About us -
or... how it all began
Necessity is the mother of invention, so they say - and it's the beginning of all good stories. So did ours. But when I wanted to furnish my bathroom with high-quality accessories many years ago, I would never have dreamed of becoming the protagonist of such a story myself.
On the
Search
In a world where everything is available at any time and in any form, I couldn't find anything that exactly met my needs and wishes. I came across clunky products with poor workmanship or beautiful products with unclear or dubious origins. No product convinced me with the overall package of quality, ethics and beauty that was so important to me.
Pragmatism
meets passion
As an electrical engineer, I am used to facing challenges and looking for solutions with curiosity and the willingness to experiment. If the market didn't offer what I wanted, I had to make it myself - and so I started to design and work, not knowing what would come of it.
Tinker, discard
and keep going
My material choice was concrete and oak wood. They are sustainable, durable and have a classic aesthetic. I spent long evenings and nights trying to find a good design line, developing concrete mixes alongside my full-time job and private life. Not everything worked right away, but I enjoyed tinkering liked to stick with that "project". Many hours and trials later, I held my own toilet brush in my hands and proudly presented it to family and friends.
Night shifts and
the founding of Gutmann - Design
The response was overwhelming and from that moment on I spent my weekends making toilet brushes for my friends. The demand was high and I could hardly keep up with production - and one evening, between concrete dust, wood shavings and a happy grin, I had the idea of setting up my own concrete workshop. Soap dispenser and soap tray quickly followed - and as soon as one product was finished, the next one was already in my head.
Vacation comes
to chaos
I landed pretty soon roughly in the reality of entrepreneurship. After a few months of producing and creating, I took some time off in Bali. In the shade of the palm tree, my feet digged deep into the warm sand, I put my first Amazon store online with my laptop on my lap, completely unaware of what was going on - and caused a bit of chaos.
Trapped
in paradise
The orders came in one after the other, and the only person able to ship the products was my mother back home in Germany. From the distance, I directed her by phone through the dusty workshop and the complex packaging process so that all orders could go out promptly. That's how it happens when too much zest for action meets too little planning.
to be
continued....
And what sounds like the end of the story is hopefully just the beginning. Don't worry, our processes have been continuously optimized since 2017. You can order from us with peace of mind, we now have it under control =)
Take a look at our concrete online shop
