Viola Beuschert founded her ceramics studio in 2018 in Frankfurt’s Bahnhofsviertel – a place where craft, aesthetics and everyday life come together. In this interview, she talks about how a former travel agency became a carefully considered workshop, why order and beauty are not opposites for her, what drives her every day and what role the furniture by Wilde+Spieth plays in her studio.
Your studio in Frankfurt feels like a very distinct world – almost like a little universe of its own here in the Bahnhofsviertel. How would you describe the atmosphere of your workspace?
VB: Before we moved in, the space was occupied by a travel agency. The generous windows and the beautiful wood of the frames made it immediately clear during the viewing that these rooms were something special. Because I am a very organised person who values clear structures and processes, the studio was planned and built accordingly. Every step of the work has its place, the studio is kept very monochromatic in its colour scheme, and here and there a mix of materials adds contrast – for example, the combination of untreated spruce wood and Italian tiles in the kitchen. In addition, all cupboards except the product shelves are kept closed so that our ceramics are 100% in the foreground, regardless of what stage of production they are at. The layout is designed so that the space radiates calm and, despite the many work areas, allows for a great deal of focus.
How important is the space itself to your creative process – is it more of a workshop or also a stage for your work?
VB: Functionality is very important to me, which is why our workshop is designed to be exactly that – a workshop. But I believe functionality can always coexist with aesthetics – for me, that is even a prerequisite in my workplace. There are few places where I spend as much time as here, and for that reason the studio, in every corner, is always also a stage for our work. I know full well that my love of order can be annoying, but a beautiful place does so much good when you work as precisely and as focused as we do.
Is there a particular piece of furniture or a corner of the studio that is especially central to you?
VB: I spend a great deal of time at our kilns, as I am the one who looks over the products one last time before this final production step of firing and loads them into the kiln. Here you can hear the birds chirping in the courtyard, our dog dashes past, and I listen to the hum of the pottery wheels. Although you are standing right in the middle of the workshop at this spot and are very approachable, it is also my place of complete concentration. I hold each piece in my hands one more time before approving it for firing, and that is always a moment of absolute appreciation for what we create together. That is why I sometimes pull up a stool next to the kiln, bring my laptop and work from that spot.
Which part of your work do you enjoy most – and which least?
VB: That has changed a great deal over the years! While at the beginning I loved working at the pottery wheel above all else, I now truly value both the creative and the strategic side of the work. That includes thinking about how the company can continue to develop and the crafting of visions – something I have grown into. My day is always structured so that I am in the office or attending appointments from 8:00 to 13:00, and from 14:00 onwards I am in the workshop until late in the evening. I love that combination. At the same time, I find myself challenged by the pace of the topics I deal with every day. I am an integral part of our workshop while also running the company. The time pressure that comes with that, and the feeling that you never quite did enough by the end of the day, is sometimes not easy to accept.
“I believe functionality can always coexist with aesthetics – for me, that is even a prerequisite in my workplace.”
Your studio has featured furniture by Wilde+Spieth for the past year. What appealed to you about the brand and its design language? And what do you appreciate about the furniture in everyday use?
VB: The functionality and the ergonomics when sitting! Truly indispensable after a year – even our office team, who were initially sceptical about the wooden swivel chairs, would not want to switch back! The stackability and the low weight of the stools are very important for us in everyday use. We can move them around with ease, and anyone who has ever worked in a pottery studio knows how messy it gets. They are cleaned every day and it does not affect them at all. That is fantastic! The stools can simply be moved around and show absolutely no wear from the daily cleaning. That, alongside the aesthetic aspect, is of course the biggest advantage for us. Nothing else would fit in this setting, as our course room transforms into our showroom once a week – and for that, the stools need to be easy to move and store.
Your studio is simultaneously a production space, exhibition area, workshop venue and meeting point. How did you manage to make the space and its furnishings work for all of these purposes?
VB: I think the most important thing is that everything has a place and that place is always restored at the end of the day. There is a clear order in the studio. On top of that, we only use furniture and interior pieces that bring a robust materiality with them. Because of the fine dust, everything is wet-cleaned at least once a day. I am also a huge fan of castors: so that we can continue to work physically in the long term, most of our furniture pieces are on wheels. That way they can be moved easily and are much simpler to reposition.
