2023-05-29 22:00:00
Emotionally charged furniture that has lost its function is not a case for bulky waste, but for Raimund Sandhoff.
Once upon a time there was an old record player with an integrated radio. Although it no longer worked, it was still in a shared flat in Graz for years. When this gradually dissolved, nobody took the good piece with them. In the end, the last flatmate “inherited” it and gave it to his brother-in-law, Raimund Sandhoff. That was about nine years ago.
Old, valuable furniture is too good to throw away
The defective device gave Sandhoff, owner of the company Stammdesign in Perwang, the idea of what he could do with old furniture that no longer worked. Because he simply thinks it’s a shame to throw them away. “After all, it’s extremely elaborate and very complex furniture that, in terms of craftsmanship, is a master carpenter’s work,” he explains. That’s why the furniture is given a new interior that surprises with sophisticated combinations.
With a new interior for a refined designer piece
After removing the broken devices, Sandhoff and his colleague Lukas Lemmel, who is mainly responsible for the conversion, consider what the furniture should offer. There are a number of options depending on the space. A bar is often installed. However, a humidor for storing cigars, a music box, a record player, a mobile phone charging station or secret compartments are also feasible. But Lemmel has also installed safes, be it for jewellery, watches or handguns. Of course, the gun safes meet the legal requirements and their suitability is certified. The compartments and boxes of the furniture are wallpapered with high-quality silk fabrics, rear walls are covered with mirrors, floors are protected from signs of wear with glass inserts. So that everything is optimally staged, Lemmel also installs lighting. Sandhoff obtains the fabrics from the traditional Carinthian company Rettl; small areas are papered with fabric remnants. Glass and mirrors come from a local glazier. These are also remnants or surfaces that are cut out of broken panes.
Refurbish but not restore
Until now, furniture from the 1930s to 1960s has been given a second life in the workshop in Perwang. Sandhoff finds furniture from antique dealers, on the Internet or at flea markets. After appearances at trade fairs with his new brand “Make something different from old”, people who have seen his stand there with the upcycling furniture also bring him pieces. “We don’t take bulky waste,” emphasizes Raimund Sandhoff. “The piece of furniture must be something fine in terms of value.” The aim is to create “pleasure furniture that appeals to the senses”. It sometimes happens that Sandhoff rejects a piece of furniture that he considers boring, because then there is no motivation for the conversion. “It has to be fun for us. And it always has to be a sophisticated piece of furniture that takes on a new value as a result of the conversion,” says Sandhoff. He also emphasizes: “We don’t build furniture. We don’t restore it either. The original patina is visible.” The pieces are not sanded and varnished. They are only cleaned and scratches are retouched. “Then add a bit of oil and wax,” adds Lukas Lemmel. He actually comes from kitchen construction and makes tables at Stammdesign. As he worked on the prototype and the first pieces, he grew to love refurbishing. He wires the furniture, does the wallpapering and likes to tinker because every copy is different.
Buy ready-made upcycling furniture or have your own furniture converted
After successful conversion, each designer piece is given a traditional first name, such as Ferdinand, Maximilian, Franz Joseph, Konstantin or Ludwig. “A piece of furniture needs a name to promote character,” explains Sandhoff. The name gives the piece a personality.
If you are interested in a Ferdinand or Ludwig, for example, you can buy the fully converted piece from Sandhoff. Or the customer selects a blank from stock and asks for suggestions for built-in components. But he can also come to Perwang with his own piece of furniture that has emotions attached to it, such as grandma’s old television. It can be transformed into a stage on which everything can be staged, such as spirits and glasses or books. Sandhoff and Lemmel provide suggestions for possibilities or the customer already has his own ideas, which are checked for their feasibility. “We don’t destroy any functioning furniture,” emphasizes Sandhoff. “Unless the customer wants it.”
And what happened to the WG turntable? Of course, Sandhoff also revamped it and gave it back to his brother-in-law.
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