Category: Product

New product: Glass lantern by Richard Hutten

glass lantern richard hutten

We are proud to announce a new product: the glass lantern by Richard Hutten. 
In the project The New Original (2013) Droog investigated the copy culture in Shenzen, China. Droog wanted to advocate copying as a source of creativity. One of the participants in this project was Dutch designer Richard Hutten. He copied the traditional Chinese lantern but he used glass instead of paper and he modernized the design by reshaping the lantern. The lantern is available now!

Download the press release here

House of furniture exhibition in the Serre

 

 

 

Make sure to come and check out the House of Furniture. On display for the first time in The Netherlands at Hôtel Droog.

House of furniture by Studio Makkink & Bey

Architecture, furniture and storage all in one. Studio Makkink & Bey took standard sheets of ply with CNC cutting, and created a miniature house to stand within larger interiors of offices, studios and lofts.
With walls of stool, bench and table parts that easily come out and assemble, the functionality and character of the house can be changed as more or less furniture is used. This custom designed house offers endless possibilities as furniture parts suit different functions. Easily adapting to the surroundings. Designed in 2009, and presented in Milan, the House of furniture has proven its relevance thought out the years. Efficiently produced while re-using materials.

 

 

Q&A with designer Nikkie Wester

Nikkie Wester, is a Dutch textile product designer with a great passion for craftmanship and folklore. Her work always follows comprehensive research into cultural traditions, rituals and its origin, which is expressed in experiments with different textile materials. A great part of her designs infuse colour and symbolic references – and we got talked with her about her latest designs – the Fiske Fish Socks, which she designed upon learning about her own family history.  www.nikkiewester.com

Fish Socks by Nikkie Wester from Nikkie Wester on Vimeo.

You can purchase the Fiske Fish Socks at the Droog Shop at Staalstraat 7B – now open from 9am-7pm everyday.

 

Orange Socks (Women’s Sizes): €59,95 – Sizes 36-41

Grey Sock (Men’s Sizes)s: €64,95 – Sizes 41-46

—

We talk with Nikkie in an exclusive interview about her latest designs:

The Fiske Fish Socks are very playful, do you often weave play into your designs?My work has always been very conceptual, to keep it light-hearted I use humour. Without a twist, a collection can turn out to be too serious or heavy and therefore unattainable for public.

How long does it take to make a pair of Fiske fish socks?

The socks are knitted by hand, that can be a slow process though the women who do that work very quick. The can make a pair of socks in a day. I admire their knitting skills, they truly master the craft.

What is the name of the knitting technique used in the Fiske fish sock?The socks are knitted in a cable stich. This particular stich was used to make the traditional fishermen attire. By the use of this cable the textile becomes both breathable and insulating, which makes it perfectly suitable for rough weather at sea and therefore very suitable for socks to keep your feet warm

How did you develop an interest in textiles and knitting, and why does it interest you?Textile is a fascinating product because it is inseparable with humanity. It is used from the moment we are born, when we dry nurse our baby’s, until death. Even then we wrap textile around our loved ones before we give them back to the earth.

What kind of textile projects excite you the most? I am fascinated with projects that require textile products that have to do with cultural heritage. This can for example be a research upon a traditional costume or a spatial design meant to unite a group of people.

Do you think the art of knitting is in decline or on the rise based on the growing tech-culture?There is always been research and development considering textile, so also on the craft of knitting. Though at the moment innovation is concentrating more on the development of materials. The century old technique of knitting is tested upon these new materials. That is the beauty of knitting. It is a technique that managed to survive the test of time. Of course this is not without a reason. The possibilities are endless and applicable on almost all materials. So I have complete confidence in the future of knitting.

Finally, the most important question, do you have inspirational pet fish that started this project?Haha, no the design is not that square. The fish socks are developed from a research upon the Dutch textile identity combined with a research upon my own family history. I wanted to make a twist to the fishery and combined it with a photo of my grandfather as a child. On the photo I drew socks with a fin at the end. That was the start of the design, although of course it was still in development. I find it very exciting that the product is now realised and put into production. That is one of the reasons I design.

