In our latest FRANK conversation, we sat down with New York based interior designer Benedikt Josef whose work is thoughtfully guided by the senses; as light, material richness, and craft shape experience rather than ornament. In our conversation, Benedikt mused on minimal techno, the charged atmospheres of postwar Japan and Berlin in the 20s, and his draw to greenhouses (a preoccupation we share too).

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

Is there a particular era or place you wish you could have worked in?

I’m more drawn to the moments between eras, when order starts to break and something new hasn’t found its shape yet. Postwar Japan or Berlin in the 20s had that energy — there was both austerity and defiance, which to me is the most interesting kind of tension.

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

What’s an unusual source of inspiration that has found its way into your work?

Archives, laboratories, greenhouses. Spaces built for purpose, not appearance. They're deliberate, but not decorative — the sense of order is so calming.

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

Share a song that you listen to when feeling creatively challenged?

Usually something structured and hypnotic like minimal techno. Sound as architecture. I’ve also been listening to Nicolas Jaar lately. His music pulls from everywhere — ambient, jazz, noise, silence — and turns it into something strange and enveloping.

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

What’s the ghost in your work—the thing that lingers but isn’t obvious?

Desire. It’s always there — I just dress it as discipline.

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

What’s the question you wish people would ask about your work but never do?

No one asks how something feels, only how it looks.

Courtesy of Benedikt Josef

What’s your favorite piece from the Lemon collection and why?