Lisa Graef goes the extra mile to give us good design
Slender, stylish American-born Lisa Graef appears the perfect embodiment of the smart, design-conscious generation and, indeed, she is currently owner of the two abovo interior stores situated on Reichenbachplatz. In truth, however, it has been a somewhat circuitous route to this dream job. Graef paints a very vivid picture of the place in which she spent her childhood: you can almost feel the heat of a Missouri summer and taste the corndogs. Growing up in a suburb of Kansas City, in what she terms a “very American,” ranch-style house next to a wildlife reserve, Graef recalls with a smile a childhood spent outdoors with her siblings running around, playing games, swimming and fishing. Talking of the culture of her hometown, she says that the stereotype of polite, laid-back people addressing each other as sir and ma’am and of rocking chairs on the porch is no myth. Graef’s mother first took her daughter to Europe when she was 16, igniting a love affair with travel. After studying for a year at the Université de Bourgogne she went backpacking around Europe, including a brief visit to Munich, during her college years, before getting a BA in economics from the University of Missouri and joining a management training program in Texas. After a short time Graef realized that the “corporate thing,” as she calls it, was not for her, but she was so happy to have a job that she stuck it out. After transferring to New Jersey, where she worked for AT & T and NCR as a financial analyst, she met her future husband, German-born Peter Graef. Although the transition from financial analyst to founder of two interior stores is not the most obvious move, Graef insists that she could not have started abovo without her business background. The first abovo (the name comes from Latin, meaning “from the beginning of time”), which opened in 1999, was a solo project—though husband Peter took a keen interest in the shop and would call every day during the first weeks to ask if she had made a sale and was delighted if his wife was able to report: “I sold something for DM 50.” Graef looks back on the opening as a scary venture and something she wouldn’t have dared attempt in the United States. “There are so many big guys out there,” she says grimly. She did feel confident, though, that abovo would work in a city the size of Munich, with its relatively “intimate” atmosphere. In the beginning, the store sold mainly Shaker furniture, such as wooden tables and chairs, but still attracted a very diverse clientele, many lured in by the window display as they passed on the conveniently located number 17 and 18 trams. The concept of abovo is an eclectic mix of old, new and individual pieces. Graef admires the work of Katja Fahrenholz, an interior designer who works at abovo, and often gives customers help and is, in Graef’s words, “full of wonderful ideas.” Husband Peter also has a passion for new design and together they visit fairs and forums, where they meet new designers. As a result, Graef often has installations in the store to support young talent and to present new products. Graef loves to look around home stores and says her biggest inspiration in the past was Zona in New York, which sold an interesting mix of old and new items. Graef found that in Munich there were few shops that she really enjoyed looking around. “Service with a smile,” says Graef, is simply not often part of the package here in Munich. She wanted abovo to be warm, welcoming and accessible to everyone and has gone to considerable trouble to create this ambience. Her most treasured piece of furniture in her own home is an old church lamp from Kansas City. When the church was pulled down, Graef rescued the long lamp, which is decorated with stained glass. It currently stands next to a very modern Warhol-type painting, which serves as a striking contrast and which, Graef hopes “gives the room a certain aura.” A savvy businesswoman, when it comes to furnishing her home, Graef says buying individual pieces and knowing where they have come from is important to her. This may be a slow process—she has been in her current flat in Rumfordstrasse for two years and it is not yet finished—but it seems more natural to her than having everything “done” and aiming for an overly coordinated look. This preference is something she has carried with her from childhood, from a time when a lack of material wealth encouraged people to appreciate items that were dear to them, such as the piano that was her grandmother’s pride and joy. Graef manages successfully to juggle running the stores, one of which has been open for only four months, and being a mother to Alexander, 5, and Sydney, 17 months. She loves Munich and is still amazed by its inspirational architecture and beautiful surroundings. But asked if she will stay here indefinitely, Graef, ever the realist, says simply that “forever is a long time.” Then with her trademark good humor, she promptly goes on to comment that as she has two children who were born here, two stores and “curtains hanging in only two rooms,” she may be in Munich for some time yet.