Das Haus 2020 Carefully Blends Outdoors with In

“In Spain, outdoor spaces are an extension of the house,” says Alberto Sánchez, commenting on his home country. It was there, in 2010, that Sánchez founded Valencia-based MUT Design with Eduardo Villalón—and this month, the duo are in the spotlight as the minds behind Das Haus 2020. An experimental residential living installation with a sneak peek at what the future holds for the home, “Das Haus—Interiors on Stage” is presented annually at the home furnishings trade show IMM Cologne, which ran January 13–19. Fusing indoors with out, Das Haus 2020 broke the mold of the average living space, resulting in a relaxed, light-filled place of well-being.

Entitled “A La Fresca,” MUT’s Das Haus design took the form of a square pavilion framing a circle, with each of the square’s sides revealing an area in the home. In the months up to the launch, MUT designed ten new products, several of which are made for outdoors or in-between environments, like porches. The assortment was produced by manufacturers including Ex.t, Expormim, Gandia Blasco brands GAN and Diablo, LZF Lighting, Pulpo, and Sancal, among others.

With its unique rolled cushions, the stackable powder-coated steel and upholstered foam Roll Chair by MUT for Sancal was a highlight among seating options. If the chair reminds you of fitness equipment, you aren’t far off: “I got my inspiration at the gym,” Sánchez admits. Geared towards the contract market, Roll is space-saving and aesthetically interesting when stacked.

To point out the benefits of the Grill chair, designed by MUT for Gandia Blasco brand Diabla, Sánchez dangled it on one finger. “It’s aluminum and therefore very light,” he explains. Grill is the first item in an outdoor collection that MUT will roll out for Diabla this April in Milan.

Transparency was a major trend at IMM this year, and at Das Haus that came in the form of Aspa, a series of glass side tables that MUT designed for Pulpo. Ridges add structure to the glass forms, which “play with light at different intensities due to the overlapping layers,” Villalón notes.

A prototype tub carved from a single piece of marble took center stage in the Haus’s bathroom. “It’s quite unique because you can put it in the middle of the room or in a corner,” Sánchez comments.

Notably lacking in MUT’s home prototype was a bedroom. Instead there was an extra living space slung with a hammock, designed by MUT for Gan. “This is our most experimental product in Das Haus,” Sánchez reveals. Recycled PET fibers form the hammock’s sturdy straps. (Nearby, a carpet was made of the same material.) “It’s plastic, but it actually feels very natural because of the brushed fibers,” Villalón says.

Das Haus 2020 would not be revolutionary in warm countries, Sánchez comments: “The mix of outdoor with in is something we already do in Valencia. But we thought—especially with global temperatures rising—to make the rest of the world aware of it.”

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