The colour palette provides contrasts

Since 2013 we are offering the majority of our collection in selected colours – without hiding what we stand for: solid wood! Although in colour, its natural texture and depth remain visible thanks to a sophisticated staining technique.

The colour pallete expands our collection to include a wide range of possibilities. The pallete consists of thirteen different stains on the basis of oak – five nuances of grey, chalk white and smoke blue as well as six spot colours. The staining technique with its semi-transparent appearance ensures that the natural texture of the wood surface remains visible, although it is stained. We developed the colour pallet together with our long-standing partner, Formstelle, the Munch-based design agency.

The surface treatment is sophisticated and requires a keen sense of craftsmanship and attention to detail, which means it cannot be automated: first of all the wood is sanded down, soaked and sanded down again – after being soaked the wood has to dry which takes several hours; the grinding dust is removed with a brass brush, the stain is then applied, followed by the priming and varnishing of the wood. Since the microstructure of the surface is not smooth but grainy, despite its natural colouring, the stained wood naturally appears dull, and can also develop a patina, which means traces of use occur to a lesser extent than on furniture with untreated wood. As the colour is a long way below the varnish, minor scratches do not succeed in removing it. This also makes the furniture durable – an aspect that is very important to us.

Nature served as a model for the natural nuances of grey, in more exact terms, the greying stages of wood that are caused by weathering. The principle known from landscape painting also played a role: through an increasing greying or calcifying to the background, a spatial effect occurs on a two dimensional surface. An effect which is evoked in three-dimensional room-in-room concepts; especially together with the spot colours, which create contrasts when used in a targeted and individual way. We have applied the concept of subtle gradations to the four coloured spot colours – Mauve, Salmon Pink, Pastel Pink, Sage, Water Blue and Mint Blue. While the nuances of grey are the standard ZEITRAUM colours, the spot colours can change appropriate to the spirit of the times.