Lisa Keller and Fynn Freyschmidt, both born and raised in Berlin, met while studying at the University of the Arts. Along with their romance, their involvement in each other’s work also blossomed, though it wasn’t until years later that it officially became known as KellerFreyschmidt. Lisa is most at home in the world of tableware, while Fynn focuses primarily on furniture design and material innovation. These backgrounds come together in their “ Design ” and in their collaboration with Vij5. “ Chaku ” has been part of the “ Vij5 ” collection since 2020, and “ Papeterie ” was added to it in 2026.
September 2026
Text: Daniëlle van de Haterd
Photography: Vij5
“There is no single right way to balance family life with a design practice.”
Lisa Keller
At the kitchen table
For this interview, Arjan and Anieke joined Lisa and Fynn at the kitchen table, while their children played around them. It was a fitting setting, because at KellerFreyschmidt, work and daily life constantly by intertwine. Ideas simply come to them at home, prototypes are tested there, and inspiration for good design is, in fact, strikingly often found in everyday life.
“It’s just fun for me to find solutions to everyday problems.”
Fynn Freyschmidt
Originally from
Although Lisa and Fynn both grew up in Berlin, they did so in completely different settings. Fynn’s roots are in a central part of the city, while Lisa lived on the outskirts, among the horse farms. Despite this difference, it turned out that they had a lot in common. Both come from a warm, loving home where family and caring for the environment are important.
Both Lisa's and Fynn's childhoods offered plenty of room for creativity.
In Finn’s family, creativity was most evident in the form of music. His mother worked at a record store, and his father played the guitar. At parties and other family gatherings, they invariably made music together. His grandfather left the most visible creative legacy; he drew and sculpted with clay in a style that was uniquely his own and instantly recognizable. “Our family shares a vacation home on the Baltic Sea, and much of his work is still there. It’s nice to go there and see it all again.”
Lisa didn’t grow up in a family of designers, but she’s now surrounded by them by . Her brother became a graphic designer, and her sister-in-law studied fashion design. “My dad always says, ‘We aren’t Designers, we make Designers,’” she says with a laugh.
What she inherited most from her parents is their eye for quality and beautiful things. Fynn fondly explains that at his in-laws’ home, you see valuable, well-designed items everywhere: not all of them are things he and Lisa would choose themselves, but they are objects that radiate warmth, care, and durability.
One of those Furniture stands out in Lisa’s memories: the round extendable table in the living room. “The feeling associated with that table is ‘being together.’ We usually sat in the kitchen, but when we had a big meal or breakfast on the weekend, we’d gather around that round table. That alone gave those meals a special atmosphere.”
“A project often starts with play. At some point, we realize it has become interesting enough to turn into a product.”
KellerFreyschmidt
Play Forever
For as long as she can remember, Lisa has loved to play. As a child, she couldn’t imagine ever wanting to stop, but of course she didn’t want to make a fool of herself either. So during her teenage years, she turned daily chores into a game. “When I had to clear the table after breakfast, I’d pretend I was a professional packer. For example, I’d wrap a piece of cheese as neatly as possible in aluminum foil. In my mind, I was incredibly good at it, and people would pay me to make such a beautiful package out of their cheese, too.”
For Fynn, play looked very different. He spent most of his time outdoors and on the move: playing basketball, tennis, riding his bike, skateboarding, and rollerblading. While Lisa imagined her own worlds based on the things she did, for Fynn, play was more about the doing itself.
That playful spirit has never completely disappeared. Even “ Design ” often begins with a process of exploration and experimentation. “For me, ‘ Design ’ is both play and work,” says Fynn. “I enjoy coming up with solutions to problems that arise every day. Then I quickly head into the workshop, build something, and test it out. Many things in our home have come about this way—as quick fixes that might eventually turn into a real design.”
“When too many people add their own twist, a project can turn into a jumble of ideas. It still needs a direction.”
Fynn Freyschmidt
When Playing Becomes Work
Too much pressure or direction can somewhat limit that sense of play and the enjoyment of Design , Fynn believes. “Some clients bring so many of their own ideas to the table that it compromises the design process. It basically turns into a big mishmash of ideas, but if everyone just keeps adding ingredients, the original idea can get lost.”
