Beyond the ebb and flow of tourists in Mitte, I have to admit today you see some impressive parts of Berlin history being woven into a new wave of visionary projects around there. I’d say Mulackstrasse’s Johanenlies is safely one of those, a store specialising in modern furniture design, all handmade in Germany from recycled construction wood.
It got me curious to find out how exactly Johanenlies has come to be a darling of design enthusiasts both locally and abroad. Founder Mike Raaijmakers and I sipped some soda and had a good long chat about the true colours behind his latest project.
Frontal shop view from Mulackstrasse in Mitte, Berlin. Photo credit © Doro Zinn.
Can you tell me a bit more about the story behind Johanenlies? And why Mulackstrasse?
Our mission at Johanenlies is to create puristic furniture of clear shapes and colours made of reclaimed materials such as building timber, scaffold tube, natural stones or antique wood. The idea is to give those recyclable materials a new purpose but also a new shell, so all of our designs strip away obvious traces of their former life.
Some of the designs at the showroom at Johanenlies. Photo credit © Doro Zinn.
At first, Johanenlies was only an online shop selling a very limited range of products. But we quickly understood that the digital experience was not enough for our customers. When buying handmade investment pieces such as ours, you want to see and touch the furniture in real. This is why we decided to open a showroom in Mitte.
Two years on we now run a tight-knit team together with my wife Coco Prange and my talented craftsmen across Germany, creating everything from tables and chairs to beds and shelving.
Johanenlies makes its designs from recused material. Here shelf Susteren in pink. Photo credit © Johanenlies.
Mulackstraße fitted the bill perfectly as it’s known for being this beautiful, cosy street with other high-standard, carefully curated design items. And so we just went for it. During the year of being here, we’ve received a lot of attention from the press through interviews with blogs like Hey Woman, Blog Boheme and SoLebIch – just like we hoped we would.
Table Maastricht in dark green. Photo credit © Johanenlies.
Oh and how I thought of the name…people often ask me this. It’s actually very personal to me but at the same time a very simple idea. Johanenlies is a combination my son named Johan and my first-born daughter Lies. En is Dutch for and. So there you have it!
Lamps by Dutch designers Klaas Kuiken & Dieter Volkers. Photo credit © Doro Zinn.
I often see you hosting events in the showroom. Could you tell me a little bit about how you run these?
In my mind a store with only furniture can look quite sterile and bleak. That’s why we decided to try fill the space with life by exhibiting various artists including Veronika Natter, Evelyn Weigert, Jan Köppen and Rabe Habdank.
We also like decorating the furniture with interior accessories of other selected design brands. And yes you are quite right, sometimes we do pop-up events with companioned brands such as Hiitu for example. Our aim is to show a variety of beautiful products which are all developed and manufactured in a sustainable way.
Johanenlies always miyxes up their display with artworks or accessories from other brands, here you can see paintings by Rabe Habdank. Photo credit © Doro Zinn.
What about when you source your materials for the shop…what are your most important considerations?
We really want to keep quality high but without inflating prices. The idea is still to have a collection with an accessible price range for great quality. We always try to include a good mix of materials. A key part of the sourcing is finding fascinating surfaces and structures in materials like in marble or in patina of reclaimed wood.
Table Simpelveld. Photo credit © Johanenlies.
Another really important factor is that the materials are durable, also in their design language. So we often combine things like powder coated steel with the reclaimed materials for the final look. In general though, we are always on the lookout for individual pieces of smaller brands that match our philosophy.
Could you tell me a bit about the current collection on display and why it’s special?
This is rather exciting for us actually, because we recently launched this as a capsule collection called JOHANENLIES ESC. The collection has a very free design language, being full of contrasts. On one hand it’s timeless design but on the other it’s mixed with the Zeitgeist of a very contemporary aesthetic. The straight lines and geometric shapes are combined with more soft and subtle materials.
Bedside tables Lulu have oak (left) and slate (right) table top finishes. Photo credit © Johanenlies.
We’ve worked hard to create products that are all handmade by selected manufactures within Germany. Differentiating from our main collection, I’d say JOHANENLIES ESC is more curated and focused on innovation.
Bedside tables Lulu with a variant of slate and marble finishes. Photo credit © Johanenlies.
Bench Adityas and bedside table Lulu. Photo credit © Doro Zinn.
Mike, you have roots in Holland. Could you tell me one thing about Dutch design that’s unique to elsewhere?
I personally like Dutch design for its characteristic simplicity with a funny twist.
What would be a dream project for Johanenlies in the future?
I have to admit, despite IKEA’s business model and philosophy being very different from ours, a collaboration with them would be fantastic! I mean who would say no, right? We’ve seen great things springing from their partner projects. My personal favourites have been YPPERLIG with Danish brand Hay and JASSA by Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek. Also the latest launch of DELAKTIG with Tom Dixon is impressive.
Last but not least, where can we best follow news about Johanenlies?
You can follow Johanenlies on Instagram or just pop over to Mitte to visit our showrooms. Johanenlies also furnishes commercial spaces, and a good example of that is the work we did with restaurant LOK6. And by the way, I highly recommend the place, the food and service is absolutely fantastic!
Inside LOK6 with table Valkenburg. Photo credit © Johanenlies.
If you happen to be in New York, pop over to say hi at the Handmade in Germany 2018 design exhibition where our designs from Johanenlies will be on display.
Founders Coco Prange and Mike Raaijmakers. Photo credit © Patrice Brylla.