Søren Henrichsen Design Studio – Sudden Twists

Even Søren Henrichsen’s family background is full of “plot twists”. He was born to a Danish father and a German mother, yet raised in francophone Geneva, Switzerland. Someone with such multi-layered roots is not afraid of combining things in unforeseen ways.

Cuckoo clocks, for instance: Henrichsen mixes old South German tradition with Scandinavian design, Swiss precision – and modern light sensor technology, so the cuckoo keeps quiet at night. The HANSRUEDI clock is a hit, and in demand as far afield as Australia, California and Malaysia. 

Fusing the familiar with the unexpected, the “sudden twist”, is Søren Henrichsen’s signature. It can be found in every one of his products. A seemingly ordinary block of wood suddenly becomes a practical key hook – thanks to hidden magnets. Or a leather wallet is constructed to be a data protector – its invisible lining keeps RFID signals away from credit cards. 

Henrichsen has never been afraid of twists and turns. Mainly to appease his parents, he first obtained a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, and a Master’s in European Studies, both at University of Geneva. But because he had always longed to be a designer, he enrolled at ECAL in Lausanne, eager to study Product Design.

The next “plot twist” came only a year later: A carpentry workshop offered Henrichsen space to put his design ideas into practice. He took the leap into practical work, hoping that this would be of greater benefit than continuing his studies. 

Looking back, Henrichsen recalls: “My time at ECAL gave me a lot. I learned what people expect from products, and how to design a process efficiently. But I wanted to be around people who deal with production on a daily basis. For me, there is hardly anything more exciting than collaborating with experienced woodworkers to reconcile design and realisation. In the Jacques Burkardt workshop, I found the ideal environment to do this, and developed my first marketable product: the ‘Lassy’ coffee table.” 

It certainly takes a bit of bravado to go to an exclusive retailer with your very first product and ask to be included in their range. Søren Henrichsen did exactly that at “La Troisième Main” in Geneva.  The shop agreed – and Henrichsen made his first successful sale. “That encouraged me to continue. I built the first ‘Lassy’ tables myself, the others were then produced by a sheltered workshop. I still work with them today.”

So, almost overnight, the designer became an entrepreneur. In order to master this twist professionally, Henrichsen applied to Creative Hub for Creative Link coaching. And his success story continued: “I was accepted and got the best coach and sparring partner imaginable: Raphael Rossel, who is also Managing Director of Ikea Foundation Switzerland. The programme taught me how to calculate margins, start crowdfunding campaigns and much more. But first and foremost, it brought me together with experienced people I could learn from.” 

During the coaching programme, Søren Henrichsen also refined his upcoming goals. Next, he wants to expand his product range and regularly stock it with new products. As he explains: “That’s important in order to stay relevant at trade fairs, and with dealers. But I can’t – and don’t want to – design every piece myself. Of the next five objects, only one is by me; designer friends have come up with the others.”

Which brings us to the next plot twist: evolving from a “one-man show” into a design brand that fosters collaboration. We wish Søren Henrichsen many more successful developments in his career!