As it happens, he and Lisa served a delicious soup before the interview. Arjan notes that they actually added all sorts of things to the original recipe, such as yogurt, herbs, and edible flowers. Still, it turned out to be a very rich soup. The difference, according to Lisa? “There was one clear director. I decided which flowers went in.” To which Fynn responds with a laugh: “Yeah, nobody asked me anything. Those flowers just suddenly appeared!”
Lisa and Fynn admit that cooking together isn’t always a resounding success. When they both add something to a dish, it sometimes ends in a compromise that doesn’t really make anyone happy. At the “ Design ,” things clearly work differently. There, they actually bounce ideas off each other by. As they themselves conclude: they’re better at Design together than they are at cooking together.
“Good design isn’t just about adding more luxury. It can improve our everyday surroundings and should be accessible to more people.”
Lisa Keller
Time spent studying
Lisa and Fynn both studied at the University of the Arts in Berlin and met when Lisa was in her final year of school. Fynn helped her with her thesis, and a year later, she did the same for him. So they’ve always been in the habit of offering each other critical feedback on their work.
Lisa went through her studies with many reservations. Time and again, she wondered what a New product actually adds. She had such strong doubts that she wasn’t even sure if she would continue on as a product designer. “I didn’t want to just design the next luxury chair or stool Design, but to do something that truly adds value.”
A semester in Helsinki made her decide to pursu by s in the field after all. “That’s when I realized that it’s also valuable to simply have a well-designed world around you. Design is more than just luxury.”
While Lisa tended to act very much from her head, Fynn, on the other hand, consciously took the time to experiment during his studies. He benefited greatly from the classes taught by designer Axel Kufus, which focused less on arriving at a final product as quickly as possible and more on exploring, creating, and trying things out. It was a way of working that suited him well. “You could take a material or technique and just see: what happens if I take this further?”
For his graduation project as well, Fynn chose a rather experimental direction. He explored air as a material—not necessarily with a specific end product in mind, but out of curiosity about what a material or technique might be capable of by when air is added.
That exploratory approach is still evident in his work at Design. While Lisa often starts by asking how and why we use something, Fynn likes to dive right into the materials and the workshop first to discover what might emerge from them.
Vision on Sustainability
Lisa’s doubts from her college days haven’t completely disappeared. The question of whether a “ New ” product truly adds value still plays a major role in her approach to Design, though she now views it differently. Not every product has to solve a major social problem to be valuable. Good design can also be meaningful in other ways.
For both Lisa and Fynn, sustainability begins with the decision to create something new. Is a product relevant? Does it add something to what already exists? Has careful thought been given to how it will be used and made? For them, sustainability is therefore an integral part of the entire design process.
Lisa likes to start with everyday life. Instead of automatically assuming an existing product category, she first breaks down the action itself. “With tableware, for example, you might ask: Do we actually still always eat at the table? Maybe you’re more often sitting in a chair with a plate on your lap. Should that plate still look the same?”
Fynn also enjoys taking existing things apart, but he tends to do so from the perspective of materials and construction. by By taking a product apart and examining how it’s put together, new possibilities for form and use emerge. In this way, they both seek to discover what is truly necessary, each from a different perspective.
Two Perspectives
Although they make up KellerFreyschmidt, Lisa and Fynn rarely work side by side on the same design in the literal sense. They Share their ideas, respond to each other’s work, and in doing so build on the differences between their perspectives.
“Fynn has a good sense of what’s interesting or what might become interesting in the future. I focus more on the basics, timelessness, functionality, and the question of what value it truly adds,” Lisa explains.
Fynn, who says he can get lost in all the possibilities that arise during the “ Design ,” relies on his wife’s critical eye. Even when he has already explored countless variations himself, he usually tries out her suggestions anyway. “Sometimes the conclusion is that I had indeed already arrived at the best solution, but sometimes something new and better suddenly emerges.”
Over the years, the way Lisa and Fynn work together has become so natural that they decided to give it a name: KellerFreyschmidt.
“Lisa is always striving to determine whether the shape already has the relevance it needs.”
