In the 1950s, in some cities the Werkbund organizes home advice centres campaigning against kidney-shaped tables, cone lamps, imitation Chippendale and the “Gelsenkirchener Baroque”.
Good furniture should be modern: not fashionable, rather simple, functional, flexible and affordable. At no cost, trained staff offer their assistance in questions of the home and its set-up. There, you can see recommended household items from wallpaper samples to tea sets and exhibitions on Good Form. The Berlin advice centre is a child of Interbau and opens in 1958 with the name Ständige Ausstellung Wohnen (Permanent Living Exhibition ). Lead by Charlotte Eiermann for many years, the home advice centre of the Werkbund is integrated into the International Design Centre in 1969 and later to the Consumer Centre Berlin. It is here that the model kit with miniature furniture exhibited in “gern modern? Living Concepts for Berlin after 1945” is developed.
During “gern modern?”, the platform DIY Wohnberatungsstelle invites visitors to shape and participate in the exhibition’s topics and appearance. Faced with different challenges, we ask the same question for every drop-in-workshop (see dates): “How shall we live?” We will build possible answers with huge building blocks and tape on a 1:2 scale.
