Vases don't just hold beautiful arrangements of your favorite flowers. They can be beautiful all by themselves. This was my basic concept when I designed the stoneware Mama vase in 1999. So roses are red and violets are blue, but you can save those flowers and the Mama vase will look great too! Starting from April 2015, Dutch ceramic manufacturer Cor Unum will pick up the production of the Mama vase so within a short while this dutch icon will be available again in our webshop. Thank’s Cor Unum !
My design for the Chablis candlestick for the French brand Chateau de la Resle is an ode to the sensual curves of wine bottles from Burgundy in general and the internationally renowned Chablis in particular. I have made a new candlestick that literally means the crown on every bottle of Chablis, and with it I have created a pièce de mileu that you can easily see on the dining table in a chateau. Making the casting molds for this project, from sand, was an even bigger challenge! These new designs will be presented during the upcoming Salone del Mobile.
The Ruby is considered the most magnificent of all gems, the queen of stones. Inspired by the reflections of light and transparencies found in these gemstones, I decided to develop a serie of side tables from colored mirror glass . While developing the custom made glass, the shape and facets that I had designed for the table top reminded me of a classic ring with a prong setting. A prong is a little metal claw that grips the diamond tightly, holding it in place. A benefit of this setting is that there is a minimum presence of metal, so that there’s more diamond to see and more light that can pass through, thus adding to its brilliance. This gave me the idea to translate this concept for dutch furniture brand Linteloo in a serie of modular geometrical tables that can be combined as a family to create sculptural arrangements. The Ruby’s were born!
I always enjoyed clay crafts, especially slip clay casting. But as a designer you should realize the following: if you do not understand how to make molds it is impossible to create succesful products in ceramics. Mold making opens up endless potential for creative expression. In my opinion understanding this technology simply makes you a better designer. Making plaster molds for slip casting and press molding can really be very inspiring. My new vase design for Cor Unum is a good example. Mold making enables us to create complex forms so that we can manufacture our designs in larger quantities. Vase Nefertiti is my personal homage to designer Zweitse landsheer and an almost forgotten field of industry, dutch ceramics! photography: Marije Kuiper.
Terrazzo as we know was first seen around the time of the Italian Renaissance. Waste marble was crushed and used to cast the floors. It really is a fascinating material to work with and was on my personal to do list for quite some time. Jan te Linteloo supported my idea to cast a low side table in this material, and consequently my hexagon table was born. The wet cast method of production is quite simple: a fluid mix is poured into a mold and allowed to harden. Because of the fluid, it allows the designed shapes to be moulded into more complex and intricate shapes. After the material has hardened you grind and polish the table top, and all kinds of colors appear such as marble stone & glass! Because of the shape several of these tables can be connected in a playful manner. You can use just one three legged table element next to your sofa or simply connect a few hexagon units in the middle of your room and create a table pattern.
The material wood has always had a special attraction for me, but working wood on the lathe in particular has fascinated me since my time at art school. I couldn't stay away from the woodshop. With this technique you peel, as it were, layer by layer of a block of wood and during woodturning you discover the beauty, texture and smell of the material while simultaneously trying to give the wood a beautiful shape and therefore a second life. I recently had the opportunity to pick up this beautiful technique again with a project for the Linteloo brand. I came up with three side tables made of wood and gave them the Japanese name Kigi, a family of trees. With this Kigi table series you will experience that the beauty of these designs lies not only in the basic shape, but also in the good width and height ratio of the product.
The dutch design brand Ice International presents a new collection of hand knotted rugs by four dutch 'design couples’. Dutch Landscapes will be presented at De Kazerne , Eindhoven. We have also been busy with the design of this installation, and the result turned out better than expected. The concept of presenting 'floating’ carpets in a minimalistic manner was in my opinion the only option. Through the vertical steel cables we were able to guide the low voltage, enabling us to use led light.
Claire Vos: To me, technical possibilities mark the starting point for each project. The unique post-treatments and production methods we were introduced to by ICE International were the inspiration for my Dutch Landscape No.1. As the only one in the series, this rug was tufted by hand and then sheared to create a relief in the texture. There is a special trick to that: the relief was created in two contrasting colours over the central axis. This creates a chameleon effect: walking around the rug, you see different colours from different sides. For this reason I would like to see this rug being used wall to wall in a public space. I think it would have a hugely surprising effect to enter a space and see a rug in a specific colour, and then see a totally different colour when turning back from the other side of the space! The play of colours is strengthened by the degradé. This also typifies my work: whether it involves colour, motif or material, the gradient is a constant source of inspiration. Coming from a family with a history of four generations of textile designers, this project was perfect to express my love of textiles.
