The somewhat cryptic name of this small piece of furniture - silent ladder - is decoded with the information that it is a hybrid (conceived from the ladder) of stepladder and silent servant, which is intended to fulfill both functions. In its role as a ladder, it has two steps together with a safety bar - in ladder construction, this is the name given to the combination of stiles extended in the direction of stepping and a cross connection. As a mute servant, the furniture from Auerberg in Bavaria offers space for a shirt (thrown over the top; the ash wood stiles have a semi-circular cross-section especially for this purpose) and trousers (these can be hung over the rung that cannot be stepped on). The two lower steps and a small leather-lined compartment for trouser pockets on top serve as storage areas. Further re-purposing is not excluded.

Radical reduction in form and material and a complete focus on function - that is the guiding principle behind the furniture from Auerberg. These are handcrafted products that are designed away from industrial standards, far removed from fashion and uninfluenced by marketing constraints and produced in small batches. Behind every single piece of furniture is the authentic personality of the respective designer - and because there is no restrictive program dictate, the product designers are only committed to their own standards. Accordingly, all Auerberg furniture is unmistakable, sometimes purist to the point of stubbornness, extremely solid in terms of craftsmanship and thus virtually made to last.

The furniture is manufactured regionally in Upper Bavaria and the wood - mostly oak, ash and beech - comes from certified forestry operations. The mastermind behind Auerberg is Christoph Böninger, once a professional globetrotter, now a settled design publisher. Well-connected in design circles, Böninger works in Munich and on his farm in Auerberg - hence the name of the project - near Bad Aibling. And even though Böninger has gathered a number of designers and architects around him for his "product lab" - with established greats standing alongside up-and-coming talent - he still lends a hand himself. Sometimes he oils wooden furniture and gets it ready for shipping. Incidentally, Auerberg's greatest successes to date include the AEKI step stool by Gerhardt Kellermann and the "Silent Ladder" by Christoph Böninger himself, a versatile hybrid of stepladder and silent servant.