The art of being at home and a chance to win some amazing German furniture design pieces.
At the beginning of this year, I attended imm Cologne, one of Europe’s largest furniture fairs, and it was there, that I was introduced to the concept of #zuhausesein or being at home.
Being at home or #zuhausesein for me means being able to relax, recharge by being creative and to spend quality time with my family.
At the fair, I sought out pieces of furniture that would help me feel that way at home.
I was drawn to Thonet’s classic woven cane seating.
In fact, I’m now the proud owner of one of their classic 210R chair, as seen styled in my bedroom workspace.
The Thonet 210R chair was designed by German designer, Gebrüder Thonet in 1900, and was described by Le Corbusier as a chair with nobility.
It is indeed a piece of beauty, with a frame bent from one solid piece of Beech wood to form the back and armrest.
In addition, the cane in the seating and backrest have been woven with such mastery.
Thonet is amongst one of an amazing group of German furniture makers. 
In collaboration with the Association of German furniture industry, you too now can have an opportunity to own your very own German furniture design classic in a photo competition that I will be co-hosting.
The theme for this competition is “what does #zuhausesein or being at home mean to you?”
Here are the 10 categories
- Outdoor living
- Tiny Spaces
- The Hallway- the ticket to your home
- Kitchen lover
- Relaxed sleeping
- The living room – my private retreat.
- The bathroom- the private wellness temple
- Living with children
- Working at home.
- Other forms of living (e.g caravans).
You can submit one photo per category and pick as many categories as you like. In other words, you can submit up to a maximum of 10 photos.
Below is the list of prizes per category:
1.Outdoor Living: prize from Janua, bowl “SK 07 Ritual”
2.Tiny Spaces: prize from Bordbar, lighting “Super Light”, colour black.
3.The hallway – the ticket to your home: prize from Schönbuch, coat hanger “Line”. The winner can pick from one of the colours shown in the photo.
4.Kitchen Lover: prize from Caussa, lighting “Fabella”, colour white
5.Relaxed sleeping: prize from Vitamin Design, nightstand “Pfeife”
6.The living room – my private retreat: prize from Rolf Benz, footstool “Rolf Benz 953”, colour anthracite.
7.The bathroom – the private wellness temple: prize from Duravit, wall shelf “L-Cube”
8.Living with children: prize from Hülsta, footstool “Birdy”, colour blue
9.Working at Home: prize from Tojo, cantilever chair, colour white/green
10.Other forms of housing: prize from Thonet, side table “S18”
The photo competition is opened to all globally, from the 5th to 18th August 18 2019, and the winner per category will be announced on 27th August 2019.
Participants must be over 18 years of age.
The instructions to enter are:
1.To post your photo on your Instagram channel, follow and tag @zuhausesein_vdm
2.Use the hashtag #zuhausesein and #beingathome
3.Tell us which category you are entering the photo for and what being at home means to you.
4.Then, separately also send your competition photos ( must be 300dpi) to zuhausesein@real-communications.com.
The email should include:
1.Name of the category in which you wish to participate
2. Your Name
3. Date of Birth
4. Country
5. Telephone and email
6. Name on social media
The winner retains copyright of their own image but agrees to VDM ( Association of German furniture industry) using it on their social channels, website or publications for an unlimited period for the purpose of the Zuhausesein campaign. You will be acknowledged for any of your photos used.
Each winner in each of the categories will win a stunning piece of furniture from a German furniture manufacturer associated to that category (as stated previously).
If you win, your photo will be exhibited at imm cologne 2020. You will also get to attend the fair with two complimentary tickets and a travel allowance for hotel and flights of up to 500 euros. You will be responsible for your own booking.
Finally, the winning photo will be incorporated into the “German Design Book 2020”.
Doesn’t that all sound so exciting?
I can’t wait to see all the photo submissions.
I hope you will all enter. The prizes are amazing.
( This is post featuring German furniture is a paid collaboration with the Association of German Furniture Industry)