Shirvani Oesterle
Spaces with Personality
SHIRVANI & OESTERLE is a Munich-based planning and design office for architecture and interior design that has been designing commercial and private projects with a timeless and personal style since 2003 and has been awarded several international design prizes.
The founders are Robert Oesterle and Azar Shirvani.
mavi in conversation with Azar Shirvani
Marks
mavi: Azar, one of the defining phases of your career as an interior designer was with Matteo Thun.
What was your time in Milan like?
Azar Shirvani: I had just finished the Hotel Cortiina, was 27 years old and decided to go to Milan - the centre of European design. There I was lucky enough to work for Matteo Thun in a creative and very young environment. The studio's direct collaboration with leading furniture manufacturers opened up new perspectives for me, in particular how the boundaries between architecture, interior design and product design can be blurred. This interdisciplinary way of working has had a lasting impact on my understanding of design. It has strengthened my passion for traditional craftsmanship and high-quality materials. Today, these values flow into my work and are the basis for creating timeless and personalised spaces.
mavi: After your stay in Milan you returned to Munich, why?
Azar Shirvani: I grew up and am deeply rooted in Munich, which was the right place for me to set up my own architecture firm. When I came back from Milan, I continued my successful collaboration with the gastronomic duo Rudi Kull & Albert Weinzierl, who wanted to open a new restaurant.
Albert Weinzierl, who is an architect himself, had the idea for a new concept in a prominent spot on Maximilianstrasse. This is how Brenner was born, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year.
The listed columned hall of the Marstall and the impressive size of the room posed a challenge. It quickly became clear that dynamism could be created by dividing the room into three parts. The terms that were important to me were: atmosphere, fire and life. I always had the idea of combining these elements. The result is a grill area with an open fireplace in the middle of the room. In the second area, the handmade pasta is made before the eyes of the guests and in the entrance area a bar with lounge offers a relaxed urban atmosphere. The aim was to combine two cultures: northern Italy and southern Germany.
The furniture and lighting are custom-made from high-quality materials. Everything should appear organic and timeless.
Bargiornale
mavi: This was followed by further projects in the catering industry.
Azar Shirvani: Yes, the demand was high and I would not have been able to handle it alone. So it was a stroke of luck that I teamed up with Robert Oesterle and we were able to design Slips, a concept store on Gärtnerplatz, together with our office SHIRVANI & OESTERLE. I also had a lot of fun with La Taquería. For this Mexican street food brand, we wanted to show respect for the culture and the origins of the makers. It had to be authentic. For this reason, I went on a research trip to Yucatan. It was a bit like "method acting" and very inspiring because I wanted to get as close to this culture as possible. The result won several design awards.
La Taqueria
mavi: Authenticity was also important to you in other projects.
Yes, it’s one of the core goals of our work. Ideally, the result should look as if it has always been there. Marks in Herzogpark is one such example. It was originally an old delicatessen from the 1960s that had seen better days. We extensively renovated the space and expanded it to include a day bar. The design is inspired by New York delis with a French twist. This concept came naturally to me because I have a strong connection to France. Until university, my cultural upbringing was French, as I attended a French school. I spent my holidays in southern France or in Paris with my family. We wanted the guests to feel this authentic "savoir vivre" perhaps even subconsciously. We sourced original 1960s bistro chairs from a traditional French wicker manufacturer and lighting from a small workshop in Brooklyn.
Office Clubroom
mavi: The next challenge was a "Tiny Living" project.
Azar Shirvani: In this project, we were tasked with combining stylish and functional living in just 40 square meters. There was a high demand for quality, and we wanted to create a harmonious, spacious design within a very small area. We worked with Munich-based furniture manufacturers, and in the end, the pictures speak for themselves. We were especially thrilled when the project won a design award.
Tinyliving
mavi: What was the next project?
Azar Shirvani: A client wanted a beautifully designed penthouse for his parents, who were over 80 years old. The spaces had to be clear and minimalist, but still exude a warm atmosphere. The penthouse was located in the middle of a park with mature trees, and we thought, "Let’s bring nature inside." The image of a treehouse served as inspiration—bright and close to nature. That’s why we chose warm wood tones for the furniture. The apartment offers a great deal of comfort, with smart charging stations, intuitive switches, and a ceiling-mounted bed element that can be lowered via an app to easily transform the office into a guest room. What was especially rewarding about this project was that we worked very closely with our client, a renowned product designer. He placed a lot of trust in our work and was very happy with the result. Even better was that his parents embraced the new apartment and didn’t want to change a thing.
That was the greatest compliment.
mavi: What projects are you currently working on?
We are about to finish designing a single-family home, where we’ve worked on both the architecture and the interior design. It has been an intensive process, into which we’ve put a lot of passion, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the result. In parallel, we are designing a new restaurant at Gärtnerplatz in Munich—one of the most beautiful locations in the city. We are in the creative phase right now, experimenting with various ideas and concepts, which is always a lot of fun and incredibly inspiring.
penthouse
mavi: Do you have a personal design dream?
Azar Shirvani: My deep fascination with traditional craftsmanship, especially Persian marquetry, is deeply rooted in me. For a time, I translated this intricate technique into a modern design language, reinterpreting it through side tables. The combination of traditional art and contemporary design is something I hold dear. I hope to eventually delve even deeper into the cultural heritage of my Iranian roots and be able to collaborate with Iranian artisans on my design work.
mavi: We look forward to further projects and thank you for the interview, Azar Shirvani.
