In her Munich-based studio, object designer Pia Scheiber is creating pieces that feel as much like characters as they do furniture. Her work blends sculptural form with playful pragmatism – never too polished, always personal.
“I’ve always had the urge to create,” Pia explains. But it wasn’t a direct path. Before she landed in design, Pia circled the creative world from different angles – internships in advertising, editorial, styling, and even time spent at fashion and interior magazines. “I was surrounded by creativity,” she recalls, “but I always had the feeling something was missing.” That missing link revealed itself when she realized she didn’t just want to observe and style beautiful objects – she wanted to make them. At 29, she changed course and began studying design.
Her work today is led by an intuitive and material-first approach. Pia describes her process as “puzzling,” where references, textures, and feelings are layered until something clicks. She doesn’t commit to a single aesthetic – instead, she lets the idea take the lead. “I love to transform the familiar into something unexpected,” she says. It’s a philosophy that has brought her to designs that feel bold yet approachable, often infused with an understated sense of humor.
Pia’s participation in DEORON – Elevating Objects during Milan Design Week 2025 was marked by the debut of the Kanji Stool in Milan, a piece rooted in her personal connection to Japan. “I visited Japan in 2019 and was struck by how deeply design is embedded in everyday life,” she recalls. One detail in particular stuck with her is the kanji, the intricate characters of the Japanese writing system. “Each one felt like it had a personality,” she says. That fascination eventually shaped itself into furniture, specifically, a stool inspired by the character for “tree” (木). “Breaking down the kanji into its components led to the structure of the piece,” she explains. Five years after that first spark, the idea took form.
The Kanji Stool’s rounded geometry balances sculptural presence with quiet functionality. “I was focused on creating bold but friendly shapes,” Pia says, “something that could stand alone as an object, but also serve a purpose.” She moved fluidly between hand sketches and 3D models to perfect the proportions, before moving into production in Germany using CNC 3D milling. The result is a piece with organic softness, precisely shaped but never stiff – curves preserved even in solid wood. “The challenge was keeping the visual softness from the digital model intact in a hard material,” she explains. “It had to feel stable but not heavy.”
The Kanji Stool isn’t just a standalone piece – it’s part of a growing narrative. “Right now, I’m working on new pieces that expand into a small collection,” Pia shares. The upcoming designs will continue to explore bold forms and surprising material contrasts. She’s also collaborating on client projects that push her design language into new territories.
At the heart of her work is a desire to evoke feeling – not in a grand, dramatic way, but in the quiet sense of connection that a well-made object can offer. “I like when a design doesn’t try too hard to explain itself,” she says. “It just invites you to feel something.” Whether it’s a stool shaped by language or a playful new form still on the drawing board, Pia’s work reminds us that even the most functional objects can carry emotion.
