Zola Auböck discusses the Gallet collection, growing up in a designer household, the world through the pastry chef’s lens, design itself, becoming friends through design and Valerie Auböck...

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Growing up, I was always surrounded by the objects designed by my great-grandfather and grandfather, and unknowingly, but quite surely, it influenced my view on design and the world as a whole.

In a family of architects and designers, there’s always talk about looks, colors, shapes, and dimensions. Those were always our topics of conversation at the dinner table. When the table wasn’t used for meals, we used it for painting, crafting, or dressing up activities. Our home was always colorful and creativity wasn’t only welcome - it was just naturally around us all the time. We were encouraged to draw, sing, play instruments, and dress up, and craft in any way possible.

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I was always surrounded by the objects from the werkstätte and since the nature and energy of these objects is so restrained and modest, it has always been a natural part of my environment. Natural in the best possible way.

The first time I realized that the cutlery (and some other objects) we used at home were somehow “not your average items” was when a friend came over to visit and was surprised to find our family name punch-marked on our cutlery while we were eating pasta for lunch. I was both amazed and proud. It played right into my observation that everything was always a bit different for us than for other families. Slowly but steadily I realized that everything is design – from the house we live in, to the tablecloth, the clothes we wear, and the cutlery we eat from.
It is a yardstick, a malleable corset, support, a guide. It’s also a sense of security, something to work towards, a goal - something that always resonates and you can't be without.

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Since I was a little girl, I have always been magically drawn to tiny things. I was quite surprised to find a selection of objects designed by my grandfather (CA III), that were quite the opposite: Everyday objects, but magnified (clothes pin, paperclip, etc.)!
This made me think about scale and I realized how important it is! It can give a new meaning to familiar objects and also change the way you relate to them and to yourself.

It’s almost impossible to pick one favorite object from the collection but as a pastry chef in life and at heart, I see edible things in everything. My world exists in dishes, tastes, smells, and ingredients. So it’s no big surprise that the objects that speak the most to me are the “edible” objects like the egg paperweight or the peanut keyring – I even got a custom ice cream cone vase for my birthday (made in the workshop). It’s the humor, the boldness but also the simplicity about these designs that really get to me – a combination that makes the objects timeless and touching.

In the first few months of working in the workshop, I made an XL version of the iconic "foot paperweight" together with my father (CA IV). I realized - humorous on the one hand, painful on the other - how difficult it is to "blow up" an object while keeping the proportions and honoring the design process that gave birth to it. The XL foot sculpture, which was initially custom-made for a client, became a big hit and is now part of the Werkstätte collection.

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I love the fact that the objects from our workshop tell so many stories. But what I find most beautiful is hearing the collectors' stories. They are often characterized by love, chance, coincidence, and sometimes luck. It is an honor to be a part of it and to experience the significance these objects can play in the lives of complete strangers - who sometimes even become friends...friends through design.

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And speaking of friends, I only met Valerie / "Tante Vally" when I was very, very young – but I can remember that she was a very vibrant and colorful person and that my grandparents always spoke highly of her. "Tante Vally" was a name that was always around when I grew up and I do remember my grandmother Justine talking about how Vally was the one who helped introduce the objects of the werkstätte to the US market which is a blessing up to this day since the US is our biggest market.