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“Technically perfect and artistically exacting”
It is all about polishing, lacquering, applying beaten gold and breaking surfaces. For more than 30 years art, has been made in Bülowstraße, Berlin-Schöneberg. In his manufactory, Ulrich Welter and his team consisting of designers and product developers produce artistically exacting wall coverings. Guided by the aspiration of technical perfection, the products meet the individual requests of the clients.
Originally Ulrich Welter wanted to study art, but he gave up on this idea very quickly: “As I had finished my first picture for the application portfolio, I battered it with an ax. I realized that my true passion lies in staging rooms”, Welter relates. “In my initial period I redesigned the walls of my 2x2x3.5 meters bath room 13 times in a month. My aim was to make the room appear as big as possible.” In self-studies he acquired the competences in color theory, structure of surfaces and manufacturing processes necessary to perfect the production and effect of his unique wall coverings.
Driven by the desire to impart expressiveness to a room, Welter manages to reinvent himself and his work constantly. “I cannot and will not set limits to my artwork. At weekends I try to take some time to work in the workshop. In these moments I have enough tranquility to be creative, to experiment with materials and colors as well as to develop technologies and try out new ideas. There are almost no limits to craftsmanship – that is what I love about my job. There can always be new surfaces and structures created. This is the reason why I also started to produce panels besides wallpapers.” By now the assortment includes standardized collections with a selection of 40-50 handmade panels and hundreds of wallpapers as well as custom-made products. The artists and craftsmen invest up to 20 hours of work and passion for each square meter of unique wall coverings.
Today his artworks decorate the walls of Chanel stores, uncountable design hotels and the Max Liebermann Haus. As the only manufacturer of unique wall coverings in Germany, Welter’s designs also fascinates the international market and show business - The Oscars, Golden Globes and Emmy Awards – the world is open for Handmade in Germany.
As a founding member of the Initiative Deutsche Manufakturen, Ulrich Welter knows the challenges for manufactories like no other. Many manufactories struggle with fluctuating order situations and at the same time a high demand for qualified professionals. “There is no recognized apprenticeship trade for our craftsmanship. We train our team internally - learning by doing - but we take advantage of this. In our team there are creatives as well as craftsmen and both groups are essential in order to to do a good job and remain innovative. One of our employees for example had studied design after his apprenticeship as a plasterer and thus brought the casting technology to our manufactory.”
Due to passion for craftsmanship and designers who think individually, there can be created unique wall coverings in the manufactory. Today, more than 30 years later, Ulrich Welter has even rediscovered painting: “The pictures I paint are completely different from those times. They are based upon my passion for unique wall coverings but nevertheless differ from them and moreover, I only paint for myself.” Ulrich Welter’s goal is to enlarge his manufactory and to keep it alive beyond his retirement. But until that day this creative mind wants to tinker and experiment many weekends in his workshop.