Celebrating 20 years of the Soft Lamp by Arian Brekveld for Droog

Celebrating 20 years of the Soft Lamp by Arian Brekveld for Droog

Droog in conversation with designer Arian Brekveld

20 years has passed since the first, honey white Soft Lamp graced interiors around the world. In combination with the Soft Lamp’s 20 year anniversary, a new, limited edition Black Soft Lamp is just released. We asked the Soft Lamp’s designer Arian Brekveld a few questions about his design philosophy, what he is up to now and, most importantly, where he himself has the Soft Lamp hanging in his home.

Have you seen much change in the dip technique, particularly since you have revisited the lamp shade in black? 

The technique of dipping itself is virtually unchanged, but everything around the production method has improved. The development is mainly reflected in the new types of submersible materials. In addition, the production of moulds is greatly simplified by the new technology found in rapid CNC milling machines. Our producer has developed specialised immersion machines, incorporated with new specialised technologies. But ultimately the essence of dipping stays the same: you just dip!

How did you originally become acquainted with PVC dipping?

During my graduation at the Design Academy in Eindhoven (1995), I researched forgotten crafts and techniques. Eventually I came across the techniques of a dipping technician, actually one located right near Eindhoven. Dipped products back then were mainly technical, utilitarian and practical. Caps, sleeves, hoses. I took a lot of time to experiment with the dipping material. My experiments eventually led me to experimenting with light in combination different compositions of the paste, until a wonderful warm shine moved through the material. I still remember my enthusiasm! The Soft Lamp was the first interior product which has been manufactured using this technique, and was so was the first aesthetic application of the material.

Have other design processes developed because of the Soft Lamp?

The seemingly simple design of the Soft Lamp, combined with material research is something I love to bring back time and time again in my work. It is a combination of these properties that direct new and interesting concepts.

How do you see Droog’s philosophy complement that of the Soft Lamp? 

The lamp dates back to 1995. During the second half of the 90s, many designers began to experiment with many materials – including plastics. For all the known and unknown material properties, new applications were sought; batch sizes were modest; and designers created their own products. From this, production processes without high investment costs became interesting, and creativity was rife. This is what we did, created from a simple, but very powerful focus – this fitted into the Droog thought.

The Soft Lamp is a trick of the eye, appearing as ceramic, when in fact it is rubber. This playfulness is integral to the product’s identity – is play an important part of your practice?

Not exactly, I consider it as a kind of hidden property – a trait that hopefully surprises and delights the user.

What is a core value of your own design method?

I design for many different brands. The type of products I’m working on therefore  varies. I work with minority groups in remote areas in Vietnam and small scale artisanal products. At the same time, I work for Hella Jongerius for the new KLM business class seat, along with various large-scale industries. The differences in these design processes, and the type of products couldn’t be further apart. Different questions are born from different briefs and therefore very different design processes. I think the strength of my work to a large extent lies in switching between, and connecting such processes.

What production / design methods are you experimenting with at the moment?

In recent years I have been designing more and more furniture. In addition, like all design making, I prefer working to scale. It has become a kind of specialty of mine where I can quickly make my own idea, and therefore get to the core of the design. In so doing, the concept progresses and new, more richly-informed ideas develop. Also, prototypes help clients understand concepts much more efficiently.

And the most important question – where are your Soft Lamps hanging at home?

Still too many rooms in our house 🙂 10 years ago we bought a big old and dilapidated house, with many rooms. After the renovation, there was little budget left for the interior. At that time it seemed like a bad idea to quickly buy some cheap bulbs and hang up. A box of Soft Lamps was still in my studio. We then hung one in the bathroom, the hall, and above the sofa …and I must confess: they still hang there after 10 years!

