(This is from roving reporter Holly Becker of Decor8, who is roving in Holland for Dutch Design Week)
Lift-Off Loves took place at Buro Vormkrijgers, an innovative design studio located in a posh office setting in the heart of Eindhoven. During Dutch Design Week, this large light-filled space transformed each of its offices into display rooms where each designer selected by the Buro presented fresh and innovative work in the fields of interior and product design.
Here are a few of my favorites from Lift-Off Loves:
#1 Nanne Meulendijks -The dictator of 'How You Have To Behave' is a project of ten large posters Nanne designed to convey her thoughts on what she calls "the silly unwritten rules the Dutch live by, handed down by each generation, all following rules but few asking why".
Through her posters, which Nanne sarcasticly designed to imitate the political propaganda common during the communist regime under Stalin, she hopes to raise both awareness and to lend a sense of humor on a sensitive topic. As Nanne comments on these deeply held beliefs, "Everything looks great and free, but you get oppressed in front of your own eyes if you do not comply!".
Each print is 106 Euro. The size is 83cm x 100cm. Each are signed and numbered, produced as a limited edition of eight posters each.
To order contact Nanne at nanne[underscore]meulendijks[at]yahoo[dot]com.
#2 Cultivate - Quirky woofers shaped like a headless dog, Cultivate calls them "Functional Kitsch - the wrong becomes the new right". By adding function to an otherwise grotesque object, it acquires new aesthetic appeal and perhaps even an object of desire. What do you think? Available in white or black. 599 Euros per set.
#3
BureaudeBank - Partners Floortje Donia and Jet Vlietstra designed a modular all-weather piece primarily for outdoor use. You can remove the cushion from the foot stool and use it as a table. Place it closer to the chair and the unit becomes a chaise. Add two chairs together to form a sofa. Currently available in black tile with a white foam cushion, although once in production (anticipated date: January '07), they plan to incorporate various cushion colors for mixing and matching a look that best suits your decorum.
#4
Kim Geerts, KIMderpoppen - What appears to be the next generation of ugly dolls, these are so ugly they're cute. Prices range from 35 to 55 Euro.
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Holly Becker, decor8
Love the tile furniture, but soooo incredibly easy to replicate, DIY-wise.
And to whomever was touting the blanket chic-ness of Europe here recently, I humbly submit KIMderpoppen.
The Dutch *are* European, right?!? ;)
These images have already been posted on decor8's blog. So much for originality...
Is this where AT has ended up?? First the third-rate store, now inviting someone to repost her own blog on yours??
You could have done that yourselves... She does it from other people's blogs all the time...
I have to agree with the above, this stuff has been seen already, too much in fact at Decor8's blog. Which IMHO, is just more rehash from what has already been seen elsewhere, earlier.
What happened to originality?
I'm so happy to see Holly writing for you guys! AT and Decor8 are the best blogs out there by far--objective, insightful and always right on the money. Don't know what Lydia is thinking but three cheers for some great posts! And besides, who wouldn't want a dog-shaped woofer?
Thanks Terry! What a nice thing to say. :)
I would like to reply to Greenfeld and Lydia.
I was honored to meet with so many young talented designers at Dutch Design Week this year. I enjoyed conversing with so many of them, and felt strongly about using my blog as a place to share my experiences and sing their praises. That's the beauty of blogging, being able to exercise what I call, "freedom of post".
Although my blog has a global audience, my stats in no way compare to Apartment Therapy. When emails arrived from my readers seeking further information about the designers I'd posted, I felt the need to take these designers to a broader audience to get the word out since such interest was shown. AT was the perfect place!
So, that is why I am here, blogging about the Dutch designers that I met. Some of the photos may be the same ones that I displayed on my own blog (I took many of them myself so that only makes sense), but the text is different. No rehash here!
I think you can agree with me that these designers deserve to be seen - and that is what these posts are about - exposure for them before a design savvy audience who appreciates seeing creative, innovative and new design concepts.
Holly
I don't think I'd describe Decor8 as "objective". Someone that plugs themselves that much on their site is a little suspect.
What I appreciate about Apartment Therapy is that they never boast about their projects, work or success. All the bios, self-promoting and "assignment" talk is a little deafening on Decor8.
Hmmm.... Deafening?
- I do not have a press page.
- I do not have a page showcasing my design projects with clients (interiors). No 'before' photo, no 'after', nada.
- I do not have a page linking to where I do write, nor do I have my corporate client list on my site.
- I barely mention the press I get, it's not something I'm comfortable with.
I do have one very brief bio page. I posted it 6 months after blog launch because readers/friends kept suggesting it. I hated writing it and struggled with posting it forever. But, after several months, readers kept inquiring so I had to write something up so that readers could see the person behind the blog. I respect that.
You think my site is deafening? Wow. I don't know why. I see other bloggers and websites with press pages and the whole nine yards. I don't see a problem with that, they should be proud of their accomplishments and hard work. I think when bloggers talk about themselves or their work, they are merely putting themselves out there so they can generate buzz and get some work. And of course, because they are grateful for the press and proud of themselves. That's nice to see. I like to surround myself with successful people who are proud of themselves.
Many bloggers are blogging for a living now, they have to pay the rent. That's another reason some choose to post about their press, additional writing gigs, etc. And why not? Most people aren't bothered by it, most understand that they are not just blogging, but actually WORKING FOR A LIVING.
When it comes to anything these days, who is hot today is old and rusty tomorrow. Great content alone isn't enough, you have to generate buzz. And if you don't talk about yourself or your success, few others will.
Whether blogs choose to talk about their success or not, I honestly don't care either way. I understand why they are doing it and I respect them very much. They have to feed themselves.
I'm different though b/c I'm not blogging for a living. That's why I don't put up press stuff and all of that. I blog 20% of the time, and the other 80% I'm with design clients or working on contracts with corporate clients that I maintain writing lots of in-house stuff that most people will never see. I also started writing for magazines and stuff. You'll never know who, because unless you're my friend, I'm not going to tell you about it on my blog.
Maybe you should read decor8 and you'll see there's absolutely nothing deafening about it at all. I'm quite tame, I promise. :)
Holly