Axel Schoenert
Published on 3 July 2021
After living in Karlsruhe, Chicago and New York, it was in Paris that Axel Schoenert and his wife, Zsofia Varnagy, eventually decided to set up Axel Schoenert architectes, a Parisian agency with a decidedly international feel.
Self-portrait. We invite professionals from the lifestyle, culture and communications world to snap six shots that sum up their story. Smartphone in hand, they have fun revealing all the little nothings around which their world revolves. It’s time to take a peek behind closed doors.
“I love adopting a free-spirited approach to architecture and unapologetically juxtaposing old and new with a marked sense of style and taste. I enjoy working on projects that involve different scales, such as designing an office block’s furnishings as well as its complex architecture, whilst ensuring its interior is in-keeping with the Gesamtkunstwerk principle.
I’m mad about art, and have been collecting architectural photos for a decade. They’re actually displayed in the agency, rather like an art gallery. I like the fact that different photographers can have such different artistic approaches. The details, the staging...”
Futile object
“It’s not exactly futile, as it gives me the freedom to go wherever I please. I can always rely on my loyal two-wheeled steed to get me to the agency or a project site. It’s a great, laid-back way of combining pleasure and practicality.”
Useful object
“I’ve always made a concerted effort to use the most cutting-edge tools around. 3D printing has a number of benefits, offering a quick way of creating models and prototypes with detailed precision. I think that the 3D printer is a powerful tool for driving innovation. It goes hand-in-hand with my magic stylus, whose features have totally reinvented the way in which I draw.”
A souvenir
The World Turned Inside Out by Joyce Hsiang and Bimal Mendis. “This exhibition, which I first discovered at the Venice Architecture Biennale, is so meaningful. It’s an exhibition that invites us to explore the world in the aim of forging a new relationship between mankind and planet earth. I may not have been able to bring it home with me in my suitcase, but the installation has stuck in my mind as being one of the very best things at the 2021 edition.”
Good luck charm
“It’s not an object as such, but a special place. This one-of-a-kind vegetable patch is somewhere I love to come to recharge my batteries. It’s actually an experimental garden where all the plants are prototypes. It reminds me of my childhood, which was a time when I was already green-fingered. I guess you could say it’s my go-to place whenever I feel I need luck on my side.”
Current crush
“Zsofia Varnagy’s stunning ceramics. She’s an artist who constantly pushes her creative boundaries, resulting in thoroughly unique pieces.”
