Dr. Helmut Marko on Schlossberghotel’s Art Collection

At the beginning of the 70s he was a Formula One racing driver. Later he became a barrister, and as if to never be accused of not having lived a life diverse enough, he’s even opened 2 hotels in Graz. Even a brief glance at Dr. Helmut Marko’s CV is an inspiration to go after the things in life that you enjoy. Recently we caught up with him to ask a few questions about his art collection in White Line Hotels edit Schlossberghotel — wait, did we forget to mention he’s an art collector too?

Racing Driver. Barrister. Hotelier. Art collector. You’ve certainly been known by many titles. What do all these things share for you?

That’s easy to answer: passion.

When you started planning the Schlossberghotel, was the concept of it as an “art hotel” there from the beginning, or was that something that evolved?

We never had a concept of an „art hotel“. It evolved during the time.

Obviously a hotel is a very different space for viewing art than a museum or gallery is. What are the best things about this kind of atmosphere for art? Are there any drawbacks?

Not at all! It is pleasure for me to see the art every day and to make it possible for our guests to enjoy them with me.

Schlossberghotel has been called Europe’s finest art hotel, and your collection housed in it certainly is impressive. What was the first work of art you saw that inspired this passion?

My first picture was from Hans Staudacher, with the title “Spuren”. In English I would say “to leave one´s mark”. There is so much inspiration and lightness combined with a kind of craziness in the picture. It is still in the Schlossberghotel and it reminds me all the time of this passion.

From what I understand, the collection isn’t just in public spaces at the hotel, but in the rooms as well. Do people ask when making a reservation to be placed in a room with a work by a favorite artist? Do you think that chance for real intimacy with a work is one of the draws of the Schlossberg?

The art is everywhere! In all rooms, breakfast area, lobby etc. as well as sculptures at the roof top terrace and inner court yards. Sure, we have guests who prefer some special rooms!

Your collection is very focused on Austrian art. Do you feel a particular connection to local art and artists?

I combine art with all my travels around the world. If there is a fantastic picture, for example, in China – I buy it as well. The focus is on Austria, especially on young talents.

What’s next for you?

Let’s see. Step by step. Nothing special in mind…

Tradition, minus lederhosen and yodeling: Alexander Ehrmann talks about Saint Charles

Alexander Ehrmann, the man behind White Line Hotels Collaborator Saint Charles Apothecary, approaches health as a circle of wellbeing. We caught up with him recently to ask more about his approach to tradition in the modern world — and no, not even at the pharmacy must the 2 exist separately. At least at Saint Charles.

I understand that you’re a 6^th generation pharmacist. At what moment did you realize you wanted to follow into the “family business”?

Never. I just got ‘drawn’ into it. At a certain moment I realized that I like to work with people on an ‘eye to eye’ basis. Maybe this is a reason why we run a restaurant too.

Do you feel that this long tradition in your own family is responsible for your pharmaceutical philosophy?

Definitely. From very early stages I had my own ideas how to get in ‘touch’ with my clients. As a pharmacists you get as close to the people as hardly anybody. This is a great chance and we feel that we have something like a ‘contract’ with our clients.

What does “tradition” mean to you?

A lot. I find it extremely thrilling to deal with the term tradition without any ‘blinkers’. I don’t wear lederhosn, I don’t know how to yodel. Paracelsus is the ancestor of our work. To bring his ideas, his work, his products into the 21^st century is a wonderful assignment.

I read someone describe what you do at Saint Charles as “LOHAS” (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability). What do you think about that?

Maybe 4-5 years ago somebody told us ’what you do is so lohas’. What? I had never heard about lohas before. People feel that traditional medicine is something they can trust, they get in touch with their own roots. Very often we get the weirdest feedbacks. You touch people with traditional medicine completely different than with ‘conventional’ methods. Never play hardball with amateurs. That’s what my professor at the Istituto di Chimica Farmaceutica in Perugia had written on his desk. What this means for me? You have to be professionally trained, the whole staff has to be at a level of knowledge that rocks. Nothing, absolutely nothing is superficial.

There’s a saying that “prevention is the best medicine”. How true do you think that is?