Droog draws from the life of Vincent for the Van Gogh Museum

The canvases have turned. The technicolour life of Vincent van Gogh inspires contemporary tableware,
travelware and graphic designs by Studio Droog for the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Vincent Willem van Gogh was not only a brilliant painter, but also a keen traveler and writer. For Van Gogh
Museum’s new museum shop in Amsterdam, Studio Droog was asked to design a range of products based
on Van Gogh’s artworks: Landscape with Houses, 1890 and Wheatfield under Thunderclouds, 1890. Looking
beyond the surface of these paintings, Studio Droog dove into the rich, fickle life of the artist, giving rise to
an eclectic collection of over 20 unique tableware, travelware, postcards and poster designs that echo his
life and art.

• Travelware based on Wheatfield under Thunderclouds, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh.

The travelware collection references the work Wheatfield under Thunderclouds, 1890 and appeals to Van
Gogh’s frequent globetrotting – even though he often became homesick. The range derives its playful
pattern from the artwork’s staccato brush-work and bold, bright colours – with each design heralding a
signature Droog twist.

The collection includes a toiletry bag that fits your entire life’s work of grooming; an eyemask that blocks
not only eyes but ears too; a scarf that works double-shift as a blanket; an unmissable luggage belt; a
foldable weekend bag – also possible to use on weekdays; and a wallet to keep not only cash, but priceless
memories too.

• Tableware based on Landscape with Houses, 1890 by Vincent van Gogh.

The blue blush of Van Gogh’s Landscape with Houses defines the ceramic and glassware collection designed
by Studio Droog. By deconstructing the image into layers, and editing them into individual patterns, Studio
Droog cleverly harnessed the signature linework of Van Gogh to create new patterns that can be played
with.

Translucent glass plates of various sketched patterning can be stacked to recreate the original painting;
glass and ceramic tumblers don dancing strokes and lines – as if doodled by Van Gogh himself; patterned
bowls and vases make masterpieces of your food and flowers; and tealights cast shadows of an impressionist
painter’s mark.

• Posters and postcards of words and images by Vincent van Gogh (soon to be released)

Van Gogh wrote regularly to his brother Theo. Within these writings lay a wealth of wisdom, that Studio Droog
translated into quotes for a series of postcards. And these wisdoms could have only stemmed from his love
of reading – where Studio Droog designed a stylized bookshelf of Van Gogh’s actual reading list in the form
of a poster.

About Studio Droog

Renny Ramakers founded Studio Droog in 2011. The studio creates concepts, spaces and products, all
based on our key principles: respect for the existing, context/relevance, beauty and playfulness. Distilled to
the simple idea of less+ more. The studio addresses client commissions as well as in house assignments. For
more information, please visit www.droog.com.

About the Van Gogh Museum Amsterdam

The Van Gogh Museum makes the life and work of Vincent van Gogh and the art of his time accessible to
as many people as possible. The museum’s collection features in excess of 200 paintings, 500 drawings and
almost all letters by Vincent van Gogh, alongside his collection of Japanese prints. The library is home to
more than 23,000 volumes. In 2014, the museum welcomed 1.6 million visitors through its doors.
The Van Gogh Museum is dedicated to making the life and work of Vincent van Gogh accessible to as
many people as possible in order to enrich and inspire them. We unite all elements of Van Gogh’s world.

http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl

Location
Paulus Potterstraat 7
1071 CX Amsterdam

The new museum shop is located in the new entrance building of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.

Opening Hours
Open daily from 9 am to 5 pm and until 10 pm on Fridays.

The shop is only accessible for museum visitors, and is open daily from 9 a.m. until 30 minutes after closing
time of the museum.

Droog is hosting an eclectic Christmas Program

Droog is hosting an eclectic Christmas Program that’s a little more omni-faith than your usual seasonal affair. Dubbed ’Trans-Christmas’, the program is a celebration of everyone, everywhere – regardless of religion, gender, title, sexuality, favourite food – anything really.

The program hosts a series of events, charity auctions, workshops, gift ideas for him, her, the kids and gender neutral; as well as online content curated to express a celebration for all.

