Postcards from Dutch Design Week 2023
Dutch Design Week returns to Eindhoven to celebrate the imaginative power of designers. We investigate the highlights…
This week, the usually sleepy city of Eindhoven comes alive as Dutch Design Week takes over eight districts in the area, bringing together designers from the Netherlands and beyond.
What with the prestigious Design Academy Eindhoven (which counts Sabine Marcelis, Philippe Malouin and Formafantasma as alumni) on its doorstep, Dutch Design Week (21 – 29 October) has become something of a hotbed for spotting new talent. If you’re hoping to spot the next big thing in design, this annual event is a good place to start. Consequently, several projects in our edit have been produced by recent graduates, while others have been crafted by well-known brands. Find out our full list of highlights from the year by reading on...
The designer collaboration
Between 21-29 October the industrial warehouse space Fuutlaan 12C plays host to ‘Icons Re/Outfitted’, an exhibition by Vitra, Levi’s and The Visionary Lab. In a bid to showcase the textile waste produced by the fashion industry, designers and artists have been invited to upholster vintage Vitra chairs such as the ‘Panton’ (pictured) and the ‘Eames Lounge Chair’ with denim. thevisionarylab.com
The graduate to watch
‘Transformed Remnants’, a capsule collection of furniture pieces by Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Willem Zwiers is currently on show inside the Heuvel shopping centre, which the university’s graduate exhibition has taken over for the course of Design Week. Each marbled piece has been crafted from hundreds of secondhand books that have been sawn apart and then joined together using diluted wood glue. designacademy.nl
The house to tour
Two prototype tiny houses by architecture studio i29 have cropped up at Duch Design Week serving as community hubs where visitors can participate in talks with creatives. The houses are part of a wider trio of homes under the umbrella ‘Câpsula’ and are designed to support slow living. They are made from sustainable, locally produced materials and seek to seamlessly connect the indoors with the outdoors. i29.nl
The exhibition
This sculptural aluminium shelf by Yoon Shun is on show as part of an exhibition called ‘Them Belly Full’ by designers based in Gent, Antwerp and Brussels. Taking place in HouseWest, a conceptual space in the northwest of the city, the show features seating, tables and other furniture ware in a range of materials. ddw.nl
The brand to revisit
First shown at this year’s Milan Design Week, this installation leans into the unrelenting candy-style lighting trend. Created by Studio Thier & van Daalen, ‘Light Makes You See Colour’ features several glass-blown pendants suspended from the ceiling of the historic NRE-terrein, which was fittingly a former electricity house. thiervandaalen.com
The technology you need to know
Designer Juul van den Heuvel, who goes by the brand name JUUL, has produced a chair using generative AI to encourage topical debates about the practice of AI in design. The ‘U-Chair’ is one of 500 designs generated by AI and, with its unconventional twin backrests and precariously arranged three legs, it showcases the unique possibilities of the technology. ‘While some view AI as a potential threat, I embraced AI as a creative partner to create unique designs, which marks a new chapter in our approach to design,’ explains van den Heuvel. juulvandenheuvel.com
The designers to celebrate
Designers Yinka Ilori, Stefan Diez and duo Muzus (from left) are Dutch Design Week’s first generations of ‘beacons’ – designers invited to hold the prestigious position on account of their influence and pioneering spirit. The beacons initiative, which replaces the event’s previous ambassadors programme, will see the four individuals come together to share knowledge and expertise while ‘deepening the dialogue within the design field’. ddw.nl
The product to invest in
Although Dutch Design Week is no doubt one of the least commercial on the design calendar, Montreal-based designer Zeynep Boynan’s ‘Units’ will be on show and we’re quite smitten. Made from clay and burnished aluminium, the storage boxes bring an immediate quirky element to an interior. zeynepboynan.com
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