Claire Vos Teeuwen calls her Fuzz plaids Fashion for Furniture, and that is precisely what they are; colourful accents for the interior. One pattern, three colour combinations. Or six, in fact, because the front and back of each plaid feature a different colour combination. The subtle weave and finishing make them super-soft to the touch. And of course, they are snug and warm. My ancestors have been textile merchants for generations. I think my love for jacquard weave fabrics is probably in the blood. My starting point with the Bulb series was to optimise the brightness of the jacquard weave by applying contrasting colours. In the design, the colour shading results in a clear graphic pattern. The name Fuzz refers to this shading effect. The front and back of the woollen plaids have different colour combinations which adds a further element of surprise. With three colour themes – Green, Blue and Pink – they really add something valuable to an interior. Fashion for furniture, I call them.
Don Draper's office features a dark wood desk, which holds a lighter and ash tray, an Eames executive chair, and advertisements for IBM and Hamilton on the walls. A pop of color comes from a pair of orange client chairs. Our design office had a challenging task to design a unique working desk for an eccentric doctor. I wanted this product design to look as it came straight from Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices from my favorite television drama serie Mad Men. The re-issued bakelite power sockets combined with the smoked oak drawers and table top turned out quite well! We lost money on this custom made project, but I am so happy that we didn’t gave up.
A glaze is a layer of glass with which a fired clay product can be covered. The glass is composed of a mixture of non-organic minerals: metal oxides and silicates. This is mixed with water to form a liquid, which is then poured over a ceramic product, or else the product is immersed in it or sprayed with it. When the product is fired with the glaze, the powder mixture melts to form a solid glass layer that adheres to the fired clay to which it is applied. Although I love to work with bright colored glazes, this design specifically needed a matt white glaze so that all is focused on the beautiful shape of the crown. Less is more.
I have always had a certain fascination for the H- Beam. An H beam is a structural element, a kind of economical profiled steel. Of course it is mainly used in architecture, but one can use this steel beam for other purposes, such as a construction for a table base. Because I always wanted to work with these steel profiles, I created my table serie BLAKELEY, named after the inventor of the H beam, George H. Blakeley. The contrast and aesthetic use of wood and steel turned out quite interesting in my first prototypes of a bench and dining table. Blakeley has three sizes: 200, 225 and 250 cm. These designs have become an ode to the industrial revolution of the roaring 20’s! Blakeley will be presented by SPOINQ at Maison & Objet, Paris.
Damasks were one of the five basic weaving techniques of the Byzantine and Islamic weaving centers in the early Middle Ages. Today, damask weaves are produced in monochromatic weaves in silk, linen or linen-type fabrics. The long floats of satin-woven warp and weft threads cause soft highlights on the fabric which reflect the light differently. The enlarged patterns in the table linen designs by Claire Vos for functionals.eu enhance this effect in a magical way.
This year we will celebrate the Linteloo brand's 20th anniversary in Milan, so we decided to contribute a design for Jan's collection in quite a different material. The Pillow Cabinet is a modern version of a so-called pillow armoire and features puff-like front panels made from 2mm sheet metal. Making my pillow cabinet from this material was not an easy task. There are some ground rules for working with sheet metal: bend long parts and weld short. In my opinion sheet metal design is the most cost-effective way to manufacture a product, and for me this was a good reason to experiment with this material. But: 'what works on paper, doesn't always work in the physical world as planned, for a variety of reasons'. Bends have radius, sheet has thickness, and tools need space to access a bend. It sounds simple, but for me 'trial and error' at the factory was the only way to find the best aesthetic design solutions for this wonderful cabinet.
