Dieter Sieger

Dieter Sieger (born 3 May 1938) is a German architect, shipbuilder, industrial designer, painter and art collector.

He is one of Germany's most prominent and distinctive contemporary designers.

After finishing school, Sieger first passed an architectural training period of one year, and between 1957 and 1960, he completed a bricklayer apprenticeship in Münster.

During this time, he designed and oversaw the construction of his first building: a pilgrimage chapel in Wesuwe.

In 1960, Sieger passed his apprenticeship leave exam and at the same time his specialised A-levels.

He then spent two semesters at the engineering college in Münster before switching to Dortmund College of Applied Arts.

Here he completed a degree in architecture in 1964.

While still a student, he designed his own house in Albachten, Münster, and built parts of it with his own two hands.

In 1964, he married the Netherlander Fransje Blom and started an architecture firm in Münster.

Right from the beginning, Fransje worked with him in his office and closely assisted him with all projects and areas of his work.

Christian Sieger (born 1965), who joined the company in 1990, became managing director of Sieger Design Consulting in 1991, and Michael Sieger (born 1968) became creative director.

Dieter Sieger is still active as a designer today.

His "Masterpieces" collection comprises minimalist designs for furniture, lighting and accessories.

Due to his passion for sailing, between 1976 and 1982 the focus of Sieger's work shifted to interior design for sailing and motor yachts.

He designed in particular interiors for more than 30 vessels for various shipyards, including Anne Wever in ’s-Hertogenbosch and Heesen in Oss (Netherlands).

In the 1980s and 1990s, Sieger made history by making stylistic and cultural orientation in the bathroom a key point of his design.

In the early 1980s, Sieger branched out into bathroom design and developed designs for companies including Alape, Dornbracht, Duravit and Hoesch.

Some of these designs came out on top in competitions against designers such as Luigi Colani and Matteo Thun.

Sieger was the first designer to conceive of bathrooms as a unified whole, and he developed “complete bathrooms” into a discrete market segment.

He also achieved success as an industrial designer and exhibition stand planner, worked as a consultant for various companies and served on several committees.

In the mid-1980s, Sieger began to build up a network in Venice.

Through the Venetian gallery owner Piero Mainardis de Campo, he made the

acquaintance of Alessandro Mendini, Fabrizio Plessi, Mimmo Paladino, Arnoldo Pomodoro, Miguel Berrocal, Alessio Sarri,

Ettore Sottsass and others.

Today, Sieger is one of the world's leading Sottsass collectors.

He developed several groundbreaking bathroom concepts and products, most notably the single-lever mixer "Domani" (1985) and the cross-handle tap "Tara" (1992) (both Dornbracht).

Dieter Sieger was born in Münster, the first of two children born to a family of civil servants.

He developed a talent for drawing at an early age, but his family showed little understanding.

While still at school, Sieger began attending an evening drawing class for adults at the Werkkunstschule Münster.

His encounters with other attendees had a lasting influence and opened up new ways of looking at things.

In the years that followed, Sieger produced perspective drawings for the landscape architect Rudolf Beaufays.

Through this work, he became acquainted with big houses owned by various industrialists.

During regular trips to Venice, Sieger made drawings of the city and of the north Italian landscape.

He sold his works through Galerie Frye in Münster.

In 1988, Sieger moved his company to Schloss von Ketteler (a baroque manor house belonging to the Harkotten Castle complex between Münster and Osnabrück) and comprehensively refurbished it.

The garden was laid out by Belgian landscape architect Jacques Wirtz.

Sieger installed outdoor sculptures by Marte Röling, Andrea Branzi (drinking fountain), Miguel Berrocal, Alessandro Mendini, Ettore Sottsass (pavilion) and Fabrizio Plessi (sound installation).

From 1997 to 2000, Sieger was president of the German Designer Club (DDC).

In 2001, he was visiting professor at Zurich Academy of Design.

In 2003, Sieger handed over the active management of his company to his sons, Christian and Michael.