Very true. How you live, what you eat, what kind of medicine you take. It’s all one circle.

You have several own-brand products at Saint Charles. Can you tell me a little bit about the ranges and how they were developed?

When I was a little boy I had to work in my parents cellar. It was dark. It was illegal. They would’nt care. Work had to be done. That was the beginning of the SAINT CHARLES product range. Meanwhile we have the ranges ‘from outside’, ‘from inside’ and ‘from between’. Beauty products (cream, oil, soap, tonics……) are from outside. Capsules, tonicas etc are from inside and products like our own wine, vinegar, olive oil etc are from between.

How important do you think food is in a comprehensive approach to health and wellbeing? And on that note, can you tell me something about the Alimentary, the “Pharmacy Restaurant”?

The circle of wellbeing, as mentioned above. That’s all what matters.

We have a wonderful farmhouse, one hour south of Vienna. The herbs we find there can be used in our homemade medicines, you can use them in cosmetic products and you can eat them. It’s a bingo! And it’s the main reason why we operate, besides the pharmacy, our cosmothecary plus the hideaway ( 100% organic brands only!)and our little Wirtshaus (meaning ‘like at home’).

We either plant the vegetables and fruits ourselves and if not, we know the producers of the staple food on a personal basis. Call them friends. No supermarket! Without any exceptions!

What can we look forward to in the future for Saint Charles?

End of September: opening of the bakery ‘Joseph’ in the first district. Absolutely wonderful bread and cookies. All organic. With lot’s of SAINT CHARLES ingredients.

Another SAINT CHARLES pharmacy due to be opened in Berlin, Prenzlauerberg.

Within the next 2-3 months: opening of a SAINT CHARLES Hofladen. In cooperation with the Biohof Adamah. Opposite the pharmacy, in the Gumpendorfertstrasse, close to the Naschmarkt

You’ll find the marriage of traditional and modern thinking in perfect balance at Hollmann Beletage, White Line Hotels pick in Vienna.

Getting to know Christina Berger

Christina Berger is an emerging Austrian fashion designer based in Vienna. She started her label in 2006 during her studies, and since then has been exploring different fashion markets in order to establish her label on an international level. Today, through an exclusive interview, she is giving us an insight into what it takes to make it in the fashion business.

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Unique, International, Emotional

Dieter Hofmann is a busy man, and you wouldn’t expect anything else from the man behind White Line Hotels collaborator blickfang, a design tradeshow unlike any other. If having already held fairs this year in both Stuttgart and Basel weren’t enough, Vienna, Tokyo and Zurich are still to come before the end of 2011. blickfang isn’t just ambitious in it’s program, but also in it’s vision.  We caught up with Dieter Hofmann to find out more about that vision from the man himself.

You’ve probably been asked a thousand times before, but what prompted the creation of blickfang?

Interior Design has always been my passion. So when my brother and I first started to organize exhibitions we began with the local design scene. The first blickfang took place in our hometown Stuttgart back in 1993 and only presented interior designers. But only after one year we had the idea to also integrate fashion and jewelry and suddenly the idea of blickfang as it is today, was born!

When people think about tradeshows, they think about large halls filled with industry professionals talking to other industry professionals. How is blickfang different?

My approach to design was always driven by my personal interest as a consumer. I was always looking for this very special and individual product apart from mass production and mass design. What makes blickfang so successful is the fact that there are more people out there that are also looking for a very special experience that could be found in unique design. And this is exactly what makes blickfang different! Our exhibition attracts a design-interested audience who gets the chance to talk to the designers themselves. There is no professional sales person introducing them to the products but the creative person himself. They not just fall in love with the item but also get to know the creative mind, the story and the philosophy behind the scene. And what makes things even better is the fact that the visitors can buy their most favorite piece directly at the booth! Besides the sales part we try to emphasize the lifestyle aspect of blickfang. The exhibition does not take place in large trade fair halls but directly in the city where life and culture takes place. Blickfang also has a wide range of supporting programs such as lounges, fashion performances or specials shows that strengthens our design competence and keeps blickfang up to date.

