Studio Hannes Wettstein

Background

Studio Hannes Wettstein is the Zurich design studio that continued the work of the Swiss industrial designer Hannes Wettstein (1958–2008) after his death. In 2007 Wettstein made the architect Stephan Hürlemann, who had managed the office since 2003, a partner and joint proprietor; Molteni&C says Hürlemann took over after Wettstein's death and continued the office with a group of designers as Studio Hannes Wettstein. In 2016 the studio was renamed Hürlemann.

Signature Style

A 2014 interview from the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich says that Simon Husslein and Stephan Hürlemann design new products and furniture without copying Wettstein's radical design approach, developing it instead in line with the studio's DNA. On Molteni&C's page Hürlemann sums up his approach: "Everything is architecture. The structure is central to the design. A beautiful form is the happy ending."

Notable Works

For Molteni&C the studio is credited with the Reversi '14 sofa of 2014, named on its datasheet as the work of Stephan Hürlemann and Simon Husslein. Wettstein's own catalogue includes the Snodo luminaire for Belux, the Metro lighting system, the Juliette chair, pens for Lamy and watches for Nomos.

Legacy

In 2011 the ETH Zurich showed the exhibition "Hannes Wettstein, 1958-2008", and a catalogue raisonné lists 347 projects. Stylepark reported that year that 18 people worked in the studio, which had eight furniture projects at the Salone del Mobile.