At Home with Unseen Berlin
It’s clever to buy vintage furniture. There’s a story, or rather a history, behind the objects - did they live uncomfortably in the home of a total weirdo or grace the table of an elitist? You’re better off not knowing. Either way, used furniture has character, originality and is highly likely to be much better quality. Finding such treasures requires patience and savvy, which is exactly what drew couple Ilaria and Johannes to starting Unseen, an online vintage design store based in Berlin. One half Italian, the other German, these two combine their eclectic tastes and cultures to select and sell vintage design interiors. We recently spent the morning with Ilaria to chat about design (notably Italian design), what prompted her career change from journalism and of course, lamps.
Ilaria wears the Drone Nantucket Jacket by WORKING.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Italy, in the countryside around Milan in a place called Magenta - as in the colour. This colour comes from my hometown. There was the Battle of Magenta in 1850 or something like that and the city was called Magenta, but because of the blood of the soldiers who died in that battle, they named the colour after the city.
Were you always interested in design?
I grew up in a country where beauty is everywhere. You leave your flat and everything is old and beautiful, you just have to look around. Even in my parents house, there were many design pieces that at that time were normal objects, but today are considered icons. My grandmother opened a small shop selling lamps in Magenta which had those design lamps. In my bedroom, I have one of the Serpente lamps by Martinelli which is now worth a crazy amount. I have another lamp that was a super lamp in the 70s from my grandmother's place. So this is why I say I grew up with beauty around. My eyes have been trained since I was a kid, but I guess for Italians it was more or less like that.
1965 Serpente Lamp by Enzo Martinelli
Design was not my passion, it was something I always liked but I was a journalist all my life. In 2020 I wasn't feeling so good and I was forced to stop working as a journalist because it became too triggering for me. I discovered I have disassociation disorder which means when my stress level is too high my body shuts down, I faint and don’t remember what happened - I have weird body reactions. I stayed two and a half years in hospital. It's better now as I can manage my life. However, in a moment I couldn't do my dream job. Journalism was not just a job, it was a way to live. I couldn't stay home and do nothing so I thought, ‘what is the thing that makes me calm?’. It was walking around flea markets at the weekend so we thought ok if it makes you feel good then let’s try to buy and sell. That's how Unseen was born. Actually it was Johannes’s idea - he saved my life.
And the name?
Even the name was important for me because there are unseen problems that people have but don’t know they have, and unseen things that are cool that aren’t big designers, so they are unseen in the design world. I see many patterns around the word unseen which connects my story and to my pieces.
Ilaria in the WORKING Loft Jacket in the colour Beach Tar.
So your Italian upbringing has clearly influenced your taste for vintage design objects. Do you search for more Italian pieces since living in Germany?
Yes, definitely. The Bauhaus movement in Germany is amazing but if you look for something from Italy it is true that it can surprise you, even if it is the most popular pieces, but they just have something. If you enter a flea market in Italy it's like you enter a museum of design.
What do you look for when searching for stock?
We look for simple lines but also something a bit ironic. I always look for something that surprises me. I like clean lines, I don’t like Baroque style but I’m also not minimalist because my flat is full of stuff and I like it. I love the things that remind me of something else - like a lamp that reminds me of a mushroom. For example, I have these colourful vases I bought because of the way the light goes - it was sunny that day and the rays of sun created a ray of colour on the street so I bought them. I also like the story behind our STOFF Nagel candle holders: the designer fell in snow on the Alps and put 3 fingers in snow when he landed which he then used to create this design.
Is there a particular design era you love and if you could go back to any period in history for its design style, what would it be?
The 60-70s are cool for me because it was an age of people experimenting a lot and I see a lot of that come through. I also like the time of the Bauhaus era here in Germany. I think it was crazy, especially here in this country.
Does your love for interior design translate into other areas of your life, for example fashion?
I think so. Fashion has the same roots for me as design. I was born in a country where fashion was a thing, it really was a way to express yourself, maybe it's too much because when you’re in Milan you have to be dressed well and if not, well… I see it all like languages for me. I spent my life filming but now I learn another language like design and fashion could be the same.
What’s one thing you consider essential for a home office?
A very good lamp. You have to enjoy the lamp not just the light, especially if you live in Berlin you really need it.
What’s your favourite item in your home?
The lamp of my grandmother. Everytime I clean it, I think ok grandmother I am cleaning you, you are full of dust.
Has there been any item that you found difficult to let go of and wanted to keep?
Many things - I loved the pink and red lamp but also the vases. Other than that I am good at letting them go, it's not a problem for me to let things go.
Do you collect anything for yourself?
Old tools. I think it comes from my grandfather who worked with metal. I love to have everything around so if I want to start a new hobby I have it.
[Ilaria digs out her beautiful vintage tool box full to the brim with unique treasures such as a fish cleaner, stamps, a cooker lighter and an early rendition of hair curlers.]
What is your favourite piece of furniture? For example, we love chairs.
Also chairs.
Nubes means clouds in Latin. What do clouds mean to you?
You know the game you do where you make something out of a cloud, like I see a dog in a cloud? It's something you can read somehow. Clouds are like that for me.
Do you have a favourite colour?
Green.
