Katharina Eisenkoeck

Katharina comes from a family of designers and architects, and started learning carpentry techniques at design school in Gratz, Austria. She trained as an architect in Vienna, before moving to the UK to take a degree in Arts, Design and Environment at London’s Central St Martin’s College of Art.

Her work really focusses on the materials themselves – exploring, understanding and being inspired by their innate qualities to make objects which are not only simple, beautiful and sculptural but also functional and useful. She experiments with different techniques in order to create uniquely characterful objects that will last a lifetime.

She is interested in the revival of ancient techniques and craft processes, in bringing them into a new context, and this is particularly apparent in her leatherwork. In her stonework, she explores and derives inspiration from naturally occurring contrasts and textures, using them in strong, masculine pieces as well as more delicate, feminine items such as jewellery.

She is influenced by other areas of design, including architecture, and by designers or architects who employ a holistic approach to their work (such as Le Corbusier, whose all-encompassing vision for buildings included even such small details as the door handles).

Working from her London studio, she thrives on the buzz of living and working in the Capital, she does admit that she likes to visit the countryside for inspiration (or peace and quiet) and she travels back to Austria to recharge.

The stone for her work is, where possible, taken from otherwise redundant sources, for example from a disused quarry in Wiltshire. She also sources around Europe and from further afield (India, Morocco and Mexico).