Volker Haug Studio's 20-Year Journey

Volker Haug Studio was transformed last November for the Australian launch of the Me and You collection in collaboration with Flack Studio. Photography: Pier Carthew.

Und Messing exhibition at Volker Haug Studio, following the collection’s launch in Milan in 2022. Photography: Pier Carthew.

Half Buckle (left) and Brace (above) from the Und Messing collection.

Volker Haug portrait by Annika Kafcaloudis.

When German-born designer Volker Haug established his Melbourne lighting studio in 2005, he brought with him an unconventional perspective shaped by post-wall Berlin and an apprenticeship under Australian lighting pioneer Geoffrey Mance. Twenty years on, Volker Haug Studio is now recognised internationally for work distinguished by its commitment to craftsmanship, experimentation, and a distinctly playful sensibility.

The studio’s evolution from a small Melbourne workshop to a global design practice reflects both Haug’s creative vision and the collaborative ethos that defines his approach. “I lived in Berlin during the early 1990s, just after the wall came down,” Haug reflects. “A city that was segregated suddenly opened, and along with its borders, people’s thinking expanded. It was a city that had literally been broken, but by operating as a community, there was the possibility to rebuild something new together.”

That thinking—possibility through community—is how the studio works today. Haug leads a skilled team of makers with backgrounds spanning jewellery, ceramics, fine arts, and industrial design. Together, they push the boundaries of lighting through precision machining paired with artisanal hand-finishing, creating work that is both technically exacting and invitingly tactile. Metal remains the cornerstone of their practice, forged into line-work that defines the studio’s aesthetic clarity and sculptural presence.

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Various pieces from the extensive Me and You collection. Photography: Pier Carthew.

Over two decades, Volker Haug Studio has produced lighting that occupies a distinctive space between functional design and collectible art. Each collection works like a family—individual pieces have their own character but respond to a shared idea. It’s an approach that makes the work endlessly adaptable, often customised to fit the spaces they illuminate, with pieces bringing warmth and individuality wherever they land.

The studio’s impact extends across residential, commercial, and hospitality projects internationally. Major projects include the oversized OMG chandelier, now permanently installed at the National Gallery of Victoria’s Ian Potter Centre, custom work for the German Embassies in Tokyo and Canberra, Macquarie Bank, HYDE Melbourne Place, and The StandardX Hotel. The list goes on.

Volker Haug Studio’s international profile was further solidified following the launch of the Me and You collection in collaboration with Flack Studio at Milan Design Week 2024. The collaboration between Haug and David Flack speaks to the power of friendship in design and the importance of trust—the range came together in record time, made possible through sheer goodwill shared between the design teams. It’s since been enthusiastically received by the global design community, and for good reason.

The studio works with some impressive international retailers and designers, including The Future Perfect, Kelly Wearstler, Laplace, Banda, Woods + Dangaran, Studio Ashby and Nicole Hollis. Locally, their collaborators include David Flack of Flack Studio, Alexandra Donohoe-Church of Decus, Yasmine Ghoniem of YSG Studio, and Hecker Guthrie, among others. These ongoing collaborations keep the work fresh and experimental.

Volker Haug Studio’s retrospective. Photography: Pier Carthew.

Volker Haug Studio’s retrospective at Melbourne Design Week took out the NGV Melbourne Design Week Award this May. Photography: Pier Carthew.

A selection of metal and blown glass Anton wall lights by Volker Haug Studio.

For 2025, Haug won the prestigious NGV Melbourne Design Week Award, with his studio staging a retrospective during the week. The exhibition marked a significant milestone for the studio, charting the creative journey of the past 20 years and the values that drive it: curiosity, craftsmanship, collaboration, and a belief in the transformative power of design.

In 2026, the momentum continues with the debut of two new collections at Milan Design Week, as well as involvement in the Melbourne Art Fair’s inaugural design salon, FUTUREOBJEKT, where the studio will explore the intersection of art and light through a limited-edition collection.

The success of Volker Haug Studio is directly tied to the people behind it. Impossibly tall and always with a smile on his face, Volker is kind, genuine and generous—one of those rare humans who’s impossible not to warm to. (He also gives the world’s greatest hugs!) The long-standing team he’s built around him share the same energy, creating a practice where creativity, collaboration and friendships thrive in equal measure.

As Volker Haug Studio celebrates 20 years, it stands as a significant contributor to Australia’s design landscape—a practice that has continually pushes what lighting can be, while producing pieces that are playful, refined, and considered. Here’s to the next 20.

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