Author: @droog

Droog releases iconic flames

 In the current economic climate, aesthetics have become side-lined by the pursuit of austerity. Droog’s new collection is a campaign for beauty; a range of products that embrace both luxury and practicality. Not so much less is more, as less + more.

The latest in this line is Flames, designed by Chris Kabel. Flames is a refillable gas fuelled table candle with a very recognisable shape. This design is an evolution of the classic gas cartridge holder. It is a pragmatic design, originating from a number of rational decisions and using the same simple and cheap materials as the utilitarian camping stove.  Always dependable, sturdy and practical, Flames still creates an unexpected feeling of luxury.  Chris Kabel states: “I look at things as if they have never been seen before, then I dissect them and, after that, I reassemble them according to my own rules.” Flames is no exception to this process. This product is the perfect synthesis of innate functional qualities with a more decorative outer shell. The raw industrial gas pipes and gas tank are coated white, and their slender shape conjures a romantic chandelier casting a flickering light.

Flames – table lighter is now available at our Droog store in Amsterdam and online at www.droog.com for € 139,- Soon available at resellers worldwide.

NEW product: For everything there is a season






Droog releases For everything there is a season – a set of 12 tea towels by graphic designer Annelys de Vet. For everything there is a season is a series of traditional Dutch chequered tea towels, one for each month, like a calendar. The months of the year are marked with words illustrating cultural, historical or botanical characteristics of the twelve months in the Netherlands. Dutch narratives are woven between past and future…

(The design graphics are based on the ‘Kalender Puttershoek’ by Annelys de Vet, 2011. Courtesy SKOR and Gemeente Binnenmaas.)

Q&A with Annelys de Vet

Q: What is the idea behind this design?
Each month reflects upon cultural, historical or botanical characteristics in the Netherlands, marking the seasons of our collective narratives. On the towel of February for instance, a month in which many floods have taken place, several architectural water management devices are described. April displays its weather circumstances in a rich and poetic vocabulary. The countries in July are surprisingly the current top 20 immigration states, and the increasing amount of summer festivals taking place at sultry summer nights can be enjoyed in August. October reads the process of sugar making, which has become a slowly disappearing industry; and December memorises the international mixture of ‘speculaas’ spices. In this way the set as a whole reflects upon shifting identities in the Netherlands, highlighting their brightly coloured roots and avoiding stubborn cliché’s. In that way this set of towels can be seen as a tool for the household to rewrite our histories.

Q: How does this design relates to your other work?
At the design-department of the Sandberg Instituut – of which I am the head – we question how design can be a ‘radar’ for social change. We see designers as critical agents of processes,  who govern communication, reflection, understanding, debate, collaboration and cross-fertilization. As responsible professionals and dedicated enthusiasts, they can visualize new vistas and communicate through designed languages to engage with social issues. It is in this perspective that I also see my own practice. The set of towels, as well as the ‘My cup of thoughts – coffee cups’ for Droog and the growing series of Subjective Atlasses all reflect upon how cultural identities are constructed and deconstructed, and what it implies for our collective morals.

For everything there is a season is now available at our Droog store in Amsterdam and online at www.droog.com (worldwide shipping). There are 12 different designs available for a price of 16,50 Euro each.  Coming soon to retailers worldwide.

January
Caring to help
February
Water management devices
March
Biodiversity
April
Turbulent weather conditions
May
Breeding birds
June
Reed culture
July
Top immigration countries
August
Summer festivals
September
Apple and potato harvest
October
Sugar beet campaign
November
Returning markets
December
Multicultural speculaas spices

Apples infected with knowledges at Hôtel Droog

At a time when the world is striving for new medicines, alternative fules and facing a shortage of food, the vast field of genetic research cannot be ignored. Synthetic biology promises to, quite literally, change the world. But people get their back up when it comes to science messing with nature, especially if the bit of nature ends up in their bodies or on their dinner table.

