SOMMERHAUS: A collection by Annabelle Selldorf for Munder Skiles

Sommerhaus began with photographs from Annabelle Selldorf’s family archive, showing woven furniture in a garden in 1950s Cologne. She was drawn to the lightness, simplicity and restraint of the pieces, qualities that became the starting point for the collection.

The photographs capture a particular approach to living with design. Furniture that is elegant but informal, considered without being precious, and at ease both inside and out. These qualities remained with Selldorf.

With Sommerhaus, Selldorf brings this thinking together with Munder Skiles’ experience designing furniture for life outdoors, exploring the relationship between furniture, architecture and garden.

For Munder Skiles founder John Danzer, the collaboration grew from a natural affinity with Selldorf’s approach to architecture and a shared design heritage.

“Though we come from different disciplines, we share a respect for craftsmanship, longevity and, perhaps shaped by our German roots, a preference for clarity over excess. This collection brings those ideas together: Annabelle’s architectural vision and Munder Skiles’ decades of experience designing furniture for life outdoors.”

Slender steel legs give the woven forms an unexpected lightness. Sculpted arms, upright backs and slim cushions borrow the proportions of classic interior furniture, allowing the pieces to move naturally between house and garden. Equally at home on a summer terrace or beside the fire as the seasons change.

Selldorf is one of the most respected architects of her generation. Her work includes the transformation of The Frick Collection in New York and the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing in London. Across architecture, interiors and furniture, her practice is characterized by an enduring interest in proportion, material and the way people inhabit spaces.

Sommerhaus by Annabelle Selldorf for Munder Skiles

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