Julia Dörffel and Andreas Jacob strengthen bki’s Partner Ranks
Steadfast in their Commitment, constantly on the Move
For almost 30 years, bki has been designing spaces with a distinctive ethos, and is now building on this ethos through an expanded partnership. Since July 2026, Julia Dörffel and Andreas Jacob have joined bki as new partners, strengthening the firm’s management team and supporting the two founders, Susanne Brandherm and Sabine Krumrey, in steering the interior architecture studio into the future. With this expanded management team, the office, based in Cologne and Hamburg with additional offices in Berlin and Munich, combines continuity with new perspectives. At the same time, bki is strengthening its position as an independent brand, whose identity will be supported even more strongly by the entire team in future.
For Susanne Brandherm and Sabine Krumrey, this step is thus far more than simply a reorganisation of responsibilities. It reflects a fundamental philosophy that has characterised bki since its inception: change is not seen as a break with the past, but as a continuous process built on a stable foundation of almost three decades of collaboration, long-standing client relationships and a corporate culture that is consistent in its practice.
“We want to keep developing as an office and stay on the move; this has always been part of our ethos. With Julia and Andreas, we are now creating space for new ideas. Therefore, for us, expanding the partnership does not simply mean carrying on as before, but rather greater dynamism, more energy and additional opportunities. Above all, the chance to collectively rethink our practice from different perspectives and successfully guide it into the future.” – Susanne Brandherm & Sabine Krumrey
Julia Dörffel and Andreas Jacob know the company well thanks to their many years of personal experience. Both have played a key role in shaping bki, initially as employees and later as associates. The expansion of the partnership is therefore a deliberate move from within the company’s own ranks.
Julia Dörffel has been part of bki for 15 years. She sees becoming a partner as an opportunity to preserve the familiar whilst at the same time introducing new elements: “I don’t want to change the office’s language. If anything, I’d like to refine it with a dialect or an accent to deepen our identity.” Dörffel sees leadership as a collaborative endeavour, shaped by dialogue, empathy and a light-hearted approach. For her, the focus is not on a single strong voice, but on the interplay of different perspectives and skills.
Andreas Jacob, who has been working at bki for 11 years, also sees this as an opportunity to play an even more active role in shaping an environment that has developed over the years and is characterised by trust: “For me, bki has always been a place of community. An office with the shared goal of creating an outstanding environment – for our clients, and for ourselves. Moving forward, I want to contribute my experience with even greater responsibility and encourage our team to further develop their individual strengths and together think outside the box.”
Both new partners share a vision of leadership that does not rely on hierarchy or personal prominence; instead, they prioritise accountability, professional exchange and shared success. In doing so, they uphold the values that have characterised Susanne Brandherm and Sabine Krumrey since the company was founded, and which are equally reflected in their collaboration with clients and project partners. There is room for different personalities and skills, and not everyone needs to take centre stage for the whole team to function effectively.
This principle is also applied by bki to its design approach. The practice regards its work as modern, without following passing fads. Spaces are not created on the basis of fleeting trends, but rather from the actual needs of their users and with the aim of ensuring long-term functionality. Quality encompasses the entire process – from the selection of materials and project partners, through careful execution, to sustainability and responsibility for a project beyond its completion.
With its new constellation, bki is now applying this approach at a corporate level. The identity of the interior architecture practice is to be increasingly shaped by a growing team rather than by individual people. Susanne Brandherm and Sabine Krumrey therefore expressly do not view this expansion as a handover, but rather as a deliberate opening up to new perspectives and as an opportunity to embed entrepreneurial responsibility more broadly and to jointly shape bki’s future as a team of four from now on.
The result is a company that knows its roots whilst remaining open to what may emerge from them – or, as the four partners put it together:
“We do not have a rigid idea of the direction the firm will take. Rather, our vision is of a firm that remains curious, pays close attention to social developments and uses these to shape new creative, sustainable and economic perspectives. We aim to explore new avenues and, together with our team, venture into uncharted territory.”