Fynn Freyschmidt
Collaborating with Vij5
Just as the collaboration between Lisa and Fynn came about without a clear, preconceived plan, so too did their collaboration with Vij5. As for exactly how it all unfolded, even those involved would have to think about it for a moment. It’s possible that Fynn discovered Vij5 through Hanne Willmann, whom he knew from his college days. “I think I noticed her collaboration with you guys and then just sent a message. But to be honest, I don’t really remember for sure anymore.”
The fact that no one at the table can recall exactly how their first meeting went perhaps says something, above all, about how naturally their relationship developed afterward.
What Lisa and Fynn appreciate most is that, at Vij5 , a design doesn’t have to be finished before the conversation begins. Their own design process already involves bouncing ideas back and forth, but sometimes they reach a point where they need an extra opinion.
“The two of us already have a good rapport, but every now and then we get stuck between two options,” Fynn explains. “That’s when a third perspective is really valuable. That’s also why we show things that aren’t even close to being finished yet.”
It certainly helps that Arjan and Anieke each bring a different perspective to the table. “You two ask each other questions, just like we do,” Lisa explains. “That additional perspective doesn’t take over the design, but adds a new layer to the same process of testing, reflecting, and adjusting.”
“A product cannot be separated from production, sales, and logistics. You need the full picture before you can say it’s ready.”
Lisa Keller
Fynn makes no secret of his enthusiasm for the way Vij5 operates. “I love telling others about local production, the origin of the materials, and how the showroom, office, and workshop are all connected.” For him, this stands in contrast to the anonymity he experiences at larger companies, where the various parts of the process are much more spread out.
Lisa sees in Vij5 a way of working that closely resembles their own. “You can’t view a product in isolation from its production and how you sell it. If you want to bring a good product to market, the whole package has to be right.” She believes that the fact that Arjan and Anieke are Designers themselves helps in this regard. “They understand where an idea comes from and, at the same time, bring their own knowledge and perspective to the table.”
Chaku
The “ Chaku ” coaster was the first collaborative product with Vij5 and has been part of the collection since 2020. It is a simple everyday object that also has a certain air of mystery. Without a pan on top, it’s not immediately clear to everyone what it’s meant for; but as soon as you use it, its function becomes obvious.
This design began with Fynn, who wanted to create something out of wood. For a long time, he experimented with different models that could fit together. “I had all kinds of small shapes, but I didn’t see them as a real product yet.” Lisa, on the other hand, did see a possibility and eventually came up with the element that brought everything together: rope. “When she came up with this idea, I thought: yes, that’s good.”
Chaku is a prime example of what Lisa and Fynn mean when they talk about a product’s relevance. It’s not just about form and function, but also about how it can be made. “There are so many layers to that product—the materials, the local production, the recycled rope that’s produced in an energy-positive way. To me, that’s what makes Chaku relevant,” says Fynn.
“Sometimes a product isn’t finished when we show it to you. Through reflection, we find more answers.”
Lisa Keller
The Value of a Well-Designed Environment
But when is a design actually finished? Fynn prefers to test products at home over a longer period of time. Only when he realizes there’s nothing left he’s missing or wants to change is a design finished, as far as he’s concerned. Lisa sees it a little differently. For her, not everything needs to be predetermined for the user. “It’s precisely b by ing room for people to use things in their own way that allows them to make an object their own and form a connection with it.”
Ultimately, for her, it’s all about what a design adds to everyday life. “When I design a glass, I’m fine with someone drinking water from it one time and serving soup in it another. Why would I say that’s not allowed?” With this, she’s referring to an insight she gained during her semester in Helsinki: the environment in which you live influences how you feel. “Everyday objects that work well and are made with care help you feel at home.” For Lisa, the value of design lies not only in the object itself, but above all in the place it occupies in a person’s life.
Papeterie
While * Chaku * began as an exploration of materials and form, * Papeterie * emerged from a very everyday phenomenon: the piles of books and magazines that naturally accumulate by a home.
“There’s always some chaos around you,” Lisa says. “Books and magazines end up where you use them: next to the couch, in the kitchen, or maybe even in the bathroom.” Instead of tucking those piles away in a bookcase, Papeterie gives them their own spot right where you use them.
