The top table: Richard Lampert and the Eiermann table frame celebrate anniversaries

When design enthusiast Richard Lampert founded his eponymous company in 1993, he had a clear goal in mind: to manufacture furniture with high design standards on an industrial scale. 30 years on, the same objective continues to shape the Stuttgart-based manufacturer's collections, which consist of a mix of rediscovered design classics – or those that were only originally realised as prototypes – and modern, mostly unconventional designs by a selection of international designers. 

Throughout the company's history, the pieces have always followed the design maxim ‘as little as possible, as much as necessary’, while also remaining true to an overriding idea of being relevant to the present. Accordingly, newer designs in the programme are often contemporary interpretations of well-known archetypes, while the range's classic pieces feel contemporary rather than timeless.

One such contemporary classic is the Eiermann table frame. The construction, reduced to a minimum, is a design by Egon Eiermann from 1953. Eiermann, one of the most important German architects of the 20th century, originally designed it just for himself, but due to its ingenious design, which combines functionality and aesthetics, the table frame soon came to enjoy great popularity among his students, so that a small series was produced and the entire Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences ended up being equipped with it. At the end of the 1990s, Richard Lampert was granted sole manufacturing rights by the Eiermann family and the original design, which had not been produced for decades, was added to the collection under the name ‘Eiermann 1 Table Frame’. In the meantime, the design has reached its 70th birthday, has become internationally popular and is now considered a design icon.

In keeping with the modern thinking of the pragmatic Eiermann, Richard Lampert has further developed the original design over the years. The table frame, which can today be dismantled, is also available as a dining table, as well as a children's version with a fixed table top.

And on the occasion of its 70th anniversary, the company has also released a special edition that combines the frame with limited-edition table tops. Limited to a total of 200 pieces, two additional model variants are currently available under the names ‘Oyster’ and ‘Linen’. The table tops are elaborately crafted in a natural look by wood manufacturer Schotten & Hansen, while the frame itself has been given a new powder coating that gives the surface a particularly silky feel.

The popular table frame has been dipped in modern metal shades of ‘Graphite’ and ‘Ancient Bronce’ for these special editions. The company also applied the latter to a number of other items in their range which have a special design flair all of their own. The ‘Hirche Bar Trolley’ designed by Herbert Hirche in 1956 and the ‘Bazar’ coat stand by designer Steffen Kehrle from 2015, will also be available in ‘Ancient Bronce’ in future. And in further colour news, the ‘Eiermann 1 Table Frame’ is now also available in the fresh new tones of fluorescent orange and olive green.

If all this wasn't enough, the manufacturer also recently presented another novelty, namely mechanically and electrically powered height-adjustable models of Eiermann's iconic table frame designed by Tim Schütze as part of a seminar project at the Berlin University of the Arts. Inspired by 3D printers, which adjust the printing level with the help of spindle drivers, the young designer provided the frame with a similar mechanism and thus adapted it to contemporary demands. Eiermann would certainly not have objected, because for him, too, the requirements of the present always formed the framework for his designs. Both models celebrated previews during Milan Design Week 2023 in April.

© Architonic

Head to the Architonic Magazine for more insights on the latest products, trends and practices in architecture and design.