180 – Andreas Eickholt: German Designer

Andreas Eickholt: German Designer Today in the Lounge Nick speaks with Andreas Eickholt all the way from Cologne, Germany. Andreas works with the Voglauer Hotel Concept. He is the department lead for Architecture and Calculations. He and his team find design solutions and work on corporate appearance for the hotels and companies. They specialize in the interior of hotels but they have also worked exteriors as well. Andreas and Nick discuss what it is like working with Porcelanosa products and how Andreas' German-based company keeps America and Americans in mind. Getting to Know Andreas Andreas is trained as an interior designer. In Germany, University interior designers and architects receive almost the same education with differences in exterior design and their specializations. Andreas also received a carpentry education in the 70s. He decided to go to school in the evenings to further his education in architecture and interior design. Andreas loves every place he has visited because each place has unique sights and different things to enjoy. He fancies watching movies and read books and enjoys working on his home in his spare time. His favorite movie is Das Boat. "Beer, wine or cocktail?" He prefers a red wine in the evening but a cool beer at parties. How Andreas Got His Start Andreas' first job as an interior designer was to design and plan butteries, bakeries, butcheries, and restaurants. He did this job for about seven years. After that, he went to a spa design company that is no longer in Germany but still thriving in 148 different countries including, South Africa, France, and Austria. He was part of the international design group in Amsterdam. This job has taken him to Miland, Oslo, and Ireland to learn what the different functional needs of other countries are. The company worked a lot on branding so that they could be as well known as McDonald's He stayed with them for six and half years as an independent contractor. Andreas later went into wellness. He says despite the job area, he was not relaxed while working in sauna and wellness centers. He learned a lot though about water, lighting, and sound techniques for relaxation. He was the general contractor for these jobs and worked four years as a partner. Andreas left because he had different ideas of leading a company and how to treat clients. Next, he went Joi Design. They worked on a brand new building and wanted it to capture the different stories of the Lindner Park Hagenbeck Hotel, the world’s first zoo theme hotel, in Hamburg. The ground floor's theme is colonization. The first and the second floor are Africa, the third and fourth are Asia, and the top floors are the Arctic World. He was with Joi Design for about four years. Andreas' Company Today Andreas now works on rebuilding old hotels and giving them new life. They like to know the stories and backgrounds of their clients before they start on a project. Andreas wants to be able to build successful business interactions with his clients as well as stand out from competitors. They deal with branded hotels that have guidelines and are recognizable all over the world to help the customer feel like they are at home no matter where they stay in the world. He finds that working with unbranded hotels more pleasant and he loves coming up with new ideas and building from the ground up. Working with Porcelanosa and Americans Andreas has used Porcelanosa products such as tiles and tubs. He says that their products fit in with their designs very well. He thinks that Porcelanosa really has the spirit to design well for hotels fits in well with the story they are trying to tell. Andreas hopes to have a very big and well known hotel design project. He says the American way of life influences what’s going on in Europe just as Americans are always looking to Europe for inspiration.