DesignHome Vij5 UnRaveled :: answers by Arjan van Raadshooven and Anieke Branderhorst

Dutch:: Stubborn, always a little bit different and unexpected, at least for design it is.

Entrance:: when entering our home you will notice a dark blue corridor with 5 glass ‘crystal’ ceiling lamps fixed on the wall. We inherited those from Anieke’s grandparents and found some at the attic of her parents. If you enter our home for business, this blue corridor will lead you upstairs to our design studio. If you enter our home as family or friend, of course you are allowed to open the blue doors to our living room or kitchen!

Style:: means so many different things! We think our style could be explained as simplicity with a twist, old combined with new, new learned from old, eclectic …

Inspiration::  a good idea never comes out of the blue, there is always a lead. Sometimes we actively search for inspiration by loosing ourselves into certain subjects. On the other hand we could also be surprised by things that coincidentally meet our eyes. This can be anything, from a nice picture or colour combination to an article of use we might have used for years already. Traveling also gives us a lot of unpredictable inspiration.

New:: in our home are our new dining chairs! We are very pleased with them. Arjan sees them as little architectural buildings J We found them in a retro/design shop in Eindhoven and painted the seats ourselves. The owner told us it were probably prototypes or a small scale production from the Italian brand Fasem. We haven’t seen anything like this anyway, so they are unique and special enough for us! 

Hobby:: what’s that? We think our ‘hobby’ has become our work, although we really enjoy making time for our family and friends. Next to that, we really like to travel or relax in a nice hot-spring!

Outfit:: our favorite thing to wear? Since Anieke worked at a Sissy-Boy store, our closet is mainly filled with their ‘special basics’. Timeless and comfortable!


Make:: I start creating when? As soon as we start talking, discussing or brainstorming on some loose ideas, our creating process starts. We are convinced the best products are the result of a dialogue between different visions. That is why it is one of the basic principles of Vij5.


Enjoy:: we can't live without our 2 black cats: Joey and Stein. Fortunately we are not superstitious at all ;) They are a perfect mirror for our moods: if we are stressed, they are as well. So indirectly they tell us to slow down a little and spend a nice evening with them on the couch. Those little animals can sometimes drive us mad by their naughtiness, but overall they always put a smile on our face!

........Thank you Anieke and Arjan........

Gorgeous designs from Vij5 are Stevia&Melk set, Table Confetti (please see images below) from the Leftovers range and of course the FlexVase, which Won the Dutch Design Award for being the best consumer product of 2009!!

Anieke and Arjan really would like to sell their beautiful designs in more shops in the rest of the world, so if you are a retailer, online shop and are interested please send an email to Anieke and Arjan from Vij5!