A feel for good design and a passion for the Audo brand run in the blood of brand and design director Joachim Kornbek Hansen. His grandfather founded the brand, now one of Scandinavia's most successful interior brands, in 1978 – and in doing so laid the foundations for Joachim's career too. We met Audo's brand and design director and talked to him about the company's history, its philosophy and the challenge of a sustainability strategy in times of climate crisis.
Joachim, what excites you personally about the Audo brand?
I feel that we're never static but always developing something new – and that's exactly the feeling I need. Whether it's expanding products and collections or a whole building, like THE AUDO – the hybrid space we use as a showroom for the brand, a co-working space and a hotel. Audo is always on the move, and that drives my creativity.
Did you always know you wanted to play an active role at Audo, your family's company?
No, actually I only really became aware of it in my early twenties. The role and the responsibility grew more and more over the years, so it felt completely natural. And because I'd known for years that my father (the founder of Audo) wanted to step back, I increasingly felt the need to take over his position.
What makes good design for you?
That's a difficult question. I'm influenced a lot by current trends, but I also tend to come back to simple things again and again. For me, design should generally always be casually elegant.
You work with many well-known names in design. How do you choose your partners?
For us, it's important that the chemistry is right. Everyone involved should enjoy developing and designing together. Taste and style also play a central role. I have to be sure that I can trust the input of the designers we work with. So if they say something is good, there's a good chance it really is.
How would you describe Audo's company philosophy?
Audo is always open and curious. THE AUDO is the physical form of our beliefs. We want to have a place where we can meet and work together. We believe in input from the world beyond the company's walls, and we always keep our enthusiasm for the bigger picture.
And what has changed most in recent years? How have you responded to current events, such as the increasingly threatening climate crisis?
We've paid very close attention to meeting a range of parameters – from the way we produce to freight restrictions and so on – to see how we can affect the climate as little as possible. We recently set all of this out in our Sustainability Manifesto.
That sounds interesting! Can you describe the main pillars of your Sustainability Manifesto?
Longevity – we want to make products that stand the test of time.
Production close to market – we want to produce close to where we sell most of our products, minimising freight.
Responsibility – we've created a set of parameters that our products have to meet before we can call them responsible.
And what would you say is the biggest challenge in sticking to the manifesto?
Sometimes you find that production methods or materials you took for granted just 5 to 10 years ago are no longer suitable. Then there's the economic side. Producing sustainably often isn't the cheapest solution. But it forces us to think smarter.
What are you most proud of?
Lots of things at Audo – impossible to put them in order. But in my private life, definitely my wife and my children.
What does a typical working day look like for you, and what makes you happiest about it?
It's very varied, and I rarely have two days that are the same. There are lots of meetings. But one of my favourite things is reviewing samples of upcoming products. The magic of the work, and the idea of seeing something on paper or in a rendering come to life, feels like Christmas to me every time.
Last but not least: can you give us a sneak peek? Which new products can we look forward to in autumn/winter?
I don't want to give too much away yet, but we're likely to launch products soon that are designed to serve the people who use them …
