Iconic architectural project “The Fireplace” by star architect Francis Kéré as Creative Maker for the product brand next125

For kitchen manufacturer Schüller: Strichpunkt makes star architect Francis Kéré the creative maker for the product brand next125 and impressively showcases the premium brand with "The Fireplace".

With the narrative “Creative Makers”, the Stuttgart-based branding agency is giving kitchen manufacturer Schüller a refresh of its next125 brand . The accompanying campaign focuses on the collaboration with Francis Kéré and his iconic architectural project “ The Fireplace”

Two years ago, Schüller and Strichpunkt developed the narrative "Creative Makers" in close collaboration . It forms the core of all brand communication surrounding the kitchen manufacturer's premium brand next125.

As lead agency, Strichpunkt created a campaign aimed at establishing next125 as a German premium brand on the international market. The "Creative Makers" campaign connects the brand and its products with the themes and lifestyles of a design-conscious target group.

Schüller, with its premium brand next125, is positioned as an inspiring and thought-provoking thought leader in a demanding environment, using various personalities as examples. Strichpunkt is responsible for the conception and implementation of all communication strategies, as well as the search for suitable partners.

Creative Makers are people who design, inspire, and use next125. Makers who, in their own way, engage with attitude, form and material, color and space, and the meaning of things

explains Jochen Theurer, Head of Concept at Strichpunkt. “Francis Kéré’s work is an excellent fit for this campaign, and we are very happy that we were able to bring him on board as a partner for this special project.”

Francis Kéré, an architect originally from Burkina Faso and now living in Berlin, is considered a pioneer of sustainable building worldwide. His projects have earned him numerous awards, including the 2022 Pritzker Prize.

“The precision of next125 kitchens, their rational manufacturing and the perfectly formed products have made a lasting impression on me as both a carpenter and an architect.”

says Kéré, who will be the face of the “Creative Makers” until 2025. “A kitchen must be perfect and precise, but also simple, cozy and inviting. Materials and the feel of the room are therefore becoming increasingly important – they help us to relax in the kitchen and leave our everyday lives behind,” Kéré continues.

Impressive pavilion building “The Fireplace”

by Strichpunkt and created for next125, premiered at Milan Design Week in April 2024. It is a pavilion eight meters in diameter and approximately six meters high, constructed from bundles of rough-hewn spruce trunks of varying diameters and textures.

Kéré's "The Fireplace" stands as an extraordinary architectural metaphor for cooking and the kitchen, for community and communication. "I grew up with wood, and wood still moves me today. Francis Kéré has created something unique from it," says Schüller Managing Director Markus Schüller.

Strichpunkt accompanied the extraordinary project with an integrated, cross-channel and international communication concept for the Salone del Mobile – both for the brand campaign and the brand experience on site, as well as for marketing and sales and in retail.

Elaborate exhibition stand at Eurocucina

In addition to the "The Fireplace" campaign, Strichpunkt, together with the D'Art Design Group, designed a complex stand for Schüller at Eurocucina , the leading international trade fair for design and furniture. The newly developed narrative "Feel at home" was central to the stand and emotionally staged the vision of the integrated design and communication concept.

Strichpunkt impressed us with their creative ideas for our brand experience,”

says Annette Schumacher, Head of Marketing at Schüller.

Our years of collaborative partnership have paid off. We share a passion for design, and this is evident in every communication concept and every brand experience that we jointly implement for the future of the Schüller brand.”

Detailed information can be found at https://www.strichpunkt-design.de/de/work/next125-creative-makers-kere