Dialogue - 33 degrees, 24 years of professional experience, 1st own product
How do you feel after the first few weeks and with the current numbers – 33, 24, and 1?
After so many years in the furniture industry, filled with countless experiences and encounters, I am truly excited to take this leap on my own. The “hot phase” has now quite literally begun. In early July, together with the designers, I was able to see and touch the very first prototype of Product 1. That moment – when you find out whether a design on paper translates well into reality and what refinements are still needed – is always thrilling. I’ve been through it many times before, yet this time the anticipation was greater and the nerves more present. The outcome has given all of us great confidence, and the excitement continues.
How and where did the idea for Tola Dolza originate?
In 2020, when the world – and in some way, I too – was facing an uncertain future and something unprecedented, a long-held wish to become an entrepreneur began to take more concrete shape. On a culinary discovery trip, and to briefly escape Munich, I travelled to Italy, to the Modena region. There, in a wonderful place, I came across the term Tola Dolza - from the local dialect. Just a few days later, back home and with a glass of wine in hand, I reserved the domain name. Now, five years later and only a few months after my 50th birthday, Tola Dolza is becoming reality.
Why furniture and interiors?
While still in high school, I worked part-time at a timber merchant and had my first encounters with family-run businesses, learning to appreciate their craftsmanship. That joy of seeing something take shape and giving a space its own character was born there and has stayed with me ever since. When a design also has the potential to accompany generations, for me, that is perfection. That’s how I live at home and how I choose the places I feel drawn to – the ones I remember fondly and, ideally, return to.
What are the places you think of when you say that?
I had long heard from an Australian dealer about Lord Howe Island. On my last trip there, I finally spent five days on this tiny island, recharging in the sun. For me, it was the perfect place – no keys (even the sheriff’s car was unlocked with the keys inside), everyone greets everyone, the nature, the sea, and the beaches are overwhelming, and it feels as though time has stood still for decades.
Every April, we travel to Milan, and I spend almost every evening at Cala Luna – authentic and delicious for fish lovers, with their lovely “faccio io” approach. Over the years, every guest I have brought there has shared my enthusiasm.
For architecture and art, my personal highlight is Château La Coste in southern France, and not far from there, the Hotel Les Roches Rouges, directly by the sea, with the wonderful Bistrot Loudet just down the street.
For fish at home – whether to eat on site or to cook at home – Fisch Witte at the Viktualienmarkt is my go-to. Otherwise, I’m always happy at Schumann’s Tagesbar or with Pietro at Becco Fino.
What do you wish for Tola Dolza and the industry?
What I have always loved about this industry are the exceptional designs and the personalities whose motivation was never purely profit or mass sales. I fondly recall a conversation with Ingo Maurer in his SoHo showroom during ICFF in New York. Products created with a love for design and meticulous craftsmanship – or those so unique in their concept that not everyone dares to take them on – continue to fascinate me. Time and again, I see how friends at my home react precisely to these pieces, asking about their origin and brand. Sadly, many of these small, refined brands are disappearing, or, through acquisitions by large groups, are losing their roots and, bit by bit, their soul. My goal for the coming years is to build such a brand, to share it through the many excellent specialist retailers, and to create new favourite pieces for people to treasure.
My personal favourite piece of furniture?
The 1982 Schubladenstapel (stack of drawers) from the Röthlisberger Collection. I’m always delighted to see it in a store – especially since each piece is unique. At my home, it has stood for many years in the centre of the room, a presence from every angle.