The design falls somewhere between display and storage. The first book or magazine remains visible, while there is space behind it for a small stack. The piece can be placed on the floor next to the couch, on a shelf, or even in a cabinet.
Based on his experience with interior design, Fynn sees it from a slightly different perspective. “In an interior, you sometimes need objects that tell their own story, that exude a slightly different vibe than the rest. I think * Papeterie * could be one such object.”
At the same time, the solution is surprisingly simple. “It’s actually just two slanted surfaces with a slight twist. Nothing more than that.”
Papeterie 's first working model was at Lisa and Fynn's house when Arjan and Anieke saw it. From that moment on, they worked together to further develop the design. They exchanged 3D models, and the different versions were tested immediately.
Together, they examined the material thickness, the angles of the surfaces, and the proportions. The grooves in which the books rest also changed during the process: in the initial models, they were more pronounced, while in the final design they are more refined. Another important detail was the large rounding at the edges, which ensures that the pattern isn’t cut off abruptly but appears to fade gradually toward the edge.
Because Design and the design process were so closely intertwined in this collaboration, decisions could be reviewed and adjusted immediately. The original idea remained intact, but the design became increasingly refined.
And yet the question remains: what exactly is “ Papeterie ”? It’s not a bookshelf, not a magazine rack, and not a standard bookend either.
“Maybe that category just doesn’t exist yet,” says Lisa.
In these pieces, Arjan and Anieke recognize something that’s a recurring theme in the Vij5 collection: objects you didn’t realize you needed until you saw them. You might not be looking for them specifically, but as soon as you see them, you can imagine how they’d fit into your home. They serve a practical purpose, but at the same time, they can stand on their own as design elements in an interior.
Design in the midst of everyday life by
It’s actually quite fitting that the first prototype of “ Papeterie ” was discovered at home. For Lisa and Fynn, their home isn’t just the place where family life unfolds, but also the birthplace of their design practice.
With two children, Lisa’s job as a professor at the Hochschule Niederrhein, and other projects, the time they can spend together on KellerFreyschmidt is limited. Full days spent by the two of them in the studio are the exception.
“If there’s really a deadline, we arrange for a babysitter so we can work together very intensively for a few hours,” says Fynn. Lisa describes their collaboration as “short bursts.” “We actually never work on the same thing side by side at the same time. One of us sketches something, the other responds, then maybe a 3D model or prototype is created, and it comes back to us.”
The game of ping-pong they use to describe their collaboration doesn't necessarily take place in a studio, but mainly in between other work, children, and everyday life by.
The arrival of their children has forced Lisa and Fynn to manage their time more efficiently. “When you know you have two hours, you work with intense focus during those two hours,” Lisa explains.
Their children are literally growing up surrounded by prototypes and conversations about Design. The blurring of the lines between work and personal life, therefore, goes beyond just time.
The Future for KellerFreyschmidt
At the moment, KellerFreyschmidt is still often just a side project that they work on in their spare time. Lisa and Fynn want to change that in the coming years.
“We want to make more time for our work together,” says Lisa. “Right now, we often do it in whatever spare moments we have left. We want to make it a bigger part of our daily lives and set clearer goals. As the children get older, this will become easier.”
They certainly aren't short on ideas. There are plenty of Design lying around the house and on the shelves, waiting for the next step.
Whether their children will become “ Designers ” themselves someday isn’t all that important to Lisa and Fynn. Above all, they hope their children will retain their open-minded approach to creativity. They’re already seeing signs of that in their four-year-old son. “He can listen to a single song twenty times in a row,” Fynn says. “Completely absorbed, he tries to figure out all the different elements: first the drums, then the bass, and suddenly the electric guitar.” “He just deconstructs it,” Lisa laughs. With those words, she draws a clear parallel to Fynn, who loves doing this himself: taking something apart, examining what’s inside, and building on that to explore further.
Their son’s curiosity fits in perfectly with how naturally Design has become part of their home life. The prototypes their children are growing up around aren’t just there to be tested—they’re simply part of everyday life.
At KellerFreyschmidt, Design isn’t separate from everyday life. In fact, it starts right in the middle of it.