Fashion and jewelry are a natural pair, but not everyone would add furniture to the mix. How do these 3 fields of design mix within blickfang?

Well they actually mix very well! Our visitors are mostly interested in things that make their life more beautiful and this can be a ring, a table, a bag or a dress! But to allow the visitors to get an easy overview of the exhibition we present furniture and interior accessories in other parts of the exhibition space than fashion and jewelry design. This gives the visitors a choice and the chance to explore whatever lies in their personal interest.

The accessibility to consumers and the face-to-face contact between the designers and potential customers is something really special about blickfang. What kind of feedback do you get from exhibiting designers and visitors about the experience?

The feedback of the exhibiting designers is very motivating and confirms our concept. They value the direct contact because this gives them the opportunity to get a first hand look on how their ideas are accepted on the open market. The feedback of the costumers inspires them and sometimes even has an impact on their ideas for their future works. In times where it’s not easy to place a new product in stores blickfang is also a way to get your product out there without any financial commitment with distributors or retailers. The visitors on the other hand value the emotional aspect of blickfang. The sales experience is unique and more personal than in any store.

How do blickfang and the exhibiting designers come together? How do you select them? What do think attracts designers to blickfang?

Within the past years of organizing blickfang and of visiting all important trade shows all over the world we have built up a huge network and database with thousands of addresses of up and coming designers. They all get the chance to apply for the various blickfang settings. A jury selects the designers who participate within the show. We always have about twice as many applications than space available and I think that this is because of our uniqueness and our international approach. We also emphasized our goal to not just be a sales exhibition but to give the audience an in depth overview of the design scene of tomorrow. This includes high-end designers, high end advertisement and competent partner network as well as our close relationship to our exhibitors.

What do you think makes individual and small-production items so appealing right now? Is it just a backlash to the IKEAs and H&Ms of the world, or is there something else to it?

I am not sure if we can call this a recent trend. Blickfang has been successful since the past 20 years so there has always been a certain interest in individual and unique items. But perhaps it has increased. Perhaps today’s consumers are more conscious about what they spent their money for. Conscious about the origin of the item, the material, the way it was produced. Authenticity is the new luxury! We also have a huge choice of millions of different products with the same function. Today’s technical achievements give us the opportunity to always be connected with the whole world and to stay in contact with a huge social and global network. Perhaps there is an opposite trend where we all value our local community and our local resources. Blickfang strengthens the local community and brings it together with an international audience and still highlights the direct contact. The best stories are the authentic stories, when you see the glow in the eye of a designer when he talks about his visions. This cannot be replaced by any achievement in communication techniques.

The first blickfang took place in Stuttgart in 1993 and you’ve been steadily expanding since then with additional fairs taking place every year in Zurich (since 1997), Vienna (since 2004), Tokyo (since 2006), and now Basel (since 2010). Over those 18 years have you seen a change in what people want and expect from a product? If so, has blickfang changed to accomodate those trends?

Well the visitors of blickfang have always been looking for something functional but special. Of course we have seen various trends especially when it comes to materials or shapes. And the selection of designers who participate within blickfang has always been a mirror of those design trends. What we have seen throughout the years is that the local markets function very differently from each other. People in Austria enjoy other products than people in Switzerland. Since blickfang is connected to the local market, the choice of the designers has always been a reflection of the local interests.

Speaking about expansion, as blickfang has grown, has it been difficult to maintain the intimacy of the event?

The intimacy of the event will not get lost no matter how big blickfang is. The designers actually get the chance to create their own space within their booth. Generally they book very small spaces compared to other trade shows and try to create an own world speaking for their label, philosophy and design personality. So even if blickfang is big, as soon as a visitor steps into a booth he is caught up in an intimate surrounding of the design label. This spirit will not get lost since this is the basis of our concept.

I read that for the Stuttgart fair this year there’s also a daily lecture series, and some of the topics look fascinating. This seems like a really innovative approach and one that will definately give some fodder for discussion. Will this continue and what other plans do you have for blickfang in the coming years?