During a debate on the 20th of November issues will be questioned such as: Where do people’s perceptions of genetic engineering come from and by what means does the public derive consensus? Are different areas of genetics perceived differently and why are they perceived this way? What is the role of the press, the scientists, and do artists and designers have any role at all?

The discussion will be moderated by Farid Tabarki with guests Charlotte Jarvis (UK artist Blighted by Kenning), Bert Lotz (Head of Applied Ecology, at Wageningen University), Reinout Raijmakers (Managing Director of the Bijvoet Center for Biomolecular Research at the Chemistry Department of Utrecht University), Prof. dr. Gert-Jan B. van Ommen (head of the Department of Human Genetics of Leiden University Medical Center) and journalist Jop de Vrieze

Hôtel Droog
RSVP [email protected]
FREE ENTRANCE (Limited capacity of 50 people)

The debate is connected with the exhibition, Blighted by Kenning: apples infected with knowledge by Charlotte Jarvis and the Netherlands Proteomics Centre presented at Hôtel Droog from November 15th – December 6th.

For a documentary on the project please click here

 

 

21 Wool Masters At Hôtel Droog

As part of Campaign for Wool Nederland, the exhibition presents wool design by wool masters from the 21st Century. The Campaign for Wool is a global community of sheep farmers, retailers, designers, manufacturers and you, the wool lover. They aim to educate as many people as possible about the incredible benefits and versatility of wool in fashion, furnishings and everyday life. This in turn, supports many small businesses and local farmers whose livelihoods depend on the wool industry.

Curated by Frans Ankoné and Martijn Nekoui

Hôtel  Droog
Staalstraat 7B, Amsterdam

Open from November 6th -11th

 

NOW OPEN!

Droog has opened a new hospitality experience in Amsterdam.

Please come and visit Hotel Droog for: design at DROOG, exhibitions, fashion at KABINET, beauty at COSMANIA, products and experience at WELTEVREE, food & drinks at ROOMSERVICE by Droog and the one and only bedroom…

Staalstraat 7B
1011 JJ Amsterdam
The Netherlands

www.hoteldroog.com

My cup of thoughts

my cup of thoughts Drinking coffee is often used as a moment for reflection or communication. By rotating the cup on the saucer, the different word combinations provide “food for thought”. A true conversation piece. As designer Annelys de Vet stated: “They playfully question our changing perceptions of subjects like freedom and truth, inviting the consumer to make up their own mind.”

My cup of thoughts is a product from UP by Droog. Read more.

My cup of thoughts by Annelys de Vet

Q&A with Annelys de Vet, designer of My cup of thoughts

What is the idea behind your design for the coffee cups?
Drinking coffee is often used as a moment for reflection and communication. The English author Sydney Smith mentioned that “If you want to improve your understanding,” you should “drink coffee”. And Sheik Abd-al-Kadir, (10th century), confessed that “no one can understand the truth until he drinks of coffee’s frothy goodness.” Coffee is seen as a symbol for improving our erudition, and futures can be predicted in the leftovers. It’s within this realm that the texts on the cups and saucers provide food for thought. They playfully question our changing perceptions of subjects like freedom and truth, inviting the consumer to make up their own mind.

How did you experience working with ‘deadstock’ instead of designing a product from scratch?
It was my reason for accepting the invitation for this project. We – in the west – are massive consumers of goods, resources and food. If we want a qualitative future we seriously have to change our consumerism and our mentality. A project like ‘UP’ contributes to this urgent need for change.

Due to an increase in environmental consciousness in today’s society, a lot of waste is recycled or ‘upcycled’. What do you think of this?
This is of the utmost importance, and designers can play a very meaningful role here. They are specifically trained to see doors where other people see walls.

We’ve often heard ‘design can save the world’. Tell me your thoughts?
Of course it’s utterly naïve to believe that design can save the world, and it would be self-congratulatory to think that designers have this ability. Global problems are becoming too complex, layered and with too many irreversible realities. At first it needs a global mentality-change, alternative economies and utopian power structures. But what arts and culture – and thus design – can do, is provide “food for thought” for this changing perception. They can help to shift our perspectives and develop tools to understand our reality and deal with it in a more sustainable way.

