The Radius company Radius Design was founded by Michael Rösing: “I was always concerned with changing unsatisfactory conditions to the better. I was already doing this at the age of 14 and while I was attending a Rudolf Steiner School, I had lots of opportunities. After school, I went to Cologne to study architecture. There I met my future wife, Beate Friedhoff, with whom I was to found Radius. Our first designs resulted from personal needs; they were of simple design and sold well straightaway. The first company was founded and named TAK ( Technics, Architecture, Construction). On the side, we were still doing our studies. It slowly became cramped in our 2 room student’s apartment (it was in Cologne-Kalk, which is famous as not quite the best neighbourhood). It was a really unconventional way of working; the kitchen was used as studio, our bedroom was used as office and the living room served as storage room. We really felt sorry for the postman who had to carry all the parcels either one floor up or down. The more successful we became, the more crowded it became. We hardly hadn’t any time to go on with our studies. We used the apartment in Kalk for production, and me and Beate Friedhoff, my future wife, moved to Cologne-Rodenkirchen which was to become the Radius company headquarters. One year after we moved there, the warehouse burnt down, and my wife and I had to start all over again. Business was growing gradually. We were hiring employees. Together with Joachim Kliesen, who is a graphic designer and also a friend of mine, the Absolut GmbH was founded. We opened a shop in Cologne, and later another one in Frankfurt. Those shops were a good platform to present our articles. At the same time, we were establishing a wholesale company, which was incorporated into Radius GmbH in 1998 and is today an important line of business. We decided that we needed our own building. Finally, after one year of planning and another year of construction, we were able to move into our new company headquarters. We are prepared for the years to come”.

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