Heimat and Hornbach team with architect Sigurd Larsen on Werkstück ‘Lounge Chair’ campaign

European DIY chain Hornbach works with their long-time creative partner, Heimat on a collaboration with globally renowned architect and designer Sigurd Larsen with the aim to make high-end design affordable.

Working from a premise that great design should be democratic and accessible, Larsen has worked with Hornbach to create something new and rather wonderful: the Werkstück ‘Lounge Chair’.  The twist is that the Werkstück simply cannot be bought. Anyone who wants one has to build it with their own bare hands – and by the sweat of their brow. Thus investing their time, rather than lots of their money. Any other method would not be the Hornbach way.

Hornbach’s creative agency, Heimat conceived the idea of the Werkstück Editions, of which the ‘Lounge Chair’ is the first in the series. Heimat has created iconic and award winning campaigns with Hornbach for almost two decades and is currently agency of the year in Germany according to leading marketing titles including Horizont and W&V.

Guido Heffels, Creative Director at Heimat, says: “Hornbach has always been driven by a single passion: giving people the opportunity to create great things with creativity and their own bare hands. We worked with Hornbach to take this one step further by initiating the Werkstück Editions – a series of projects by well-known designers from all over the world, designed exclusively with and for Hornbach.”

The campaign includes two videos, print, digital and social, but at the core of the communication is the ‘Builder’s Book’, which contains the carefully illustrated step-by-step instructions for construction of the Lounge Chair, including lists of materials and tools. “The ‘Builder’s Book’ is far more than just an instruction manual. It takes the time to tell a story. It is about conveying the value of an idea.” concludes Guido Heffels.

“With the Werkstück Edition, we want to show that more is possible with our range than you might think,” says Thomas Schnaitmann, Head of Marketing in Germany and International Marketing Communication. “Of course, building the ‘Lounge Chair’ is not a simple project, but Hornbach has a lot of faith in its customers and endeavours to empower them in many ways.”

The democratic ethos behind the ‘Lounge Chair’ is that all the materials used can be found at Hornbach, and that no expensive special tools are required to build it. At approximately 130€ for the necessary components, stocked at Hornbach, and 18€ for the printed Builders Book containing construction guidelines, the ‘Lounge Chair’ is affordable and promises to make the design aesthetic of one of the world’s most respected designers accessible to a wider range of people.

Architect and designer, Professor Sigurd Larsen, describes the ‘Lounge Chair’ as: “A chair that fulfils all the standards of good design, yet is accessible to everyone. We’re challenging people to push themselves a little and to build it by hand. People will feel quite differently about a beautiful piece of furniture if they have crafted it themselves. It’s a testament to what you can do with a bit of good design and your own hands. And I love that idea.”

Source: Heimat

  Advertising, Campaign, DIY, Furniture, Germany, Heimat, Hornbach, Lounge Chair, Marketing, Sigurd Larsen