Mastering Materiality with Deglan Studios

Tell us about your creative practice.

Falko Landenberger: Domenic and I began collaborating on unique, handcrafted items for the Lilian von Trapp jewelry store, creating pieces that visibly showcased the crafting process.

We’re both architects but we never fully embraced that identity, leading us naturally into interior and object design. We’ve always had a penchant for working with our hands. The response to our furniture pieces was great. Then we had another interior project, Chi Chi Club in Hamburg, where we designed the interiors and the objects all-in-one—a gesamtkunstwerk. We founded Deglan in January 2023 and, due to the strong interest in our furniture, soon focused more on collectible design.

Currently, we’re represented by the Charles Burnand Gallery, in London, and have showcased at Design Miami, in L.A. Our clients are mainly international, particularly in the U.S. and the U.K., where there is a greater appreciation for collectible design and recognition of its value beyond that of mass-produced items.

Is limestone your main material?

FL: We’ve worked with limestone plaster—comprised of marble and limestone—from the start. We’ve also utilized oak, employing a Japanese woodworking technique called Shou Sugi Ban, where the wood is burned, brushed, and oiled to water- and insect-proof the furniture, enhancing the grain’s structure. Recently, we started using a cold metal finish, applying and then sanding metal.

The apartment we bought was fully renovated by us. Domenic, who is skilled in plastering techniques, plastered all the walls in limestone and became more immersed in the history and techniques of Italian Stucco Veneziano and its possibilities for furniture. We realized we could use the plaster for other pieces as well since it has depth and gives the room a special atmosphere.

Domenic Degner: This is when we developed our own ideas around interior design. We transitioned from architecture to interior architecture and design. We’ve always felt the need to strike a balance because focusing solely on interior design can become merely decorative and quickly go out of style. On the other hand, if you only focus on interior architecture, you might end up designing inanimate, soulless pieces that lack atmosphere.

Your pieces embrace slight imperfections. What draws you to these imperfect qualities?

FL: In interiors with industrially produced items, often you don’t see aging and the materials are mostly veneer. This is why we are drawn to pieces that are slightly imperfect and visibly handcrafted, rather than perfectly machine-drilled or shaped. You might notice variations in thickness or flatness, giving the surface a unique character that speaks to you.

It is also important for us to find a middle ground—not completely handmade to the point of dysfunction. Handcrafted doesn’t necessarily mean imperfect; rather, it’s about recognizing that a piece was made by a human, not a machine. It’s a craft honed over centuries, constantly adapted and refined. The pieces we design are made by hand, but we’re still perfectionists in our approach. It’s perfectly imperfect in a way.

What emotions do you hope to inspire in people when they enter a space you’ve designed?

DD: Our hope is to surprise people with our designs, making them feel as if they’ve entered a different world. For instance, Berlin’s Kurfürstenstrasse, where the von Trapp store is located, is a rough area, yet inside the store, it feels unexpected. Our apartment, in Wedding, also breaks the mold, as it is designed to feel more like a house.

Visitors are often intrigued by the materials we use; they don’t initially recognize the lime plaster, but they’re drawn to its warm, soft texture. Even professionals are pleasantly surprised by it. The Stucco Veneziano and burnt oak techniques gives our pieces a timeless, possibly vintage look that blurs the lines between new and old.

Do you have any weekend rituals?

DD: Our weekends are about staying active with CrossFit or rowing, and driving to this huge dog park with a lake in Grunewald, where our big dog meets her brother. In general, we’ve always enjoyed exploring every part of the city, whether cycling or driving to new places, going to Potsdam, or shopping for great food at Frische Paradies or Feinkost Lüske.

FL: We’ve become tamer, focusing on quality time—enjoying long walks with our dog, followed by an Aperol Spritz in Mitte, or exploring the side streets around Ku’damm and lunching at nice spots. We also meet friends and attend parties, but our favorite ritual involves people watching, enjoying good food, buying flowers, and so on.

What is your greatest extravagance?

DD: Working all the time doesn’t feel like work to us. To me, this is freedom.

FL: Being free to choose how we spend our days is vital. For instance, we might drive to the countryside to buy wood and spontaneously decide to stay longer and jump into a lake, even if it means working on the weekend. Having a car is a game changer, providing the freedom and flexibility to move. In the winter, taking lots of baths becomes our favorite activity—the bathtub is the most used piece in our apartment.