Dear Uli, you are a designer by profession – as your company name reveals. What are your most important projects and main tasks, and what do you love most about your work?

I am originally a trained master florist, but I have expanded my creative field of activity and do not design exclusively with plant material. What I do is probably best described as “creating atmosphere” in the areas of interior design and decoration. Therefore, my clients* come from very different corners. Some run tourism businesses and decide to get expert guidance in developing and implementing a design concept that sets them apart from their competitors. Others are getting married and want a special floral decoration for their wedding reception that reflects their personal lifestyle. Still others are planning a party with several hundred guests and are looking for a designer who has a bright idea for a cool event design and can reliably realize it within a given time frame. I also work very closely with photographers to find the right nerve and style for a photo production and to implement it stylistically.

My main task is to listen to people and to explore and develop from that point. My designs should visually reflect the clients’ wishes, a certain brand aesthetic or an individual business philosophy. This can be very challenging and demanding, takes a lot of work and energy – at the same time this personal and artistic approach is also what I love most about my work.

Why should design be particularly important in tourism, gastronomy and the event industry? What areas does decoration and design encompass at all?

Man is an “eye animal” – although he has five senses, he perceives almost 80% of his environment unconsciously only with his eyes. To put it simply – in an incoherent environment, the most sophisticated corporate philosophy, the highest-quality food, the highest-quality wine, the greatest music, the best service will be perceived differently than in a coherent ambience.

This makes design a key success factor both in the area of corporate design – i.e. the visual and linguistic presentation of a company – and in conveying a positive customer experience.
A good hotel is much more than a functional place to stay, it is a temporary home – a consistent, high-quality visual concept conveys a feeling of harmony, appreciation and welcome to the guests.
A good event is always a holistic overall experience – it succeeds when all senses are addressed and emotionally coherently connected. What we see with our eyes is at least as important as what we smell, taste or hear. The same principle also applies to gastronomy.

Is there a widespread awareness of design in the tourism industry, or is there still a need for persuasion?

This question cannot be answered unequivocally. There are people in the industry who have a very high-quality approach to aesthetics, design and layout, and who appreciate professional design and decoration and know about its added value for the business. It is important to recognize that a sharpened, trained eye perceives spaces differently than one’s own personal taste does, and that professionals design with this trained eye.
The fact is: design is always subjective, it can be pleasing or not. But there is a professional approach in which personal taste is subordinated to a coherent atmosphere. Some customers have to be educated and persuaded to become aware of this.

When it comes to decoration, design and creation, what topics should – ideally – already be addressed during training?

I think it’s essential to give young people a basic understanding of aesthetics. Aesthetics does not mean one’s own personal taste. It is the study of perception and sensory perception that follows certain laws. It is not only concerned with beauty and harmony, but with everything that moves our senses, including ugliness and unpleasantness. Acquiring aesthetic sensibility as future tourism professionals and knowing about the basic laws of aesthetics has a high educational value and is an experience gain that shapes the personality. Every good school system should offer its students aesthetic education that goes beyond art education.

What would you recommend to young companies that are just starting up and perhaps don’t yet have the budget to be able to afford professional help in the area of design and decoration?

I think that as a company you also have to set certain priorities here. For example, we also only offer a consulting service that is within an absolutely manageable financial framework. I consult with the customer and then create a mood board with atmospheric images that visually communicate emotions and ideas. This can be used as a guide for self-design. One area that is particularly interesting for young entrepreneurs is upstyling or upcycling. This is an innovative and sustainable approach for customers who can’t or don’t want to plan a complete remodel, but want to upgrade their visual appearance. We look at these businesses with a keen eye and carefully and skilfully set the scene. With a coherent overall concept, even quirky and second-hand items can work. The price of an item says nothing about the quality of the design and creation – expensive is not automatically good.

What has been the most unusual project you’ve been involved in creatively so far?

It’s difficult to pinpoint just one. If you’ve been working in the design field for a very long time – as I have – then there are of course many beautiful and unusual projects that you’ve been able to implement over time. Recently, perhaps one of the most exciting challenges was the development and implementation of a floral concept for a major photo production at the Sacher Hotels in Vienna and Salzburg. Sacher is a global brand and one of the few family-run luxury hotels – here, historic architecture is combined with a deeply rooted, evolved hospitality philosophy. For the desired modernization of the visual language, it was necessary to break with the traditional framework in terms of design, without making a head scratcher. Such projects require a great deal of intuition. What I also find particularly exciting is the area of upstyling or upcycling tourism businesses, which I mentioned above – we’ve been able to implement some great projects here in recent years. One of our clients took a very trusting and courageous path with us and we transformed an aging hotel bar into a cool feel-good place without any major renovation work, using just a few resources and a spectacular color concept – the costs were absolutely manageable, the feedback from the guests is good, sales have increased … project successful.