Join us for a very merry Trans-Christmas – and see below for the eclectic program.

The program for Trans-Christmas 2015 at Droog:

1. Make some Sound! Workshop by Trapped in Suburbia
What: Soundcard Workshop with Trapped in Suburbia
When: 10th December, 2015 18.30 – 20.00
More info and booking

2. “Manufactured” by the Wunderkammer
What: Shop in shop and winter exhibition by the Wunderkammer
When: 4-31 December 2015

3. The Price of Fashion: Fashion Charity Auction and Debate moderated by Aynouk Tan
What: Inaugural Fashion Charity Auction and Debate moderated by Aynouk Tan
This fashion charity auction will generate funds through auctioning
clothing items from well-known figures in the Dutch community.
This auction is complemented with a debate uncovering the value of fashion,
how its context changes when discussing it next to the refugee crisis,
how clothing gains significance through experience, in effect – what is the price of fashion?
When: 9th December, 2015 18.30 – 21.00

4. Style your Style with Droog: Seasonal design styling advice from Droog
What: Get professional advice on how to style your dinner table, home or space
with Cecile Brekelmans of Droog.
When: Throughout the holiday season, by appointment – contact [email protected] for
more information.

 

Droog wins Milano Design Award for Best Tech

In Milan this year, Droog presented their smallest exhibition ever – and rode away with a Milano Design Award for the Construct Me! Hardware Collection.

Droog wins Milano Design Award for Best Tech
The Construct Me! Hardware Collection by Studio Droog, presented in Milan 2015, has won Best Tech for the 5th Edition Milano Design Awards 2015. Droog was among only 15 nominees for the award and picked from the 440 presentations shown during the Salone del Mobile 2015. The results were revealed Sunday 19th April, 2015 at Teatro Franco Parenti, Milan.

The jury stated that the work was commended for the originality in the choice to work on the “micro” dimension, which becomes added value without the need for spectacular effects. The project discreetly shows simple technology infused into design, through experimental and innovative products, highly technical, yet poetic.

Droog was among winners such as Lexus, Gamfratesi/Danish Art Foundation and Antonio Marris/Segno Italiano.

About the Award
Reaching it’s 5th edition, the Milano Design Award is the first and unique award dedicated to the best set-ups of Milan Design Week – part of Design Week Festival and organized by Elita in partnership with La Repubblica, IED, Future Concept Lab, Casa Matera, fuorisalone.it and lovli.it.

Related video’s
Learn how to screw me with this video on Droog’s collection of hardware.
Renny Ramakers interviewed for Construct Me! hardware collection. See this video.

G-Star RAW for the Oceans at Hôtel Droog

Starting December 2nd, Hôtel Droog will showcase a selection of styles from the G-Star RAW for the Oceans collection in a temporary pop up store.

RAW for the Oceans is an initiative retrieving plastic from the ocean and innovating it into denim. G-Star RAW, Pharrell Williams’Bionic Yarn and Parley for the Oceans have joined forces to create collections that make a serious impact on the plastic pollution in our oceans. The initiative is culminated in G-Star collections, made from Bionic Yarn. The collaboration is in cooperation with The Vortex Project. More information at http://www.g-star.com/rawfortheoceans.

Take a look: Droog interior design

What can Droog do for a home or work space?

We like to share our expertise in interior products and projects in our brand new look book for 2014. The lifelike interiors display our products in inspirational settings for a house, hotel, bar, garden, office or shop.

Modern, economic, extravagant or classical, Droog products fit almost every style and add a timeless value to a home or office. Different exciting and colourful interior settings reveal how small additions and adjustments can turn a tiny space into an environment with deluxe feel. That is the intrinsic value of our well-designed objects.

Who better than the designers that developed your favorite products, can design a space that will wow you even more?

Go ahead and take a look.

