Störtebeker Elbphilharmonie

Unique restaurant equipment in the Störtebeker Elbphilharmonie

A unique gastronomic location like the Elbphilharmonie also requires an exceptional interior. The “Störtebeker Elbphilharmonie” has therefore brought the furniture manufacturer WAGNER LIVING on board as its exclusive outfitter.

“For me, furniture has to match the entire catering concept individually,” says Christoph Strenger, Managing Director of the East Group, partner of Störtebeker Braumanufaktur from Stralsund, which is part of the renowned Nordmann Group.

With the Störtebeker, the Elbphilharmonie will be a cozy place for everyone. This includes fine leather, lots of wood and warm tones in the furnishings. The “captain’s table” and an extra-long “channel table” are particularly special. Thanks to the special Wagner chairs, it is possible to sit at this table for as long as you like in a particularly relaxed manner. This is made possible by the three-dimensional “Dondola” joint, which is not missing from any of the seating furniture. It decouples the rigid connection between the seat and the lower part of the chair and sets the former into micro-movements during sitting, which relieve and strengthen the spine. “Wagner is a competent partner with great products and a wealth of experience, who designs and customizes the furniture we want. Well-being is at the heart of the Wagner brand. You can feel that. And making my guests feel comfortable is very, very important to me,” emphasizes Strenger.

Cooperation with know-how

A team led by Christoph Strenger, the architects from the Lüneburg design office Formwaende, the Nordmann family and the furniture manufacturer Wagner Living worked together to find the products for the restaurant furnishings. In close dialog with the design office in particular, Wagner Living endeavored to consistently continue the extraordinary and unique character of the Elbphilharmonie building on the inside.

Exceptional projects require exceptional solutions

“We are delighted to be able to fit out such an extraordinary project,” says Nicole Wagner-Rieth from Wagner Living, who oversaw the project. The restaurant on the 5th floor has around 200 seats. There is also a store and tasting area on the 6th floor. The classic “W-1960” pub chair from Wagner was an instant hit with all the furnishers. It was therefore the starting point for an individual adaptation and ultimately became the “Custom” shell chair. It was complemented by the “W2010” bar stool.

From the “Captain’s Table” to the barstool, Wagner Living has developed completely individual products, some of which are based on existing models (pub chair, barstool), while others have been completely redesigned and reshaped. In addition to the chairs, the upholstery for the surrounding benches and all the tables were also realized with Wagner. An open-pored and natural leather with a very unique character was chosen as the surface for the upholstery fabrics, which perfectly complements the Störtebeker concept. This perfectly rounded off the restaurant furnishings.

Wagner Living’s roots in the catering industry go back to 1949, when the founder, Moritz Wagner, began manufacturing wooden chairs for restaurants, event halls and private kitchens.

Many years have passed since then, but the two essential values have remained the same: Craftsmanship and a passion for making customers feel comfortable. Even today, all Wagner seating furniture is still made by hand in Langenneufnach, near Augsburg in Germany. And even the Wagner pub chair – the epitome of comfort and conviviality until the 1970s – has been brought into the modern age with the “secret” Dondola. As we sit (too) much nowadays, it made sense to integrate movement into our sedentary everyday lives – gently, but sustainably!

Wagner – design that moves, movement that sits!