German-born Burkhard Dämmer is a man with a passion for good design. Whether it’s a light, a corkscrew, a balcony system or a chair, Burkhard enjoys working across a variety of design disciplines. He finds inspiration in art and nature, science and history: in effect, from life broadly. With a background in cabinetmaking and industrial design, Burkhard Dämmer established his eponymous studio in 2003. He approaches design in a manner that seeks to provide novel answers to perennial questions, including how a product is used and the vision that underpins it.

Burkhard´s opinions on the merits of good design, from innovation to functionality, aesthetic to longevity, echo those of several design protagonists whose work he admires. They include the highly esteemed Charles and Ray Eames, the inimitable Dieter Rams, the English product and furniture designer Jasper Morison and the Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa. Burkhard is inspired to create designs that make the demanding and complicated appear effortless.

Burkhard Dämmer has designed a number of superlative lights for LZF. His collaboration with the company differs from other partnerships because of the unique material: LZF’s natural wood veneer. He remarks: “If you bend it, cut it or use it flat, every single sheet is different. It needs a very close cooperation between the producer and the designer to solve all the problems [in order] to bring an idea to the market.” With this in mind, Burkhard enjoys his cooperation with Marivi Calvo and Sandro Tothill, LZF’s co-founders, and indeed the entire LZF team, all of whom love and respect what they do.

Burkhard Dämmer’s studio is located in Frankfurt, Germany. High ceilings and white walls define a space that is airy and light. Set against this backdrop, the studio’s furnishings are a pleasing jumble of old and new. Helping to bring about a homey workplace, contemporary design is set side by side with vintage pieces. Two examples of Dämmer’s lighting creations for LZF hang with aplomb: the I-CLUB pendant is suspended above a busy trestle table top and a duo of Cuad pendants hang above a delightful family-style wood table.

The I-Club and Cuad lights are designed with clean architectural lines, their impressive forms illuminating Burkhard Dämmer’s studio with a reserved elegance. Minimal in style and with a certain midcentury flair, their appeal is evident. The handcrafted wood veneer, combined with innovative technology, ensures the I-Club and Cuad lamps are always warm and welcoming. That Dämmer labours beneath his own designs is surely testament to their veracity.