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What's New in Interiors, Anthea Bain
3 April 1987
Back in 1987, the 74 year old Niels Vitsœ visited London and talked about the state of the 1980’s world with Anthea Bain, the then editor of “What’s New in Interiors”
If, in 1936, a clairvoyant had predicted that Niels Vitsœ would become one of the most successful and design conscious furniture connoisseurs, and that his collaboration with designer Dieter Rams would be world famous, he would have smiled whilst shaking his head modestly. Fifty years ago the world was hurtling towards war and nobody could assess his future with any degree of accuracy.
But for Niels Vitsœ 1936 saw the beginning of his association with furniture, a beginning which sowed the seeds of a lifelong passion. It was then that this wily Scandinavian began working for a bedding manufacturer, Lama, in Denmark. His entrepreneurial flair soon surfaced when, in 1942, he persuaded Lama to design and produce two chairs using the many thousands of mattress samples gleaned from Lama’s many retailers all over Denmark. He wanted to keep the staff employed and increase the company’s turnover. The chairs were received well and Lama was split into two companies (one manufacturing furniture; the other, beds) with Vitsœ as sales manager for both.
Time went by and in 1956 he realised he had spent 20 years with the company and decided enough was enough. Besides, he wanted to work for himself in the market he had grown to enjoy. So, using his connections with Lama, he began his own company representing four or five Danish furniture companies abroad, “I had to live, but I told them I would not be doing this all my life. I wanted my own collection.
And during the next year or two he did just that, amassing a collection of dining and easy chairs and tables made in aluminium. He called his collection simply ‘Niels Vitsœ’ and cannily admits today, “it was the beginning of something”.
However, events were soon to take a far different course for in 1958 Vitsœ met a German called Otto Zapf at the Cologne Furniture Fair. Zapf knew German designer Dieter Rams and, much to Vitsœ’s delight, the three met with the tentative idea of working together. Dieter Rams was becoming well known as an avant garde designer whose ideas were, in those days, somewhat unusual. Vitsœ, being the businessman that he is, spotted his chance and in 1959 he and Zapf founded their own company in Germany for the purpose of realising Rams’ designs. Called Vitsœ Zapf it remained separate from his Danish company. By dint of hard work the first presentation of Rams’ designs were launched at the end of 1960 in Zapf’s furniture store in Eschborn, a suburb of Frankfurt.
But how were they to persuade the normally recalcitrant German retailers to make the journey to Eschborn? After all, money was tight and they had no catalogues. Zapf decided to use an “outrageous” poster a friend had designed, as an invitation (the poster showed a figure evolving into a chair). Not only did it work in drawing retailers to Eschborn but it set the seal on the company as being ultra modern and different. And so Vitsœ Zapf continued for the first few years, showing prototypes in Eschborn during the Frankfurt furniture fair and slowly becoming an established name in the industry.
But in 1966 problems began when Otto Zapf became more interested in producing his own designs with the result that the two partners separated in 1969, ten years after their collaboration began. “It was a little difficult”, admits Vitsœ. “But it is practically always like that”.
So, in autumn 1970, Vitsœ found a showroom in Kaiserhofstrasse in the centre of Frankfurt where he remains to this day. Why did he not return to Denmark, to his family and his roots? “I wanted to continue the philosophy with which we started – to produce designs with “longevity, adaptability and variability”. It’s not easy to keep to it”, he laughed.
Vitsœ (the company) is now recognised as a leader in the production of classic furniture design, suitable for both office, reception and home and over the years Vitsœ’s association with Dieter Rams has brought them both lasting fame. “Dieter’s situation with us is unusual”, continued Vitsœ. “My contract with him allows me to produce work from other designers, but if I have an idea it is written into his contract that I discuss it with him first. If he doesn’t like it, I’m still allowed to do it. Likewise he has to come to me first with new designs. If, within a year, I don’t take it up he can go to other manufacturers. It works well”.
Vitsœ so far has agents Luxembourg, Amsterdam, and Switzerland whilst Vitsœ UK opened last year in Butler’s Wharf. A new showroom will shortly open Copenhagen, about which Vitsœ is naturally highly delighted.
What are his opinions concerning modern furniture design and retailing? He laughed. “I cannot have my philosophy and produce something like Memphis”. He had spent t previous evening travelling around London’s retail showrooms and professed to being disappointed what he saw. “German showrooms show furniture in depth. In England you see elements of style but very few (retailers) display in depth, maybe because of high rentals space. I have a lot of respect for German retailers – they make effort to show well. It seems that you lack commitment in England, frightened to make a statement”.
Does he ever miss Denmark? He paused, “My main living place is Denmark, my family lives there. But to be in business alone in 1969 I had to be in Germany. I go home for the usual holidays and my daughter’s birthday, of course”. I wondered whether his daughter is interested in taking over the business at some point? I sensed he found this difficult to answer, as if the question had been aired often but that there was no satisfactory outcome. “The fundamental ability is there; she has completed design courses. She is competent but both she and her husband are real Danes”.
The conversation switched to design classification. Did he see his collection as inherently German, the way that French and Italian design can very often be easily recognised? Indeed, Stephen Bayley last year likened Rams’ designs “as an expression of a traditional German taste for order”. Or is Vitsœ’s range classified as international design? He shook his head as if the thought of even needing to classify the aetiology of his products was irrelevant. Whilst admitting that he may have had some influence on the collection and how it evolved, he continued, “Dieter Rams designed the collection, I give him freedom to develop ideas. Talking to other designers I realise that he is the one person with whom I can talk. He is prepared to listen when we explain possible production difficulties. He finds the solution. It is difficult to say if he is more commercially minded; he has a trained designer’s eye but can recognise commercial elements. He has a high position at Braun but he has more freedom with me”.
He then became increasingly animated as he began to talk about Rams’ latest design, the 860 Round-oval table. This, as the name suggests, is an extendable table which can be reproduced to fit any room and purpose. Its design is timeless and contains the austere, restrained style which is the hallmark of Rams’ designs and Vitsœ’s product policy. Vitsœ emphasised the importance of understanding this policy, explained thus, “From the beginning, it has been our aim to manufacture products that are meaningful, realistic and practical – products that we ourselves appreciate and would like to live with. Our concept was rather product-oriented than marketing oriented.” The 860 Round-oval table will be available in London shortly.
What would be his advice for young people hoping to emulate his success? Amidst much laughter he answered, “One thing would be to learn cabinetmaking -I consider that to be very important. After this, go on to High School and learn interior design or architecture but remember, this is a creative education, not commercial. If a young person wants a commercial background he or she must have a thorough education and then must learn about design through experience by working for a company. It is difficult to be both creative and commercial”, he mused.
Would he ever retire? He smiled. “I think of it every day because it is not fair to younger people. But I am still looking for that special person to take over from me. If I retire, my staff can carry on the business rather than sell it”. He adds that he has very loyal staff, some of whom were with him from the beginning. Niels Vitsœ inspires such loyalty, not only in the people who work for him in Germany, but also in his agents in various countries. One likened him to a father figure whom one respects even when disagreeing with him. It is clear that his continued success since his early days in the thirties is due to a pragmatism and awareness of good design which is inborn, not learnt, coupled with sound commercial flair and astute management. With the wisdom of his 74 years he continued, “I believe I have contributed to the best of my ability but not too much,” he modestly added. “It is a nice feeling living and doing something which will live on when I die”. Impressive words indeed and undoubtedly true but is he always so amenable? What would he be like to work for? The conversation had switched to a member of his staff who once told him he was too authoritative.
Did he think I was? “I know I am!” And he roared with laughter.
Anthea Bain