MP / DB Teaspoon by Ed Annink and Ontwerpwerk
Ed Annink
MP Teaspoon, 2004
The MP / DB Teaspoons use Hollands Glad, a traditional Dutch cutlery pattern, to explore how small changes can alter an object’s purpose, appearance, and perceived value. The original, untouched spoon acts as a reference beside two reworked versions: the minimally altered MP and the highly decorated DB.
The MP Teaspoon was commissioned for the Dutch prime minister during the Netherlands’ presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2004. Given to foreign government leaders as a promotional gift, it has a small hole cut into its bowl. Loose sugar had largely been replaced by cubes and individual packets, so the spoon no longer needed to scoop, it only needed to stir.
The DB Teaspoon takes the same familiar shape in a more decorative direction. Its bowl is transformed with intricate openwork inspired by Delft Blue patterns, adding considerably more craftsmanship to the object.
Presented at Droog’s Value for Money exhibition during Milan’s Salone del Mobile in 2005, the three stages invited visitors to compare no intervention, a light adjustment and extensive decoration—and decide which offered the most meaningful value.
