Tassilo von Grolman
Which products have you designed for PHILIPPI and where do the ideas for your designs come from?
The "Tribute to Bauhaus" design series, which PHILIPPI has had in its program since 2021, comes from my pen. Its design, like all my designs, has its roots in the philosophy of the Bauhaus. To this day, I am fascinated by the power of this movement. The designers of the Bauhaus succeeded in creating things in which functionality and form form a perfect symbiosis. The function supports the aesthetics. Many Bauhaus designs are characterized by a design that is so elegant and timeless that it still touches many people.
Which product would you like to design for PHILIPPI?
I would love to expand the "Tribute to Bauhaus" series: Philippi currently carries the "Laszlo" coffee maker, the "Marianne" teapot, the "Marcel" teapot warmer and the "Wilhelm" drip tray. Complete would be the set with a matching tray, creamer, sugar bowl and cups. I would still like to implement these designs.
Which PHILIPPI product would you give as a gift and which would you like to receive as a gift?
I find the magnetic cell phone holder "Mobile" for the car particularly practical. I could use it myself. As a gift, I would love to receive the "Grip" cell phone holder. It's a simple, well-designed object that comes in handy in everyday life.
How long do you work on your designs?
As long as it takes until they work perfectly! In individual cases, that can take years. For example, we tweaked and readjusted the technical details of the László coffee maker from the "Tribute to Bauhaus" series over and over again for years until the "French Pull" system worked perfectly. It was important to me to solve the problem of post-bittering. Common coffee makers are based on the "French Press" principle. The coffee powder remains in the pot and the finished coffee becomes bitter. With the "French Pull" principle I developed, the coffee powder is lifted out of the pot after brewing using a sieve. In this way, there is no after-bittering. We spent a long time fine-tuning the bayonet lock on the strainer, which now makes it particularly easy to open and clean the insert. These are fine functional details that later have a great effect on the success of a design.
Do you have a favorite color?
No, I love all colors! I particularly like the colors designed by Otl Aicher and Ralf Müller for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. The clarity and positive aura of the composition are still convincing today.
What natural gift would you like to have?
I would like to be able to write and text better.
How and when did you come to the decision to want to design?
At the age of 17! At that time I was working in the experimental department of AEG, where the legendary vacuum cleaner "Vampyrette" was currently being developed. I immediately had ideas for its design; my joy for design was awakened. I think my soft spot for industrial design actually goes back to that time.
What constitutes good design for you?
Good design is characterized by the successful combination of function and aesthetics. Well-designed things function on the one hand, and are aesthetically pleasing on the other, so in the best case they make their owners happy. Good design can be very simple, but the simple is the hardest!
If you weren't a designer, you would be....
work as a chef! I'm a foodie and love experimenting in the kitchen and hosting guests.