Jehs and Laub
As German designers rooted in the Bauhaus tradition, Jehs+Laub’s design vocabulary—eccentric, sculptural, and unique—remains true to the object’s form, materials, and function. “The look of a design should never be too far from what it does,” says Jürgen. “So we resist stylization. Parts of a design that are beautiful but unnecessary are discarded. Function brings its own aesthetic, and that delivers an excellent result.”
The natural alignment between this design philosophy and Herman Miller’s own design DNA led to a natural partnership. “If you look at the Eames Soft Pad Group, the way the chairs are both handcrafted and industrial, that is very characteristic of Herman Miller,” said Markus. “So what is already in Herman Miller’s DNA—starting with a very industrial approach and then becoming more human, more emotional in a design’s expression—that is something we very much wanted our furniture to achieve.”
Seeking partners who share common design values has always been important to the duo and aligns with their desire to learn from other cultures. Although their design studies in Germany led them to a certain school of thought, as Markus recalls, “The internship in the United States was a completely different world.” Since then, they have consciously sought to work with clients around the world—clients who complement their perspective. “We realized that our sensibility, coming from German design, is very useful, but we were shaped by our experiences with other cultures, such as Italian or American,” said Jürgen. “We always wanted to learn more. We are curious. By getting to know others, we develop our potential.”
Office/Studio
Jehs+Laub / Stuttgart, Germany
Awards/Recognition
Best of NeoCon Editor’s Choice Award, Zen (Davis), 2016
German Design Award, Banc (Brunner), 2016
NeoCon Gold Award, A-Chair (Davis), 2014
Red Dot Design Award (Best of the Best), A-Chair (Brunner), 2014
iF Product Design Award, A-Chair (Brunner), 2014
German Design Award, Pill (Authentics), 2014
German Design Award, Stelton Time (Stelton), 2014
German Design Award, Graph (Wilkhahn), 2013
Red Dot Design Award, Graph (Wilkhahn), 2014
iF Product Design Award, Graph (Wilkhahn), 2014
Compasso d’Oro Design Award, Bend (MDF Italia), 2012
Interior Innovation Award (Best of the Best), Bend (MDF Italia), 2012
NeoCon Gold Award, Tre (Davis), 2012
NeoCon Silver Award, Ginko (Davis), 2011