My design of the Chablis candleholder for the French brand Chateau de la Resle is an ode to the sensually curved shape of Burgundy wine bottles in general and the internationally renowned Chablis specifically. I have created a new candleholder that literally crowns every Chablis bottle, thus creating a center piece one can easily imagine on a château dining table. The contrast between the round shapes of the actual parts that hold the candles and the ingenious structure of graphic lines creates an interesting visual balance. But developing the sand casting moulds for this project was an even bigger challenge! These new designs will be presented at the upcoming Salone del Mobile.http://www.rossanaorlandi.com
The product range created by Koninklijke Tichelaar Makkum is an exciting and inspiring collection of contemporary designs. It is a tangible result of the company’s vision, which centres on conservation and innovation within traditional craftsmanship. The items in the collection, which includes my hand-painted MaMa vase, produced by hand and with the utmost care, consists of tableware sets, vases and decorative earthenware. A number of these designs have become icons of Dutch design history and are regarded as tomorrow’s cultural heritage. That’s all very well, but let’s not forget that these are still first and foremost objects for everyday use.
A technical tour-de-force: this stackable one-piece chair made of several sheets of plywood. Roderick Vos: ‘For me a one-piece plywood chair is the optimum in machine-oriented design.We have conducted a series of experiments to be able to produce this unique chair, whose back, seat, AND legs have been formed in the same single pressing process. The biggest challenge was in finding the right heat – pressure ratio during pressing, so that we could create the three-dimensional shapes of the seat and back without tearing the wood. The final result is a great success, both technically and aesthetically. We worked on it for months. Function, comfort and charisma go hand in hand.’ The FSC chair is available in different types of plywood.
A while ago I was given the wonderful opportunity to design a kitchen for Johan Bouman and Pieter Franssens at their Chateau de la Resle. This luxury Bed & Breakfast, with panoramic views of the valley of Montigny-la-Resle, is situated in a 14-acre estate in the Burgundy area, a 10-minute drive from Auxerre. When I visited the castle I was shown the crumbling old barn where the owners intended to install their kitchen. The worn-down old oak flooring of the first floor was supported by a modern, steel H beam, and suddenly I was struck by the beauty of combining the old world with the new. The steel H beam ended up as my inspiration for the new, contemporary kitchen I was to design. Every detail has been given extensive thought, from the overall kitchen to the cutting boards named Saint Germain. www.chateaudelaresle.com
Since its inception, we have sold more than 50.000 Bloq sofas, and recently our studio came up with designs for additional corner elements to fully complete the series! The series now features several new options for arrangement. Bloq has been around for 8 years, which calls for a celebration! That is why, in collaboration with the manufacturers from Designonstock, we have come up with this 'exploded view' consisting of 187 components, for the latest issue of Designonstock Magazine. It goes without saying that the sofa is available from our website, signed.
Wandering through Amsterdam I encountered my MaMa vase, created some years ago, lost in a tourist shop’s window display. By the end of the 20th century, public interest in industrial art had dropped. Their perseverance brought Royal Tichelaar to the vanguard of ceramic design.All over the world the importance of the handmade, individually crafted product is being recognized, in the shape of design or kitsch. But what has my vase done to deserve this?
An interview held at our new Studio, published by the Italian "ELLE DECOR" in the April issue (nr 4), to coincide with the Salone del Mobile 2013. We couldn't be happier! In Milan we presented several new designs for different manufacturers. Thank you, Laura Maggi! Photography: Rene van der Hulst, Art Direction: Petra Janssen
Animal hides provided an important source of clothing and decoration for prehistoric humans. Even during the caveman days, people were using leaves, twigs and animal skin to decorate the interior part of their caves. So why not keep this tradition alive? We have created four tufted carpets based on animal shapes. The technology of tufting consists of inserting a thread through a layered fabric. After insertion, the needle returns along the same trajectory, leaving a loop of the thread at the bottom of the fabric. For the Roadkill carpets we have used 8 cm threads to create an artificial, machine-made skin with a warm and tactile appeal. The carpet designs vary from small to size XXL pieces, almost 4.30 metres long.
I have always loved the technique of powder coating on sheet metal. The look of it reminds me of the beautiful lacquer work on furniture from Zhejiang Province, and the bright colors found on wood chests from Tibet. Now we have introduced 2 new colors for my metal table designs for Dutch brand Linteloo: reseda green Ral 6011 & broom Yellow Ral 1032. Modern lines, bright colors, combined with classic veneer.Wow!
The streets of Bali are spotless in the early morning hours and sidewalks, steps, statues, and temples are now ready for the daily gift of offerings meant to please the various gods and demons of Balinese Hinduism.In 2005, I saw local women carrying round teak trays with offerings and they inspired me to design my minimalistic table series OBI for Linteloo.By creating an abstract basic form and then increasing only its scale in an almost absurdist manner these black stained tables were born. And after 7 years of production, due to its success, Obi can now be ordered in any Ral color. Wow!
