New Spaces 09 EN

20 Kitchen Love What does your ideal kitchen look like, Mr. Müller? It’s important that the work runs smoothly. That’s why the design has to make sense; in other words, it must correspond to the logical relationships between the individual elements. People’s tastes may diff er, but their sense of logic is the same. Does that also apply to your own kitchen? Of course. Our kitchen consists mainly of a long worktop and a small table in front of the window — my favourite spot. From there you enter the dining room, which has a wood-panelled ceiling that makes it look like a small inn. Through the old compound windows we can see our long garden and its apple trees. Please tell us something about your family’s food culture. For us, food is important, in terms of its cultural and social aspects alike. I think it’s a sign of trust and friendship if you invite people to come to your home for a meal. As far as food itself is concerned, we value authenticity — so we primarily buy organic, regional and seasonal products. We also use food very economically, so we seldom have to throw anything away. Is there a rule of thumb that applies equally to the work of a chef and an architect? I often use the structure of a three-part chord. Contrasting elements — whether they are the materials of a structure or spices when you’re cooking — should be in a balanced relationship. For example, a dish could be sour, salty and sweet. In the cuisine from my home region, you fi nd that combination in Maultaschen, or Swabian ravioli, served with potato salad. The Maultaschen The architect Hendrik Müller, who was born in Böblingen in the Swabian region of Germany in 1973, operates the architectural practice eins:33 together with his partner Georg Thiersch. Both of them studied at the State Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart with instructors including David Chipperfi eld. Müller’s award-winning showrooms, trade fair presentations and corporate interiors have largely shaped the brand presentations of companies such as Gaggenau. The fi rm has also designed insurance company head quarters in Beijing, business parks in Dubai, chalets in the Alps, a company cafeteria for Porsche and an exquisite little stationery shop. Together with his wife Sandra and son Matti, Hendrik Müller lives and cooks in Munich. “ Bad lighting is a cardinal sin” Hendrik Müller on kitchen logistics, food culture and Swabian ravioli Interview: Cornelia Haff are the salty component, the fried onions bring in a bit of sweetness, and the potato salad provides the sourness. You’re starting to wax lyrical! Well, it’s my favourite dish. As far back as I can remember, on Good Friday my grandmother always made Swabian ravioli. They were aff ectionately called “Herrgottsbescheißerle” — “little tricks played on the Lord” — because hidden inside them was meat, which you were not allowed to eat on that holy day. This ritual has been passed down from one generation to another, even here in Munich, our “exile” from Swabia. Your architectural practice operates internationally. What gastrosophical discoveries have you made during your travels? You learn a lot about a country’s culture when you eat a meal together with local people. In China, people eat their meals around a circular table with various dishes in the centre, from which you simply help yourself. The table is round because in China the circle has a cosmological signifi cance. In Tehran, the hospitality I received made me absolutely dizzy. Ever since then, my biggest fear has been that my hosts from Tehran will come to visit me — that would mean my fi nancial ruin. The cardinal sin in a kitchen is... ...bad lighting. The kitchen is the centre of the home, largely as a result of anthropological evolution. In the past people gathered around the hearth because it was the only source of heat; today the kitchen is the centre of people’s social life. Fluorescent lighting on a kitchen ceiling is a real mood-killer. ¤ PHOTOGRAPHY: MONIKA HÖFLER (LEFT), BENNE OCHS (RIGHT)

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