Sørig & Jacobsen

Warm, friendly and embracing were key words when the two industrial designers, Henrik Sørig Thomsen and Tobias Jacobsen, began designing the first wood-burning stoves for HWAM. The year 2001 brought about the ground-breaking wood-burning stoves Figaro, Carmen, Othello, and later on, the insert with a curved front, the I 20/80. 

The latest wood-burning stove from the design-duo is the HWAM 3700-series. And for the first time Sørig & Jacobsen have designed an outdoor wood-burning stove, the beautiful CUBIS.

"In order to make the design process more fruitful and exciting, we have chosen to work together on projects. When we meet, a certain kind of creative energy develops. We are inspired by each other," Henrik Sørig Thomsen tells us. Henrik Sørig Thomsen has a background in carpentry, and Tobias Jacobsen is a goldsmith. Their education at the Danish School of Design enabled them to combine craftsmanship with creativity.

During the development phase of a HWAM product, we pay special attention to graphic and sculptural expression. There are many lines and functions that must be designed and create a common structure. It is important that our shapes are also attractive from the rear side. We try to give the wood-burning stove the same character of a furniture piece. There must be a finish on the product, which might be recognisable from some of the largest furniture classics.

Good design is always the result of good dialogue and an exciting creative process. For these two designers, this means that there should be space to take the customer's needs into consideration and to concentrate on technical details.

In their constant attempts at improving the consumer's experiences of form and function, they have both been inspired by B & O, IKEA and great Danish designers like Arne Jacobsen.

Henrik Sørig Thomsen Design Studio (located in Aarhus) and Tobias Jacobsen Design (Copenhagen) cooperate on product design projects, and together they have created the firm Sørig & Jacobsen I/S.

Among other things, Sørig & Jacobsen has designed indoor and outdoor products and furniture pieces and electronic products, such as the Beocom telephone for B & O.

For further information, please visit their homapages at:

www.soerig-design.com 
www.tobiasjacobsen.dk 

Stove design with a touch of love

In 2001, HWAM Heat Design launched a series of stoves in a novel, groundbreaking design. The stoves Figaro, Carmen, Othello, and later the I 20/80 integratable model with the curved front, were all designed by architects Tobias Jacobsen and Henrik Sørig Thomsen.

The architects own words:

View and attitude
We base our work on the idea that the design should express the function. It should be obvious what the product is meant to do, and which story the design wants to tell. By giving the stoves a design which is both beautiful and expressive, you can make them interact creatively with the architectural environment. A stove may either emphasise or create a contrast with the surrounding architecture, but most importantly, the design clearly reflects thorough consideration, and the stove appears as a beautiful, personal choice.

This is what makes us tick
When we are working on a design, we are preoccupied with giving the product a sculptural character which works from all angles, breaking away from all the usual icons. However, it is also important that the process is based on an attitude to the representational characteristics of the stove. After all, a woodburning stove is far more than a lifestyle product, and we are equally interested in studying buildings, sculptures, and the forms of nature, while also considering how to avoid putting strains on the environment and how to save energy. One of the ways is by creating durable products through consideration and design with long-lasting qualities.

About the collaboration with HWAM
Whenever we meet with HWAM's people in order to adapt the model and the design to the available technology, the meeting is characterised by mutual respect and openness because everybody is equally interested in ensuring that design and function come together. Together with HWAM's best engineers, we go hunting for the best and most beautiful solution. It is terribly exciting and almost comparable to detectives hunting for the answers to a crime riddle. We sense a freedom and an interest in good design, and we supplement each other very well. We also sense a high level of openness and creativity on HWAM's part. Many of the ideas are created between us.

Thoughts of a HWAM product
With Figaro we wanted to create a sculptural design which reflects the power of fire and invites the viewer. With the 5 degrees' inclination we have made it easier to see the flames, and we have provided a frame around the fire, turning it into a beautiful picture on the wall. We did that, thinking of an easel which is inclined to allow the picture to be viewed from the best angle. To soften up the design we have rounded all edges – a feature often characteristic of the products made by a good cabinet-maker. Together with HWAM's engineers, we have made the combustion chamber wider to make room for large logs so that you can make a real bonfire in it. The heat utilisation is first-class, and we believe that Figaro will provide a nice place to gather around the fire and create your own stories, or a free space where you can allow yourself to become a bit introvert and focus on your thoughts in the middle of a busy life.

About the stoves of the future Wood-burning stoves tend to become a bit retro-ish and nostalgic. We would like to go against that trend. We think it is important to stand by the time you live in, and we are confident that it is possible to create well-being and beauty in whatever we live in, without having to resort to nostalgia to create a specific concept of cosiness. As said before, the stove should obviously be chosen to match the architectural environment where it will be placed. We would just like to remind you that older architecture does not necessarily require a retro-ish stove. Quite often, the really exciting things happen when mixing the new with the old...

www.soerig-design.com