A conversation between: Jim Biddulph & Justus Hilfenhaus
Sometimes the simplest of designs can be the most effective, making them the holy grail for many a designer. Stripping back the bells and whistles, focusing on specific materials and processes in detail, while seeking improved functionality are key ingredients for delivering such products – something that German designer Justus Hilfenhaus has already interwoven into his fledgling studio.
Having only established in 2024, his work caught the eye during Milan Design Week earlier this year, with a series of paired down but effective products developed during his Master’s degree at École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ÉCAL) in Switzerland. The renowned creative institute proved to be the perfect context and testing ground for the range of meticulously designed utilitarian objects including a privacy screen, door stop and stackable trestle tables.
Taking some influence from the existing architecture of the school, each object features a sleek galvanised sleek finish, a material he had previously worked on while designing a bike for Decathlon. Having already garnered recognition as an emerging talent from the German Design Award and House of Switzerland, I caught up with Justus to discover more about his work.
Jim Biddulph: Let’s start at the beginning of your formal training as a designer – what led you to ECAL?
Justus Hilfenhaus: My interest in design actually started pretty early. In high school, I had the chance to take courses in web design, corporate design, and product design. I was especially drawn to the three-dimensional aspect of design, and that really stuck with me. Toward the end of school, my product design teacher encouraged me to apply for the product design program at the Bauhaus-University in Weimar, and that’s how it all began. Studying in Weimar taught me a lot. When it comes to classic product design, the Bauhaus today isn’t exactly like the Bauhaus back then, but the spirit is definitely still there. It was a place where you were encouraged to question, rethink, and have open discussions about everything. What really stood out to me was the focus on people, interaction, and collaboration. We had the space – and the freedom – to explore ideas without pressure, which really helped shape my creative thinking. After finishing my BA and spending almost two years working in the industry, I decided to do my MA at ECAL. I wanted to focus more on developing my own work rather than designing for someone else. What drew me to ECAL was its professional reputation and the opportunity to learn from designers whose work I really respected – it felt like the right environment to grow creatively.
JB: I noticed that you worked for Studio Hanne Wilmann between courses and wondered how this experience came about and what you feel you learned from it?
JH: Yes, I actually did an internship at the studio during my BA and was invited to come back afterward. It was a really valuable experience and a great time working with the team. That chapter gave me a clear insight into how one side of the design industry operates, and it had a big impact on how I see the field today.
JB: It strikes me that ECAL balances teaching professionalism alongside fostering creative development. How did you find this experience, has it helped shape the next steps in your progress?
JH: Yes, it definitely helped. At ECAL, we had two major design courses that shaped both sides of our development. One was a collaboration with a brand or client, where we worked on a set brief, and this gave us a chance to experience real-world expectations and professional processes. The other was an open project, where we had to create our own brief from scratch based on personal interests and research. That balance really pushed us to develop both our creative voice and our ability to work professionally with external partners. It was a clear, structured approach, and having both projects running in parallel gave a good sense of how these two worlds can complement each other.
I also have to say, it wasn’t always an easy time at ECAL. The pressure was high, and so were the expectations. But in a way, that’s what made it so valuable – it felt much closer to the reality of the design industry compared to other schools. Not every project was selected for exhibitions or for further development with clients; those opportunities were usually reserved for the strongest work. That kind of selective process was challenging, but it pushed me to be more critical, focused, and resilient in my approach. Is that the right way to teach design? I’m not sure. But for me, especially in combination with the more open, experimental environment of my Bauhaus bachelor’s, it was a great mix. The contrast between the two really helped shape how I work today.
JB: We should of course talk about your work, and 2 things that stand out from your growing portfolio are the consistent uses of metal and utilitarian functionality and aesthetic. Can you expand on these choices and how you approach product design?
JH: When it comes to the choices I make in my design process, so much depends on the context. Ideally, the combination of context, research, and a clear brief helps reduce purely subjective decisions. A good example of that is Galva, a concept e-bike I designed together with Jiahao Huang for Decathlon. That project was really shaped by the brief and the specific needs of the brand, which gave our design a clear direction right from the start. The brief was to design a “new sustainable trekking e-bike.” Decathlon had data showing that steel is significantly less polluting than aluminum in almost every part of bicycle production, yet most e-bike frames today are still made from aluminum. That insight became a key starting point for us, and all of our design decisions were based around it. To keep the weight down, we designed the frame to use as little material as possible while still staying strong. We also focused on manufacturing methods like tube stamping and bending – cold processes that use less energy and help lower the overall environmental impact.
And yes, there’s definitely a lot of metal in my work. In many of those projects, given the concept, context, and production constraints, using metal just made sense. For example, the series of objects I designed at ECAL had to be made from steel – the rough everyday use in a school environment called for something sturdy and durable. That said, I also have to admit I’m genuinely fascinated by the material. Working with metal is a slower, more deliberate process. The machines move more slowly, and it demands patience. But there’s something satisfying about it – you can always fix a mistake by welding it back together. I find that pretty great.
More broadly, I don’t believe design always has to reinvent the wheel. For me, it’s more about improving what’s already there – responding to how quickly things are changing, rethinking habits, and reconsidering objects. I think that’s part of why a sense of utilitarian functionality often shows up in my work.
JB: I spotted your work during this years Milan Design Week and would love to hear more about the ECAL x ECAL screen.
JH: The screen is actually just one object out of a series of things I designed for this project. ECAL x ECAL started from my own day-to-day experience as a student – I wanted to address some of the small but recurring problems I noticed while studying and working in the school’s spaces. The project was about improving everyday interactions through simple, functional design interventions. I saw ECAL not just as a backdrop but as a creative partner, and I tried to respond to the school’s architecture and atmosphere in a way that felt natural and useful.
JB: So it’s a great example of the context influencing your thinking and design responses, while also keeping it all close to home.
JH: Yes, the hyper-local approach was key of this project. Everything was designed, developed, and produced within the school, using the workshops, collaborating with the technicians, and relying on the tools and materials already available on site. It was important to me that the process itself reflected the same spirit of collaboration and resourcefulness I saw in ECAL’s community. The result was a set of practical, well-crafted objects that quietly improve shared spaces and reflect the environment they were made for.