In my opinion the presence of plants bring a positive change to the working environment. Moreover, plants have a positive effect on the sense of wellbeing. Tropical plants emit oxygen, clean the air and increase productivity. Because we did not have enough floor space at our office and showroom, and were in desperate need of light, the 'Bucketlight' was born. And this concept gave us a second opportunity. We created sockets in the objects enabling us to connect our computers over our workstations avoiding heaps of tangled cords.
In collaboration with AaBe Claire Vos designed our XXL plaids for our webstore! She has always found Jacquard weaving an inspiring technology. The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom, invented by Joseph Marie Jacquard in 1801, that simplifies the process of manufacturing textiles with complex patterns such as brocade, damask and matelasse. We have now created modern 100 % woolen plaids in a larger size, 150 x 480 cm.
Original First Tea is about more than simply dipping a tea bag in hot water. It’s a complete concept, created by a Dutch couple, with an eye for detail and a great sense of quality. I was asked to design some new porcelain products for their collection. The toughness, strength, and translucence of porcelain makes it a fun material to work with. As China was the birthplace of porcelain this material is often called bone china. These light tea cups will soon be available at our web shop.
On 9 June the newspaper Financieele Dagblad (FD) printed an interview with me in the Saturday edition. It was a pure and honest story written by Emilie Escher and photographed by Marie Cecile Thijs.A no-nonsense interview about our work and dreams... Thanks, Marie Cecile for the wonderful images!
When we moved our studio to our new building which dates from the 1930s we needed a light installation to illuminate our product designs. When I thought of this it suddenly became clear that this building needed warm light with traditional light bulbs, and definitely not halogen or strip lights. I therefore contacted Rico Pronk, an artist who more or less connects the past with the present in his work. Rico collects authentic electric switches, handles, volt and ampere meters from the mid-19th century and turns them into stunning new light installations. There were some setbacks but finally this project is ready!
There are no rules for making a good composition. In the design profession, we sometimes seem to ignore the good aspects of asymmetrical composition and unevenness. The empty space between these wooden "blocks" is an essential part of the composition and gives this low table for the Dutch brand Linteloo an interesting look. Plant roots do not grow at regular distances from each other either, nor do clouds have a perfect geometric shape. Perfection is an exception in nature, so why not experiment with this in design, which is how my project Manhattan was born. It will be presented during the Milan fair at Via Tortona 37.
Many important examples of modernist furniture were made from plywood. Cheaper and more easily accessible than aluminum or steel, plywood was a key material for early 20th century designers. When the avant-garde architects and designers of the 1920s searched for ways of making cheap mass-producible furniture, plywood looked like an attractive solution. And let's be honest: it is still an attractive material to use today. Due to the many requests my -easy to manufacure- chair designs created for pub DIT are now finally in production.
A reissue of the successful chair I designed in 2005 is being made by Arbor, an Italian factory near Venice. This plywood kitchen chair is now made of American walnut and looks really great. A steam-bent solid wood base attached to a plywood seat shell. I think the furniture craftsmanship in Italy is really of a particularly high quality. Tulipani is now even available in an upholstered version.
This new CNC technique was introduced to add a unique character to the surface of untreated planks in a controlled production process. We have created a number of different wood and one became my personal favorite. With this new material I am working on a new series of wooden 'trunk' tables for Linteloo to be presented at IMM KOLN. We will present a unique table with lovely details in January 2012. Trunk is truly a table for purists.
I have always been fascinated by coral structures since I went snorkeling in Indonesia as a teenager. Corals and coral reefs have inspiring structures and growth patterns. These complex shapes are amazing and were an inspiration for my new ceramic vase design called GILI. Right now we are working on the moulds at Royal Tichelaar Makkum and trying to create a new glaze color that looks like 'jade'. The uneven base of the vessel allows it to tilt in several different directions while still retaining its balance.
A thin metal sheet folded into a sophisticated geometric container. The beauty of modern industrial processes has always fascinated me, in this case using a metal working technology called laser cutting. With this technique I created 'BIN'. An object to store magazines & books but at the same time a great companion in your interior as a side table. This magazine bin is available in 2 sizes and 2 colors and was introduced by Dutch furniture brand Linteloo at Via Tortona 37 during the Milan fair.
