There is no traditional working day. "I don't differentiate between the days of the week, as my studio is right next to my apartment," she explains. Although she tries to implement a Monday-to-Friday work week, she enjoys the freedom to go out when it's sunny and work when it's raining. Kuhlmann's workday usually begins with her getting up between 7 and 8 a.m., reading her emails in bed, and answering them over a cup of coffee. To wake her body up, she tries to either go for a run or do yoga in the morning, she says. After that, it's time in the workshop. "Sometimes I work until 6 p.m., sometimes until 11 p.m. - depending on how long a piece takes," she says. Studio Kuhlmann only produces on request. "For one thing, I have a few galleries that interior designers, for example, come to and say: 'We have a new apartment here in Paris and we need another piece for it,'" she explains. They often look at their website beforehand and have concrete ideas about how a piece should be modified. "Then an object made from stainless steel is made from brass, for example, or a table is built with a height of 45 cm instead of 60 cm." But they also get people who simply want something special in their home. "Something that isn't from Ikea and brings more humor to the living space because it isn't industrially manufactured, but is lively." Lively. A word that comes up frequently in conversation with Kuhlmann. Studio Kuhlmann's focus is not on designing a chair that works for a broad audience. Rather, it is about how individuals live in their own living space, what their needs are, and what makes them happy.

"I don't see my objects as purely functional things, but as objects with which I share my everyday life," she explains her position. "I often wonder why people bring inanimate objects into their homes that they have no connection to." Since Kuhlmann welds herself and not industrially, no two pieces are alike. If the leg of a lamp warps during the welding process, she leaves it as it is. Although Kuhlmann's position seems very clear, it becomes clear in the conversation that she doesn't want to be limited any more than she wants to be limited by her objects. "I don't think I'll ever get to the point where I say: I'm going to do this for the next 20 years," she says. You have to take the time every now and then to reflect and ask: Where am I right now? Is this the point I want to be, or do I actually want to be somewhere else? The designer is currently working on a project that explores the feminine side of metal. The metal industry is very male-dominated, which also has to do with the fact that the male body is stronger than the female one. She is currently trying to find out how this fact affects her work and whether it brings with it something negative or perhaps even something positive. "How could you work with metal if strength isn't the focus?" she asks. Her next goal is an exhibition for which she is collaborating with female artists who all work with different metal techniques. "Ultimately, a garden should emerge from all the different projects," she says. And it will certainly be as special as Kuhlmann's designs.