Light from This World— lantern —a series by KPM Berlin

It is unusual—indeed, heavenly light. Mark Braun picks up the lantern, crafted from the finest biscuit porcelain, and runs a finger over its velvety surface. A golden line runs all the way around it, topped by a single dot. The hand-painted design symbolizes the orbits of the celestial bodies, with the light—the sun—at the center. Eight planets orbit it, with Earth—that very dot—leading the way. At the bottom of the lantern, the designation “365 T” is handwritten—the number of days it takes Earth to orbit the sun once.

Mark Braun designed the lantern—or, more precisely, the PLANETARIUM lantern series—for KPM. The series now includes not only our home planet, but also Jupiter and Mars, with variations in the size of the dots and the number of days in their orbits. Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune will follow.

"This circular movement is a metaphor that I liked," says the designer during a visit to his studio in Berlin-Alt-Treptow. "The focus is on light, the brand, everything revolves around the manufactory and its production cycles."

The casually dressed man in his mid-forties adjusts his cap. If you talk to the award-winning product designer about his designs, he always emphasizes the commercial side. Perhaps this is the secret of his success. "I see it as my job to convey the potential of a company to the outside world with my products," he explains. It is not enough just to be a good designer; entrepreneurial and intellectual knowledge are just as important. It is also not enough just to have craftsmanship and talent; you also have to have good partners. Braun tries to think about the feasibility and production constraints of his clients. The collaboration with KPM is a "perfect match" - and the lantern is a "perfect brand ambassador" for the manufactory.

Here, high quality and precision in working with porcelain meet contemporary design. “KPM stands for a wealth of craftsmanship and history. It’s a company that has been very progressive in the past—for example, during the Bauhaus era with designs by Trude Petri or Marguerite Friedlaender,” says Braun. “That’s what I wanted to build on.” With the PLANETARIUM lantern, form follows function; it casts a pleasant, bright, windproof light in the dark. By day, however, it is simply a beautiful design object.

Mark Braun knows a thing or two about porcelain. While studying industrial design at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design, he experimented extensively with this “fussy material.” “Porcelain Plus X” was the title of his thesis. In it, he explored the contextualization of the material in relation to bathroom and tableware design. Braun waxes enthusiastic when he recalls: “In the workshops at Halle , I had the perfect conditions to try out new things.”

KPM Berlin . is a company that has always been very forward-thinking.

He also began his professional career with porcelain works: He designed a tableware set for the manufacturer ASA Selection, his first major commercial success after graduating. Although he deliberately chose not to put his name on the mass-market set, the commission gave him the financial leeway he needed to subsequently pursue his own products. In 2006, he started his own design studio and moved into a studio house in Alt-Treptow, where other artists and musicians had already set up shop. It was an inspiring atmosphere for the young entrepreneur, who set up an office and a “ studio ” there. Today, new residential buildings have sprung up around the old structure—which, during the GDR era, housed the record workshop of the music label Amiga—so that his office and “ studio ” are tucked away in the backyard. There, he employs three staff members and works as part of a team to develop various products from every conceivable material.

Mark Braun His business is thriving and well-diversified. His clients today include renowned companies such as Hartô, Conmoto, Lobmeyr, mono, e15, Otto Hutt, and Thonet, to name just a few. He designs vases, glass carafes, razorSets, table stands, cutlery, sofas, garden loungers, lamps, jewelry, and watches. He is particularly pleased with the design of the “Metro” watch for NOMOS Glashütte, a bestseller for years that is now available in 13 versions. As diverse as his products may be, all his designs bear his signature style. They are well-thought-out, minimalist, and pleasantly unobtrusive. Many of his works have been honored with prestigious awards such as the iF Design Award, the Red Dot Award, and the German Design Award. But success hasn’t gone to the 45-year-old’s head—he comes across as modest, calm, and without pretension.

He owes his aesthetic sensibility to his family. His grandfather was an architect, and his grandmother was an artist. They owned a summer house in Sweden, where they placed great importance on tasteful furnishings. Young Mark was surrounded by design classics—including many Scandinavian pieces—and learned early on to appreciate fine products. Today, as a father of two, he tries to instill this appreciation for design in his own children. “It’s an important experience for children to come into contact with high-quality products,” Braun believes. He’ll sometimes hand his young daughter a beautiful drinking glass, even if it might get broken. He lives with his wife, graphic designer Anna Sartorius, and their children in Kreuzberg. This is where the self-proclaimed Berliner has made his home. The city continues to inspire him time and again because Berlin is undergoing such rapid change. KPM Berlin is also a part of Berlin that he cherishes. The manufactory has always had an “open door” for him in the past—the best conditions for a successful collaboration.

Text: Heike Gläser