Squaring The Circle

Treasure box, by RDAI and Lanserring.

- TF Chan

Perched high above the valleys of southern Austria, the formidable basalt structure of the 17th-century Riegersburg Castle towers above a tiny mountain village. It is in a small garage in the shadow of the imposing fortress that carpenter Johann Radaschitz established his joinery workshop in 1923, creating exceptional furniture from local walnut, oak, chestnut and cherry wood with the help of just one apprentice.

Today, Radaschitz’s great-grandchildren, Bernd and Johann, run the joinery business and head a team of 37 skilled craftsmen. Earlier this year, the brothers joined forces with design duo Andrew Hays (a former creative director of Smallbone and Poggenpohl) and Kimm Kovac (an interior architect and set designer) to establish a new brand, Lanserring. Drawing its name from an 18th-century woodcutter – who according to local folk legend still wanders the forest and protects villagers from hostile spirits – Lanserring leverages the time-honed craftsmanship of the Radaschitz workshop to deliver contemporary kitchen designs and lifestyle products on a bespoke basis. The brand is yet to be launched globally, but, eager to sample its exquisite wares, Wallpaper* persuaded Lanserring to create a piece for our Handmade exhibition at Milan’s Salone del Mobile.