Tendance – a part of the Frankfurt based ‘Decorate Life’ – showcased the newest in emerging consumer goods design. This year designer, Jurgen Bey, was asked to create a ‘relaxation space’ within one of the exhibition halls – his response was the A-Bar.

Looking more like a plant nursery than a teahouse, the A-Bar is described by its designer as ‘industrial’, differentiated from the decorative orientation of the fair itself.

A series of ‘trolleys’ – reminiscent of a potting shed – were arranged in the middle of the exhibition hall and filled with an array of different herbs and flowers.

All the flowers and herbs are edible and organically grown. “You can select your own herbs and make your own tea. It’s like a sort of Meadow on a table,” Bey says.

With his designs Bey aims, not to create solutions, but to ask questions through investigation. White plastic chairs, trays and tables display the botanical names of the plants being served. However, Bey is quick to assert that this is not for didactic purposes, explaining that the aim of A-bar was not to educate guests about the plants specifically.

The A-Bar asks guests to investigate the plants on offer with their own senses and to decide for themselves what they need for their bodies and moods.

Decorate Life attracted over 70, 000 people to the Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre from the 4th – 8th July and included furniture, homewares and decoration designs.

www.messefrankfurt.com/decoratelife/en/home.html

Indesign Magazine’s Deputy Editor, Penny Craswell, traveled to Germany to interview Jurgen Bey. Article text by Ben Morgan.