The design of this damask woven tablecloth was inspired by an Arabic poem in which water is celebrated as cosmic food that unifies everything. The words of the poem make up the pattern and seem to move like waves across the fabric. This tablecloth, designed by Paul van Berkel, is available in various beautiful colors and can be bought at Nolita and The Frozen Fountain in Amsterdam.
As a graduate from the Design Academy, Croatian born Ivana Borovnjak showed her work during the Dutch Design Week. A Dictionary of Cups is part of her project Logic of Language vs. World of Objects. In this thesis Ivana articulates a theory of how language as a communication system can affect designing process, and become a tool for generating new ideas. She tried to compare the World of Words with the World of Objects. Through a concise translation of philosophical texts into the language of cups and saucers and their relationships, a series of cups develops new insights. This project is not only very interesting but also visually very beautiful.
Visit Ivana’s website to learn more about her and her work.
Pia Aleborg is a jewellery designer from Göteborg, Sweden. She makes the most beautiful jewellery that reflects and responds to things that she experiences and sees in her daily life. This can be anything from a vague feeling to something very concrete that becomes the starting point in her work. Pia: “Jewellery is, for me, the ultimate tool for investigating and expressing my thoughts and ideas because of the direct and immediate way it interacts with the body and therefore the personal sphere. Jewellery can be very intimate but also extremely superficial. I find this wide range fascinating and by mixing the two it becomes even more appealing”.
I love the necklaces from the In the Act-collection (featured in the images above) as they are inspired by nature. You can visit Pia’s website to see more of her gorgeous designs.
(via hoping for happy accidents)
Marije van der Park was part of designers duo Meester & Van der Park that she formed together with Jo Meesters. Perhaps you remember last year’s post about their gorgeous designs. Now these Dutch designers have gone solo. Jo will concentrate more on product design. And Marije will work on social projects where design is used to bring people together. I will post about one of Marije’s projects tomorrow but today I would like to show you more of the wonderful designs that Marije created together with Jo.
The designs above are part of a project called Handmade. For years Red cross | Eindhoven Region has elderly groups that produce handwork commodities which is weekly supervised by volunteers. Nowadays the product range includes socks and old fashioned articles. To give the collection a younger and dynamic appeal Red Cross | Eindhoven Region asked Meesters & Van der Park to design a new product range that can be easily produced by elderly women.
Garlic vase Allium Sativum (right) is made in casted porcelain which is a pre-study of botanical ceramics based on the idea of flowerbulbs being natural containers. Botanical Ceramics (left) was born from a research project based on the possibilities of combining traditional crafts with technological and industrial production methods. The series of pots are manufactured using rapid prototyping technology based on the idea of flowerbulbs being natural containers.
Please visit Meesters & Van der Park’s website to see all the designs created by Marije and Jo. Click here to visit Marije’s website and here to go to Jo’s website.
Kornum is a Dutch brand founded by stylist/designer Trine Kornum who has created a line of interior accessories. Trine: “The latest Kornum product line has been people for people around me: my friends, acquaintances, and people I meet on the streets”. In stead of a product line based on the products, Trine has based the products on these people, who will use the products and will live with them. Visit Kornum’s website for more information and to see more of Trine’s beautiful designs.
There is not much I can tell you about this Japanese design shop. I do not remember how I found it and I can not understand the language but I do know that the images are gorgeous and that they have a beautiful collection.
Click here to go to their website where you can see more of their collection.
My favorite exhibition during the Dutch Design Week is the Graduation Galleries. Here graduates from the acclaimed Design Academy show their graduation work to the public. The talent of these young designed and the creativity and originality of their work amazes me every year! Below you can see some of the designs spotted at this year’s exhibition.
‘Reflectie – Projectie’ by Karin van der Zande: The chrome steel facets on these vases create a surprising wall decoration when incident rays of lights project the flowers in the vase on the wall; a subtle moment of beauty.
‘Todo cae por su propio peso (all things fall by their own weight)’ by Liora Rosin: Inspired by this Spanish proverb, Liora designed three saltshakers. Fitting in the palm of your hand, the delicate grayish-green porcelain entice the user to play with shape, salt and gravity.
‘Buitenbeentjes’ by Anna ter Haar: These chairs made of polyurethane casting resin represent movement congealed in material. They may look fluid but in fact, they’re strong enough to sit on.
‘Compact Life’ by Alexander Tranter: All our daily activities fit neatly in Compact Life. The drawers and compartments of this birch wood cabinet are in fact chairs, tables , cushions, a chaisse longue, and even an worktop.
‘Regentegel’ by Saline Toonen: The relief on these concrete tiles makes rainwater flow to lower parts in patterns like arrows, stars and flowers. Different combinations create different patterns. You can cross the square safely by treading on the highest parts, as the they stay dry.
‘InterVases’ by Channa Ernstsen: Due to their shape, size and the flexible rubber material they’re made of, the interVases need to lean against one another. Take one away, and the others will have different shapes.
In the coming days I will show you more work of graduated designers, as well as other images and news from the Dutch Design Week.
A great exhibition that I visited yesterday at the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven yesterday, was the one by Made by Eight. Made by Eight are eight graduated designers from the Utrecht School of Arts: Robert Jan Snoeks, Liane Gaemers, Nienke Hansen, Shanna Deurloo, Stina Feldt, Marlous de Roode, Wendy Klaver en Anne ten Donkelaar. For the exhibition they have fitted out a house behind the door with the name What’s Behind?. The designer have used their own speciality to express their vision on a home in a collective show, placing each product in a particular context. Above and below you can find some of the designs they have used to decorate the exhibition house. The designs in the top row images are by Marlous de Roode. Her specialty is the design and production of fashion accessories as leather bags and jewelry.
Robert Jan Snoeks is the designer of the objects in the top row images. His aim is to design objects that have an emotional value for people. The beautiful woolen poofs and cushion are from Wendy Klaver’s 300 serie. Nienke Hansen has designed the object in the third row images. Nienke’s source of inspiration are the colours, shapes and processes of nature.
Visit the Made by Eight website for more information and designs by these talented, young designers.
Today I will be visiting the Dutch Design Week 2007 in Eindhoven. I am really looking forward to see new, talented designers, just graduated from the Design Academy, showing their work. But there is much more to see! During Dutch Design Week (DDW), virtually all design disciplines ranging from product design, graphic design, and spatial design to brand design, textile design, and fashion design are represented in more than 40 large and smaller venues across the city. Besides established bureaus and high-profile designers, also up-and-coming talents and recently graduated designers feature prominently in DDW.
For the coming days I will be posting about all the latest designs and new & established designers seen on the DDW. So stay tuned!
