Internationally renowned hat-maker and artist Maryam Keyhani and Freifrau Manufaktur from Lemgo, Germany, have come together in a joint design project which blurs the boundaries between furniture and art.
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With their hat-like form, the very special cushions and pouffes of the Freifrau Manufaktur x Maryam Keyhani Collection are an invitation to look, laugh - and stay. At the same time, they ask a question: is that a hat or a seat? A comfy cushion or an objet d‘art? With two variants, Giti and Roya, each available in three colours selected by Maryam Keyhani, and the pouf Ziba, also available in three colours as well as in black and white, the collection contains ten different Items in total, each with a limited production run of 20.
says Niklas Helweg, one of Freifrau Manufaktur’s two managing directors, as he explains how the joint project came about. “At the same time, we saw it as an opportunity to get a wholly new perspective on two areas we deal with every day: sitting and relaxing.”
Unfettered by the usual way of doing things, Keyhani’s fresh and lively approach has led to creations a far cry from the everyday. The atypical shapes and striking colours are the embodiment of joie de vivre and curiosity, and – almost like friends or partners sat on the sofa – her cushions offer someone to hug or lean on after a long day; her hat-shaped pouffes, meanwhile, can be used as seats or simply as a support for someone who wants to put their legs up. In keeping with Freifrau custom, each of the three products in the Freifrau Manufaktur x Maryam Keyhani Collection has a female forename: taken from Iran. Giti, Roya, and Ziba are a nod to the artist’s own heritage, a further personal design element.
Whether in the choice of materials, in the shapes used, or in the painstaking handcraft details, the collection reflects the diversity and playfulness both partners brought into it.
“For me,” says Maryam Keyhani, “It was important to work with a manufacturer from Germany that makes beautiful things locally and by hand. The honest craftsmanship and high quality that is practised at the Freifrau upholstery workshop in Lemgo was not only decisive for me, but also very inspiring and enriching. I also like the fact that Freifrau is a genuine family business.” says the Berlin-based hat-maker and artist.