Design for Download @ DAD Berlin

DAD Berlin will present furniture from the series Inside-Out by Minale-Maeda for Droog and the project Design for Download. Inside-out was presented by Droog in Milan last year as example of downloadable design. During the DMY visitors can experience digital design tools developed by Droog with the aim of allowing ordinary computer users to easily make functional design decisions, automatically generating blueprints for local execution in various materials. Although still in a developing stage, the user can experience how Design for Download can empower the consumer with easy-to-access and low-cost design tools for customized product design.

www.DAD-Berlin.de

DAD gallery in Berlin

Downloadanle design @ DAD Gallery in Berlin

Become part of the Droog team!

Droog is looking for a Graphic Design Intern who will give overall support to the PR/marketing and product department. The successful candidate will assist in the visualisation of all creative concepts, creating presentations, promotional and branding material.

High proficiency with Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign is essential, currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate graphic design degree program or recently graduated. Experience and skills in web design is desirable.

We are looking for someone with a strong eye for detail, a passion for design, an effective communicator and a good multi-tasker.

Please tell us why you are interested, and send us a CV and portfolio link or light attachment with subject “internship” to [email protected]. We regret we can only accept applications from within the European Union at this time.

‘I used to be a magazine’

Droog releases ‘I used to be magazine’ by Ruben Iglesias.

Paper is part of our everyday life. We print, we read, we write and we waste tonnes of paper. The paper pencils are the first products produced after introducing UP by Droog. UP is an alternative way of dealing with dead stock. It proposes to reinvest in dead stock through design, introducing new functions, new aesthetics and new markets to leftover goods in order to bring them back into circulation. Renny Ramakers states: “It is one of the best kept secrets: everyday, tonnes of sellable products are recycled or simply destroyed worldwide, resulting in an unacceptable loss of material and energy. Recycling in practice is down-cycling; many recycled materials are processed into inferior products.”

Q&A with Ruben Iglesias, designer of ‘I used to be a magazine’

Q: Due to the increase in environmental consciousness in today’s society, a lot of waste is recycled. What do you think of this?

A: Most of the waste we produce is made of materials that are in perfect condition, even though they are discarded as “used”. The plastic of a water bottle or the paper of a magazine are examples of discarded materials that can be reused or transformed before recycling them. In fact, before we recycle we should always think of reusing and upcycling if we want to respect our environment.

Q: Can a designer be of any influence in regards to environmental consciousness of today’s society?

A: I think today more than ever designers have to unify environmental respect with form and function. When you design an object by reusing, upcycling or recycling discarded materials, you are also showing that there are many ways to do the same thing. As much as we support this kind of design, society will do the same. We have to realise that if we want to live in harmony with our environment, we have to recycle.

The pencils are made of leftover paper from newspaper and magazines by rolling paper on the carbon lead. In the production process they have used as little glue as possible in order to protect and achieve the desired quality and reliability. Every pencil is unique and handcrafted in a social workshop in the Netherlands.

Now available at Droog Amsterdam and at www.droog.com for € 8,75 (set of 5). Coming soon to retailers worldwide.

Droog at world design capital

Lecture by Renny Ramakers

at the Pavilion, in the heart of Helsinki, the world design capital

“UP, a new economic model for upping the value of dead stock through re-design”

Wednesday 23.5.2012
15.30 -16.30

Location:
Ullanlinnankatu 2ˆ4, between the Design museum and the Architectural museum, Helsinki

Droog for Rent: try before you buy

In the historical centre of Gent Droog and Sofie Lachaert have launched Droog for Rent. Upstairs from the Sofie Lachaert Gallery, Droog re-designed a studio and a flat for 2 in which you can find a “restaurant”, “lobby”, “gym” and a “library” all fully equipped with Droog products. Droog for Rent offers you a unique opportunity to try and buy not only brand new products but it also gives you the chance to experience Droog’s top design pieces – icons of the 21st Century – as long as you wish for.

http://www.droogforrent.com

For the press release click here