A visit with MY KILOS

Over the last several months, we’ve interviewed a number of rising design stars who are helping define the city’s contemporary design aesthetic. In this installment, the talented team behind MY KILOS shares their thoughts.

MY KILOS founders Daniel Klapsing and Philipp Schöpfer first met in 2006 as students at the famed Bauhaus University in Weimar. A year later, while still in school, the German designers launched 45 KILO, a studio dedicated to functional, clean-lined furniture, lighting, and products. The pair relocated to Berlin’s super-hip Mitte neighborhood in 2012—enticed by the city’s “liberal, easy-going, experimental, and cultural qualities”—and a year later they established MY KILOS, a complementary brand that produces small batch furniture and products, custom-made furniture, as well as kitchen and interior designs.

45 KILO and MY KILOS quickly became household names amongst Berlin design-lovers, thanks to the team's contemporary take on minimalism. Describing the city’s influence on their work, Klapsing and Schöpfer tell us, “Berlin is incredibly cool, which means that the typical Berlin ‘color’ is black. When you look at our collection, you will see a lot of black and white, too. But we’re also trying to move away from this. It’s probably a love/hate thing. Berlin is ugly and beautiful; it’s very poor and becoming very rich at the [same] time. It’s an interesting place to be.”

Just last month, MY KILOS opened the doors to a newly renovated and expanded showroom and shop. Citing the city’s changing demographics over the past few years, they note, “In every corner of Berlin you’ll find whole apartment blocks being built. A lot of capital is coming to the city and there’s a lot of change in ownership. That means there’s actually real projects with real money because people’s appreciation for design is growing as well, which is great for the furniture design scene.” 

*This story is part of a larger series on the people helping shape Berlin’s design scene today. Get to know more of the new generation of designers—and their thoughts about their chosen hometown—by clicking below. 

Das ist Berlin: A visit with Krupka-Stieghan  Read here.














 

Das ist Berlin: A conversation with designer Elisa Strozyk  Read here.

Das ist Berlin: The city's new design guard discusses a shifting landscape. Read here.

• Text by

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    Anna Carnick

    Anna is Pamono’s Managing Editor. Her writing has appeared in several arts and culture publications, and she's edited over 20 books. Anna loves celebrating great artists, and seriously enjoys a good picnic.

• Photos by

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    Ramtin Zanjani

    Beyond his role as Pamono’s Head of Photography, Ramtin has honed his keen eye through years of product shoots, art direction, advertising, and documentary work. He doesn’t like to talk about it, but he has some searing photographs available at SaatchiArt.com.