(Introduction)

George: So I'm here with my gin and tonic, oh wow what do you have that's a very fancy glass!

Friederike: I haven't had blue curacao since I was, I dunno, 15 or something. 

George: What does it taste like?

Friederike: I don't know. it's been 30 years ago or something.

George: So I have some questions for you. First: How would you explain your work to a five-year-old?

Friederike: I would probably say that I try to create objects which bring you joy. I think that's pretty much all my objects have in common. I'm full-hearted a product designer. So I think product means a lot for me. So they are my diary, what did I get, where and how and with whom and objects in general, they really bring me joy. I really like surrounding myself as beautiful objects and materials colors.

Friederike: After studying art, I studied product design, and I had a very nice female professor who did a lot of works together with a psychologist... and she did one workshop with us, which I found so eye-opening, which was we should all think about a situation in our childhood when we completely forgot time. And you're completely in your world. And it was so eye-opening when you knew the people from your course, how they were working, how that fitted to these moments in their childhood.

Malika: What was yours? I'm curious now.

Friederike: Ah. Actually, I I really liked playing with the dollhouse. Mm. I really liked making little objects for the dollhouse. So not even so much the, playing with the little figurines, but more having these clays to make little tiny cakes, right? Or to pick flowers from the garden and dry them and make like little arrangements, or putting wallpaper in the kitchen or something.

Malika: That makes total sense

Friederike: Totally

(Object 1 - A treasured collection of Kimonos)

George: So whats your first object?

Friederike: It's this one over there can you see it?

George: Oh the kimono?

Malika: It's a gorgeous kimono, a pattern that kind of reminds me of a sun. A traditional Japanese kimono.

Friederike: It's a traditional hemp pattern, actually. And the kimono is from the '20s, over a hundred years old. I've completely fallen into this rabbit hole of Japanese craft techniques. Lacquer work, paper lamps, indigo dyeing, but also kimonos.

George: Where did you find it?

Friederike: A little pop-up store where she sold kimonos from Japan. This is the first one of a collection of maybe... fifty.

George: Five-zero?!

Friederike: It could also be a little bit more. I completely went crazy on kimonos in the last year.

Malika: I'm always fascinated by people who have an obsession for a single object. Actually right now, one of my clients has a collection of snowballs. How do you call them? Oh. Snow globes. Which is it's endless, and it's also incredibly ugly according to me. But, but it's funny. one is ugly, five is ugly, but then 50 It's beautiful.

Friederike: I think it's called the cheerleader effect or so. . Or let's make it a little bit more feministic. Let's say, a soccer team effect, right?

Malika: I know. George, you have this with little animals. 

George: I'll show you my little animals. There you go.

Friederike: OH

Malika: Yes ... small animals. many tiny animals.

George: I also have a dog that's also a microwave... and the chicken leg spins.

Malika: Of course.

(Object 2 - Danish enamelware)

Friederike: It is a baking form out of enamel. I showed this to my partner and he was like, "Rike, really? This is so boring." There was, in Denmark, around 1900, a very democratic product — companies making enamel objects for every kitchen... This is a very specific type of kitchenware. Whenever you go to Denmark now, to a flea market or a secondhand store, you find the same objects, in this blue.

George: How many of these do you have?

Friederike: Yeah haha. In Berlin, I have four or five. But last year, my partner's father told us there was a nice little house in the neighbourhood, for sale. We found the nicest house I could ever think of. An old farmhouse, fully furnished. Going up in the attic, I found a huge collection of this blue enamel.

Malika: I always find it fascinating how, when you grow up surrounded by these objects, and you see them every day ... you almost don't value them- as much as when you arrive in a country and, you look at an object that's in every single household, but because you're looking at it with fresh eyes, then suddenly you're like fascinated by them...We have this with, Mexico. You put us in Mexico, we just find everything absolutely amazing.

(Object 3 - KNSTRKT Dinnerware)

Friederike: Maybe I would pick now my tableware, Knstrkt. It's a tableware very much inspired by building blocks. At that time I was completely in love with all the Memphis designers. It's a very industrial thing, so with this very industrial design, mixing that with a very artistic point of view — how can I make it colourful, and still have this principle of everything fitting together?

George: It's quite funny you mention that, because when we put it on The Bazaar, Malika texted me really late and was like, "George, I think you've made a mistake. This isn't dinnerware."

Malika: I saw it and thought you might have messed up the name. How is it constructed, all these syllables, and then tableware — I was seeing stackable sculptures. I thought she might have put it in the wrong category.

Friederike: That is very nice to hear, that's part of the joke right?

Malika: There's a feeling I'm getting from what you're saying. Is that you first design for yourself. That you design objects you love, you want to use, you want to own, It's very nice to hear, you know? There is something very playful in the way you describe it.