Interview with the designer - The story behind ICONIC HOME

The design of the ICONIC HOME vases was developed by our head designer Nicolas Woll.

He is CEO of DESIGNSCAPE, the parent company of the ICONIC HOMEbrand.

He discovered his passion for the Bauhaus style and purist designs while studying architecture.

In 2002, parallel to his studies, he founded the company Designscape Media. Even after graduating, he continued to work in online marketing and e-commerce.

From 2007, the focus shifted to the field of wall design. What initially began as a small-scale sideline, supported by family and friends, quickly developed into a trend product.

Since 2014, Designscape has been based in a modern, energy-efficient building designed by Nicolas Woll. It is specially designed to meet the needs of the company and the individual work areas can be perfectly coordinated, from design to production and logistics. Here too, the focus of the design planning was unmistakably on the purist design of the building. DESIGNSCAPE has now inspired over 500,000 customers with its design ideas for walls.
How did the idea of 3D printing vases come about
The idea for ICONIC HOME arose from the joy of designing, creating and developing.

We have been using 3D printing to produce special parts in our company for many years. We often need special objects and devices for our operating processes that cannot be purchased in the required shape. We then print these ourselves according to our requirements. I've been familiar with CAD and 3D modeling since I studied architecture.

Some time ago, I designed a vase as a gift for my wife, which was very well received by my friends. This gave me the motivation for this project.
What was the first vase you designed
The first vase was the Straightmodel. It is a very straightforward design. The vase has a bottle shape with a narrow opening for long-stemmed single flowers or grasses.

The striking logo of ICONIC HOME is also derived from the shape of the first vase.

How long did the development phase take?

How long did the development phase take?

The design and development of the project took about a year. There was a lot of modeling, research and tinkering. A separate production area was created for 3D production. This also entailed u.a. major conversion work on the building.

The right materials had to be put together and tested for suitability. This went so far that numerous parts and modules for the manufacturing process were even developed and produced in-house.

Our iconic vases are manufactured in a design-oriented and efficient production environment. We don't have a boring industrial hall atmosphere.

How important is sustainability to you?
Sustainability played a very important role in our project right from the start. The base material for the vases is based on renewable raw materials such as corn and sugar cane. The vases, which are made from the degradable bio-plastic polylactide, therefore fit in very well with the times.

The additive manufacturing process using 3D printing with a printing temperature of 200° C (at a precisely small spot) is very energy-saving compared to the production of glass and ceramic vases. For such products, temperatures of 1000° C and more are required for production.

With our photovoltaic system on the company building, we produce far more electricity than we need for the additive manufacturing processes. And in the absence of sunshine, when the storage tanks are empty, the short-term demand is covered 100% by green electricity.

We also use sustainable materials for our packaging. The lightweight yet robust vases are produced in small batches according to demand and shipped to the end customer in a climate-friendly way with DHL GoGreen.

How many vase models are available at ICONIC HOME ?
There are five designs in total, each in different sizes and colors:

STRAIGHT
The straight-lined, timeless vase Straight is the shaper for the logo of ICONIC HOME.

It is particularly suitable for single flowers, pampas grass or branches.

PURE
The Pure vase has a wide bottle shape with a rounded neck. Here, the purist design is reduced to the essentials.

Thanks to the wider opening, this model is also suitable for larger bouquets of flowers.

SHAPE
The design of the vase Shape is inspired by the silhouette of the female body.

It is suitable for smaller arrangements or undecorated as a decorative object.

TWIST
The Twist vase offers the most classic vase shape of the ICONIC HOMEseries.

Here the special conciseness was created by the Twist (the rotation) of the 60 individual segments.

SPHERE
In the ancient imagination, the sphere was the spherically curved layer of the celestial vault around the earth.

And so the vase Sphere fittingly opens towards the sky with a wider opening that also allows for several flowers.

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What makes the ICONIC HOME vases so special?
All models from ICONIC HOME captivate with the timelessly purist design of the 60 deeply integrated segments. This creates an extraordinary interplay of light and shadow.

They are light, robust and simply special in their shape and texture. The 3D printing process is predestined for the production of this unique design.

Is there anything to bear in mind when using the vases?
The material used, polylactide (PLA for short), is a bio-plastic made from renewable sources. The sustainable material, which is based on plant starch, unfortunately has the disadvantage that it is not very heat-resistant. The vases are therefore not suitable for outdoor use at high temperatures and should not be exposed to direct strong sunlight.

Because sustainability is the focus at ICONIC HOME , manufacturing the vases from conventional plastics such as z.B. ABS was not an option for us right from the start.

How are the vases made?
The vases are manufactured using 3D printing. The additive manufacturing process is very complex. Each vase is built up layer by layer by special 3D printing machines in a process that takes hours.

The large vase Sphere , for example, takes over 15 hours.

Our large vases sometimes consist of more than 1260 individual layers, which are applied additively one after the other. The individual grooves of the manufacturing process are recognizable on closer inspection, making each vase completely unique.

Can I also use the vases for fresh flowers with water?
Although PLA is resistant to water, oils, grease, alcohol and even nail polish remover, it is permeable to water vapor. Therefore, the vases are not suitable for direct filling with water.
A vase without fresh flowers would not be a real vase. For this reason, we supply a watertight, precisely fitting insert made of polypropylene. This lightweight and unbreakable insert is also suitable for the dishwasher and is 100% recyclable. This also means that the use of fresh flowers in the vases is no Problem.Die Vases themselves can be washed at any time with cold or lukewarm water.

How did the ICONIC HOME fire come about?

How did the ICONIC HOME fire come about?

The aim was to find a name that people would associate with what we do: Iconic design for the home. The fact that my nickname "Nic" is in the word ICONIC is pure coincidence 😉
In addition to the necessary trademark registration, we also had to buy the right domain. The domain iconichome.com belonged to an artist from Los Angeles. However, after weeks of communication, I managed to convince her to sell the domain name.

What do you think about the awards?

What do you think about the awards?

The many awards for the design and the brand are a great honor and a confirmation of the path we have taken. I don't know of any comparable product that has received more international awards in such a short space of time.
From the Red Dot Design Award to the iF Design Award, German Design Award and Green Good Design Award, the vases have received numerous awards.

In addition, the brand ICONIC HOME was also honored with two German Brand Awards. U.a. as "Newcomer Brand of the Year".

The combination with our sustainable production and the nomination for the German Sustainability Award Products 2025 round things off for us.

The awards are a confirmation of the special nature of our design product and our company.

This success is only possible thanks to our great in-house team, which follows every step from A-Z. This means that our customers can be sure of receiving a unique product that has been carefully crafted and delivered to their home with love and care.

What do you have planned for the future?
ICONIC HOME is based on a small number of very concise three-dimensional designs that are immediately associated with the brand.

It will remain with a few sophisticated designs. We don't want to be a product that can be found on the shelves of large mass-market furniture stores.

The original ICONIC HOMEdesign objects are manufactured exclusively by us in small series. They tend to be sold in special locations such as museums, design hotels, concept stores & showrooms and upmarket furniture stores.

An experienced team that has been working together for many years oversees production and sends our ICONIC HOME vases lovingly packaged on their journey to our customers.

Discover vases here