24 March 2015 720 words, 3 min. read

INTERVIEW with Janine Luther and Leif Erik Madsen on Orterfinder

By Pierre-Nicolas Schwab PhD in marketing, director of IntoTheMinds
BestPopUpStores : can you present us your company ?   Janine & Leif : Orterfinder are Janine Luther and Leif Erik Madsen. Two Berlin designers. Female and male. East and west. Heart and mind. Brains and guts. A team.  Colleagues. Partners in crime. […]

BestPopUpStores : can you present us your company ?

 

Janine & Leif : Orterfinder are Janine Luther and Leif Erik Madsen. Two Berlin designers. Female and male. East and west. Heart and mind. Brains and guts. A team.  Colleagues. Partners in crime.

At our Studio – a former gatehouse – in Berlin-Pankow we have been developing concepts for interior designs and extraordinary objects and furniture for almost three years.

Many of our objects have initially originated from unintended finds. Used, discarded or no longer desired things inspire a creative process in which we remove these things and their design from the usual context, divert, re-combine, and give them a different meaning or function.
Ordinary or everyday materials and commodities and finding ways to use those not necessarily according to their original purpose, but in an unusual, unconventional and surprising way are another trademark of our designs.

Thus experimenting with the material, form and function, results in three-dimensional collages in the tradition of the “objet trouvè” which combine the aesthetic-artistic form with a new specific purpose and a functional benefit.

 

BestPopUpStores : What are the reasons behind launching this pop-up store? What is the role of the pop-up store within the marketing strategy of the company ? Which goals are you trying to achieve?

 

J & L : Beyond our jobs as interior designers we have been working on a collection of furniture, lighting objects and home accessories for some time now.

When one of our interior design clients offered their office space we had just redone as a showroom/pop-up store for us to show our pieces we gladly and immediately accepted.

In our eyes this was a great opportunity to not only present our furniture and lighting objects to the public but also in a location that we had created and that represented our approach to interior design.

The pop-up store was the kick-off for a series of exhibitions and design shows where our pieces will be on display (MADE/Sao Paulo, Miami Design District, Holy.Shit.Shopping/Berlin).

 

It was also a good opportunity to celebrate with friends, companions and clients.

 

BestPopUpStores : How was the conception and the realization of the pop-up store carried out ? Were you helped in this process or was everything done internally ? How did you decide on the duration and localization of the pop-up store ?

 

J & L : We get along really well with the clients who sponsored their offices where the pop-up took place. When our work for them as interior designers was done and the rooms were finished, all of us felt that it was a great idea to have an opening party for friends and colleagues. Following the opening they would take a holiday and we could use the place as a showroom for ten days. Since they work in graphic and editorial design they helped with the design and layout of invitations and flyers, while we concentrated on creating new pieces for the show, or giving already existing pieces the final touch.

 

BestPopUpStores : According to you, what are the advantages and disadvantages of a pop-up store ? Are you satisfied with the results achieved (or being achieved) and which conclusions do you draw of this initiative ?

 

J & L : For us the big advantage of a pop-up store is the opportunity to show our work in a place where many different people will see it. Our studio and workshop is not really in the centre of Berlin, so being able to present our pieces in a hip and trendy neighbourhood like Prenzlauer Berg was great for letting people know we exist, and showing them what we do.

It is very important for a successful pop-up, at least if you do not already have a brand name, to take place at a prime location where many people can easily see you. Out of curiostiy some will eventually come inside and take a look. Good PR and marketing are vital as well.

In our case the duration of the pop-up was probably a little short, next time we will try to make it last at least a month, so people get the chance to visit at their leisure and spread the word even more.

 

Related articles: ORTERFINDER : POPUP-STORE AND WERKSCHAU



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