touch in the form of a high-quality product that becomes a life companion. Matteo Thun, architect and designer about his experiences in working with Strolz: "Nothing is more difficult than the simplicity, Mrs. Strolz ist very good in that discipline"

The golden inner reinforces the reflection of the light. Baked stainless steel is used for the bronze-colored foot.

The Vorarlberg architect Marc Hoffenscher studied with Wolf D. Prix at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna and at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London and has been operating his office in Dornbirn since 2005. His motivations for working with Strolz: "The motivation lies in the deep common conviction to put the full attention and energy in the design and manufacture of luminaires and not compromise."

Designed by Peter Zumthor, the Werkraumhaus becomes a stage and the artisanal exhibits become actors in a constantly changing game of daylight and artificial light. In the immaterial and atmospheric lighting architecture, the objects are captured in space. Their surfaces and shapes come alive and draw a graphic shadow theater on the floor of the building.

At different light stations, visitors can get to the bottom of qualities and phenomena of light. Because good lighting planning contributes significantly to our well-being in our living and working spaces and can advantageously model rooms and furnishings.

Under the guidance of the design collective diaméter, students of the Royal College of Art (RCA) are encouraged to reflect on their own position as designers in relation to the expertise gathered in the Werkraum Bregenzerwald. The workshops of seven workshops, including Strolz luminaires, serve as research laboratories.

The cooperation between Francesco Feltrin and Strolz reveals the strengths of both partners. The designer designs a very elegant luminaire in terms of proportions, color choices and materials. Feltrin is strongly geared to Strolz, on the one hand with expertise in lampshades and, on the other, with the use of traditional, regional materials.

Atelier Stecher designed a walk-in color wheel for this workroom show, which draws in the form of a loop through the Werkraumhaus in Andelsbuch. Each exhibit has its own color space. The expansive installation, which features the 700m2 interior and partly also the glass façade of the Werkraum house, contrasts in color with the monochrome design of the building designed by Peter Zumthor.

"Back Ahead - New Austrian Design Perspectives", the central theme of the exhibition in Milan, is conceived as an interplay of perspectives on Austrian design history and the future-oriented development of Austrian creatives. The curator is the Tyrolean designer Georg Oehler, who lives in London. The exhibition site is the famous Villa Necchi Campiglio, an architectural jewel in the center of Milan.

The lighting series Pondus is inspired by contemporary architecture. The design idea has a surprisingly simple root. It is based on a metal candle holder with concrete casting designed by Anna Claudia Strolz. The designer transfers this principle to the luminaire. The Pondus light series is one of the selected exhibits of the exhibition "Back Ahead" of Außenwirtschaft Austria during the Salone del Mobile in Milan 2016.

From the artist's estate, Anna Claudia Strolz and the sons Hermann and Lukas Fetz chose three wooden printing blocks for the lampshades: Reitergruppe (rider group) 1967, Hütten und Bäume (lodges and trees) 1972 and Holzmaserung (wood grain) in 1978. According to the "Holzschnitte Werkverzeichnis 1949 - 1988", these works are little to no not published. The art collector and critic Albert Graf-Bourquin writes in his foreword: "For Leopold Fetz, woodcuts are handwritten messages or letters. That also applies to his painting."

With the three models by Leopold Fetz, Anna Claudia Stolz designs 33 exclusive lampshades. "What particularly appeals to me about this work is the challenge of textile printing with a woodblock that Leopold Fetz carved for paper printing. It is important for me to emphasize that I see myself as a designer and craftswoman, who is inspired by a work of art. I produce everyday objects that are beautiful and useful at the same time. I leave the art to the artists.

The 120 m2 business premises from 1874 are being renovated in cooperation with Bregenzerwald craftsmen. The historic spruce planks are preserved. In addition, brass and bison leather floors are laid. The silky, shiny, tender green wall is smoothed with lime and soaped according to a technique from Roman times. For the furniture created by Anna Claudia Strolz together with the carpenter and the locksmith, brass and chestnut and oak wood are used.

From "Apparently shine" we now Strolz Leuchten. Owner Anna Claudia Strolz: "The micro-entrepreneur status is over, Bregenzerwald crafts and design have a great chance to be marketed internationally as a niche product. Regionality and individuality are more in demand than ever. Here I am part of the vision of a design mile in Bregenz. With the flagship store I now have an attractive showroom for architects, hoteliers and private clients."

Anna Claudia Strolz, b. 1973, comes from a Bregenzerwald craftsman family. Her parents, Hedwig and Werner Beer, grew up with lights that, after some detours, became their own passion decades later.

Anna Claudia Strolz, b. 1973, comes from a Bregenzerwald craftsman family. Her parents, Hedwig and Werner Beer, grew up with lights that, after some detours, became their own passion decades later.