About - Thomas Schnur

Thomas Schnur (*1983) lives and works in Cologne. After an apprenticeship as a cabinet maker he studied product design at University of Applied Sciences Aachen. At that time he worked for designers such as Mathieu Lehanneur in Paris and studied at École Supérieure d'Art et Design de Saint Étienne.

His work has been shown on numerous stages of design including IMM Cologne, Maison et Objet Paris, Salone del Mobile Mailand, ICFF New York and Beijing Design Week.

In dealing with everyday things, he formulates objects in collaboration with companies such as Functionals, Tecta, Covestro, Jan Kurtz and Magazin.

In 2017 he published the book Common Things, which was presented with the exhibition of the same name in Munich, Cologne and Leipzig.

As a member of Generation Köln, he was committed to cooperations with CIAV Meisenthal and Werkraum Bregenzerwald.

He is teaching at Ecosign in Cologne since 2016 and was guest lecturerer at HBK Saar, UdK Berlin, Burg Halle and Kunsthochschule Kassel.

AWARDS

TEACHING

SuSe 2016 – today | ecosign, Köln

SoSe 2023 – Burg, Halle

SuSe 2019 – UdK, Berlin

SuSe 2019 – SuSe 2020 | Kunsthochschule, Kassel

SuSe 2016 – SuSe 2018 | HBKsaar, Saarbrücken

JURY

10.2026 – Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis

06.2026 – Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes

10.2025 – Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis

10.2024 – Deutscher Nachhaltigkeitspreis

08.2022 – German Design Graduates

11.2019 – Staatspreis Design Saarland

Publications

01.2021 – Chairman

07.2019 – Standard

05.2018 – O Ton

01.2017 – Common Things

01.2016 – Funktionsraum

Writing

07.2016 – falstaff living

02.2016 – domus deutschland

10.2012 – qvest magazine

01.2017 – 21 Common Things

07.2016 – falstaff living

02.2016 – domus deutschland

10.2012 – qvest magazine

STATEMENT

„In my projects I always attempt to negotiate with the product I am to design. I negotiate on the weighting of materials, manufacturing, appearance, meaning and function. I break down this task into its characteristics and meanings. I then analyze, assess and construct the idea. In this, it is important to me that despite their cross-references, the products, which are often created from familiar fragments, are able to develop the greatest possible degree of autonomy. In this way, they allow for associations but, beyond this, develop their own potential for becoming autonomous products.“

Exhibition

10.2026 – Machwerkhaus, Cologne (26. – 31.10.26)

04.2026 – Salone del Mobile, Milan

03.2026 – 100 Years of Bauhaus, Dessau

01.2025 – Passagen, Köln

06.2024 – Salone di Aschau, Aschau

01.2024 – Passagen, Köln

05.2023 – Interzum, Köln

04.2023 – Design Week, Milan

03.2023 – Design Post, Köln

11.2022 – Kongresshaus, Zürich

10.2022 – Orgatec, Köln

10.2022 – K, Düsseldorf

10.2022 – MAK, Wien

01.2021 – St.Gertrud, Köln

01.2021 – Buchhandlung Walther König , Köln

01.2020 – Galerie Martina Kaiser , Köln

01.2020 – IMM , Köln

09.2019 – Maison et Objet, Paris

04.2019 – Enter Porcelain, Milan

01.2019 – Maison et Objet, Paris

01.2019 – Bunker am Bahngleis , Köln

01.2019 – IMM , Köln

10.2018 – DDW, Eindhoven

10.2018 – Orgatec, Köln

06.2018 – Generation Köln, Maastricht

05.2018 – HBKsaar Galerie, Saarbrücken

01.2018 – In Arbeit, Köln

01.2018 – Ruttkowski;68, Köln

01.2018 – IMM , Köln

10.2017 – DDW, Eindhoven

10.2017 – Common Things, Leipzig

10.2017 – Buchmesse, Frankfurt

09.2017 – Maison et Objet, Paris

09.2017 – Design September, Brussels

06.2017 – State of Design, Berlin

05.2017 – Interzum, Köln

05.2017 – Ludwig Forum, Aachen

04.2017 – 20 Years Salone Satellite, Milan

03.2017 – Ludwig Forum, Aachen

02.2017 – Monobloc Project, Sainte Colombe

01.2017 – Common Things, Köln

10.2016 – Orgatec, Köln

10.2016 – DDW, Eindhoven

10.2016 – Interieur, Kortrijk

09.2016 – German Design Hub, Beijing

09.2016 – Maison et Objet, Paris

06.2016 – Bundeskunsthalle, Bonn

04.2016 – Ventura Lambrate, Milan

02.2016 – Furniture Fair, Stockholm

01.2016 – Maison et Objet, Paris

01.2016 – Funktionsraum, Köln

09.2015 – Maison et Objet, Paris

04.2015 – Ventura Lambrate, Milan

02.2015 – Furniture Fair, Stockholm
01.2015 – Objects in Between, Köln

12.2014 – Designsupermarket, Prag
10.2014 – Jeux de Design, Paris
10.2014 – Orgatec, Köln
09.2014 – Maison et Objet, Paris
04.2014 – FuoriSalone, Mailand
04.2014 – Salone Satellite, Mailand
02.2014 – Maison et Objet, Paris
01.2014 – Objects and the Factory, Köln

09.2013 – designjunction, London
09.2013 – Les Docks en Seine, Paris
04.2013 – FuoriSalone, Mailand
04.2013 – Salone Satellite, Mailand
01.2013 – Objects for the Neighbour, Köln
01.2013 – Designers Fair, Köln

10.2012 – Interieur, Kortrijk
09.2012 – beijing design week, Bejing
09.2012 – kunstraum, München
09.2012 – Artisan Social Designer, Paris
08.2012 – Chu Gallery, Köln
04.2012 – Salone Satellite, Mailand
04.2012 – Le Bon Marché, Paris
02.2012 – Mudam, Luxembourg
01.2012 – Designers Fair, Köln
01.2012 – MKK, Ingolstadt

12.2011 – Euromold, Frankfurt
12.2011 – BODW, Hong Kong
10.2011 – Design in Aktion, Warschau
09.2011 – Maison et Objet, Paris
08.2011 – V&A , London
06.2011 – DMY, Berlin
05.2011 – FuoriSalone, Mailand
04.2011 – ICFF, New York
02.2011 – Ambiente, Frankfurt
01.2011 – Imm Cologne, Köln