Yes, our team is always driven to present high end and innovative products but also to inspire our visitors and to entertain them while they explore our event. Our vision for the future is to intense the work with both the driving forces of the professional design industry and the up and coming scene to ensure inspiring and innovative content for our visitors and to help to develop the industry.

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Categories: Design, Events, Fashion, Collaborators, Interviews

Contributing writer: Melissa Frost

Meet the Minds Behind Feuerstein Essentials

White Line Hotels collaborator Feuerstein Essentials was born out of a love for nature and family tradition. Founders Madlaina and her cousin Nicola Feuerstein have created a line of naturally based beauty products that restore the mind and body with the healing power of their native Switzerland. Ancestral inspiration comes through in every aspect of the products: from the simple design of the packaging to the use of Swiss certified organic herbs. Feuerstein Essentials is special, not only because they use regional plants and materials, but also because the products are still partially crafted by hand. Packaging can be easily reused or recycled, and it should go without saying that there is no animal testing. To develop the products they’ve combined centuries old knowledge with the newest developments in cosmetic research. Imbued with a deep appreciation of the Swiss landscape and local knowledge, Feuerstein Essentials puts it best when they say “Our best teacher is nature.”

How was the concept for Feuerstein Essentials born?

Madlaina: The tradition of our family, which has been involved with nature for generations, has always been an endless source of inspiration and motivation for Nicola and I. It was our bond to the family history that triggered the idea of combining the knowledge and creativity of our ancestors with present day insight and cosmetics research to develop sensual products.

“Suddenly something within us sings and swings. A wondrous longing for the forest and the mountains, for solitude and peace. ” This is a wonderful quote from your grandfather, Domenic Feuerstein, who was an author and accomplished nature photographer. Can you tell us a bit more about how he inspired Feuerstein Essentials?

Madlaina: Our grandfather understood how to objectively analyze the laws of nature and simultaneously reveal the beauty of its soul in his touching photographs and texts. The rich treasure of his knowledge about nature and its connections began to impress and influence us in our childhood. The magic of his book and photographs was, so to speak, the guideline for the design of Feuerstein Essentials. This magic continues to shape the development of the company today.
Nicola: The journey to our current skin care line was surprising and intense. For example it led us to search for mountain farmers from across Switzerland who could supply us with herbs. Feuerstein Essentials is our passionate message from nature and the mountains to a predominantly urban audience.

What makes Feuerstein Essentials different from other companies?

Madlaina: It combines nature with modernity and science with sensuality and – what is very important to me – poetry and our love of detail.

How have you grown?

Nicola: In the first phase our range was a few toiletries and accessories for the home and soul (such as scented pillows and candles). The response for the care products from the start was great and motivated us to expand our product range to personal care, cleaning and skin care. Our customers are primarily four and five star hotels with spas. The first – which is not quite a surprise – was in Engadine. This was later followed by other hotels in Switzerland, Germany and Austria as well as selected day spas and concept stores.

Do you see the range of products expanding, for example, to include cosmetics?

Nicola: Our focus is on skin care and wellness products. Our accessories series complements our current offer.

Madlaina: We develop our product range gently. Suggestions for new developments
often come from our customers – like our newest bath salts. The new line is created from flowers, including Edelweiss blossoms.

What is your philosophy about beauty?

Madlaina: Nothing is as beautiful as love and everything that is made with love is beautiful.

Why is it important to Feuerstein Essentials to use regional plants and products?

Madlaina: It’s a reflection of the preciousness of our roots in Engadin, which has an abundance of healing plants, scents and inspirations.

Nicola: We pass this abundance on to our customers. The urban experience is grounded and a feeling for nature is reawakened.

What are your favorite scents?

Madlaina: Warm and herbal scents united with a hint of patchouli, because it keeps you young.

Nicola: As described by Madlaina – the natural smell of Feuerstein Essentials.

Favourite international destinations?

Madlaina: Marrakech

Nicola: Hong Kong

To find out where you can purchase Feuerstein Essentials and to take a peek at the inspiring list of the flowers, herbs, and natural oils that create the products drop by their website: www.feuerstein-essentials.ch

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Categories: Collaborators, Interviews, Products

Contributing writer: Alicia Reuter