Here, There, Everywhere a 4-year journey

Droog releases Here, There, Everywhere, a visual and textual anthology of realistic and imaginative design projects by Droog Lab in collaboration with Winy Maas, Metahaven, Jurgen Bey, Richard Hutten, TD, Mieke Gerritzen, Erik Kessels, Bas Princen, Diller Scofidio + Renfro and others.

Edited by co-founder of Droog Renny Ramakers and Droog Lab curator Agata Jaworska, and designed by Thonik, the 224-page book is a compilation of 16 projects in nine chapters, with essays, conversations and talks by David Allin, Jurgen Bey, Koert Debeuf, Theo Deutinger, Greg Lindsay, Winy Maas, Justin McGuirk, Heleen Mees, Charles Renfro, Wouter Vanstiphout and Daniel van der Velden.

Here, There, Everywhere is a journey through diverse places of the world, from the Canadian Arctic to the deserts of Dubai, with outcomes ranging from a luxury brand inspired by Russian consumption patterns with Metahaven to an imaginary society with space for a million identities inspired by Belgium’s apparent lack of a singular national identity with Erik Kessels.

The projects are a culmination of four years of self-initiated work by Droog Lab in collaboration with partners, designers and clients. Initiated by Renny Ramakers in 2009, Droog Lab scans the world for emerging developments, exploring the broader relevance of local findings.

Here, There, Everywhere will be available on droog.com and at the Droog store in Amsterdam for 39.00 EUR (ISBN 9789090281735).

Here, There, Everywhere is supported by the Mondriaan Fund.

Centraal Museum Utrecht acquires 3 iconic Droog designs

Centraal Museum Utrecht acquired the Speaking Coffee machine by Eibert Draisma, Paraffin table by Timo Breumelhof and the Godogan table by Niels van Eijk & Miriam van de Lubbe from the Droog collection, to be included as part of their contemporary design collection. The Centraal Museum is known for its extremely varied and widely known collection of design.

Since the founding of Droog in 1993, the museum has collected design objects from the Droog collection almost every year. The Droog pieces are of great value to the museum collection. As the curator of applied arts and design Ida van Zijl explains: “In the first 10 years of the 21st century we experienced a typical trend in design, in which designers manufactured products that sat on the border between art and design. Droog is a very good example of a design company who created products that blurred the line between art and design”. The museum boasts an extensive collection of works by Droog, ranging from design classics such as the Chest of Drawers by Tejo Remy (1991), the Tree-trunk Bench by Jurgen Bey (1999), and the Bone Chair by Joris Laarman (2006), in addition they have also acquired the complete 14 piece Saved by Droog collection from the 2009 Droog Milan presentation. In 2010 they edited the artist’s proof #1 edition of the Red blue Lego chair to their collection. This piece was exhibited at Rietveld’s Universe, as part of the Rietveld Year organized from October 2010 until January 2011.

The recently collected pieces will be on display at the ‘Nieuwe Aanwinstenzaal’ at The Centraal Museum Utrecht (date to be confirmed).

Speaking coffee maker by designer Eibert Draisma (1990)
This coffeemaker is assembled from rejected material. It includes the base of an old transformer. The coffee maker is programmed to repeat a series of pre-recorded messages, designed to alert the owner when the coffee is ready.

Godogan table by Niels van Eijk & Miriam van de Lubbe (2006)
The Godogan table has been (hand)made in Indonesia because of the region’s high quality craftsmanship. The woodworkers were challenged to the utmost with this extremely complicated design depicting an Indonesian fairy tale. This table could not have been carved in the West, where comparable craftsmanship no longer exists.

Photographer: Gerard van Hees

Paraffin table by designer Timo Breumelhof (2000)
Many products are designed for extreme ease of use or for safety. Extremely “responsible” products leave little space to the imagination or creative (mis)use, they lose their poetry. From this point of view the designer created an ‘unsafe’ table, this table’s lack of safety considerations increases its poetical aspect; ‘using’ the table will destroy it.

Photographer: Marsel Loermans

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.