Claire Vos has developed 8 different plaids patterns for Dutch manufacturer AaBe. All patterns and color combinations are ready now and the first edition of the plaids will be woven within short time. The selection of colors took quite some time. The marino wool will be dyed this month, so that we will be able to present our innovative collection of jacquard woven plates at 'Maison et Objet' this coming September at Paris!
In 2007 we had a new lively and productive office in our hometown of Heusden, Netherlands. It was pleasant to work in and we rediscovered the advantages of designing from home. But now the decision to open our own concept store and the too tight design space lead to a new challenge. And so we will soon open our new design studio and inspiring showroom. A store that will be lovely, lovable and loving.We will open in 's-Hertogenbosch in April.
My stackable Reply chair was created from several sheets of beech plywood.
For me personally 'a one piece chair' is the optimum in machine-oriented design. The complete product is realized in a single production pressing process to keep manufacturing costs low. A unique pressing mould was made in order to create this chair. Thoughtful and efficient use of FSC plywood and durability were definitely my guidelines for this project. The Reply chair has been acquired by the New York Museum of Arts and Design.
Think about all of the objects that you interact with on a daily basis. Do you ever stop to think about the design process behind their creation. The answer is probably not. But the designer of those objects has labored over how it will be used by you. They have spent hours, days, perhaps months considering how you will use their design. They have crafted their design to be as perfect as possible. But even when you see the unfinished 'Mr Ed' booklight in a production process, imperfection seems to have a certain beauty.
Simply a wonderful new publication featuring an old design. During the 1990's skilled Indonesian craftsmen helped me realize my low chair called sari. Asians love rattan, and modern rattan furniture remains highly popular in Japanese households. Amazing to see that after so many years this specific design 'stranded' in Tokyo was used in a Japanese publication. I love the serenity of this image.
Finally my Sozu faucets are being introduced to the market. Sozu is a type of water fountain used in Japanese gardens. Usually made of Bamboo, it consists of a hollow pivoting arm attached to its vertical pipe. Water pours from this tube or pipe into the arm. This concept inspired me to create a simple-looking faucet for Dutch manufacturer Zeromix. Four versions of Sozu will be launched starting from January 2011. Sozu is available in black, chrome or stainless steel.
As a designer you sometimes need to say goodbye to your old designs. Driade recently stopped producing the chairs I developed for them in 1999. During that period I worked a lot in Indonesia using bent metal pipe in combination with rattan. Both materials gave me the opportunity to gain structural strength in these designs. Amazing to see how timeless these pieces still are.
Under-Cover technology by Tulp.eu resulted in a new designproposal. 'Drop' is a fireplace hidden in a wall. It's cast made from soft stuccoed angles. What you don’t see: moulds made of heat resisting composite. Seamlessly built-in the wall, without comprimising the 'hearths’ plaster. Lightweight frames, easily applicable. A smooth top layer makes for easy painting in any possible colour. In this photograph, the 'Drop' almost bursts out of the wall. Indeed, a very sensual shape!
The aesthetic appeal of an object is often the reason we buy it. In fact, some products are driven by the aesthetic appeal alone. This is unfortunate because it leads to product development that is lacking in the other areas. It is only when all three -functionality, simplicity, and aesthetic appeal- are combined in harmony that we achieve quality industrial design. For me, aesthetic appeal is important, but only when functionality and simplicity exist as well. Even with its geometric shape my Vanity table for dutch brand Linteloo has a charming double function.
Our latest ceramic 'White Gold series' are three iconic designs by Royal Tichelaar Makkum, designed by our studio. It is a limited edition of 25 pieces per design. This edition is specially developed for gallery Priveekollektie, and are re-editions of designs we made in the late 90's. For me the fascinating shapes from nature are so interesting because of the beauty of line and image. The designs the MaMa vase, Atlantis bowl and Bloom vase are inspired by biological forms and cell divisions.
Production techniques from the past and the present are an ongoing inspiration to me. Product innovations often arise out of an understanding of materials and techniques. I believe this is where the strength of Dutch Design in general lies. Here in the Netherlands we are not just innovators when it comes to invention and creation, we also have a strong manufacturing industry. My six armed candelabra is a perfect example: made from aluminium, liquid casted in a pre-heated steel mould. Indestructible & timeless!
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