Ontwerplabel Vij5

  {Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Arjan van Raadshooven and Anieke Branderhorst from ontwerplabel Vij5

 

Arjan and Anieke are ontwerplabel Vij5 and live together with their 2 black cats named Joey and Stein. The type of house they live in is a corner unit from the nineteen fifties in the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see 

Our 15 metre deep backyard, with lots of edible stuff. We don’t really have green fingers but we do our best. We like everything that is edible in our yard. We already grow a lot: grapes, tomatoes, raspberries, herbs, etc. We enjoy sitting on the bench in front of our fire basket in the back of the yard. 

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

Not a lot. We like to read a bit or watch a movie. Arjan: I prefer watching shows such as ‘Game of Thrones’ in which I can completely lose myself. It’s a very nice way to ‘switch off’. Anieke likes to cook a lot, which varies from baking cookies to preparing complete meals. She can easily spend 45 minutes in the kitchen after a day of work. We don’t eat anything involving packaged or ready-made meals. We find it important to eat healthy, which also makes it easier to sustain long working hours. Anieke takes a PowerYoga class once a week and also does some exercises at home.  

Do you take your work home with you?

No. Work is often on the mind still, but we try to avoid crawling behind the computer at home. We do work late sometimes, but then we do this at our studio, and not at home. We also talk a lot in the car about our work because we are on the road often. 

 

Jurianne Matter

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs }

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Jurianne Matter of Jurianne Matter, Paper Design from Holland

 

Jurianne lives with Peter and sons Eise and Brecht in an early 60s link house in a pitoresque village in the Netherlands.

If you look out your window you see

Green! Always green, everywhere. That's what makes this place special. While the view into my garden may not be extensive, it is not blocked by any houses.

What do you prefer to do when you get home?

Well, to be honest, I am always working when I am at home. Somehow my work and private life have always merged. For me the most precious time at home is Sunday mornings. Getting up early and starting my day with an espresso and newspaper when everyone is still asleep, I end up blogging and ‘pinteresting’ in my office. Still a bit of work! Once everyone wakes up, I make Sunday breakfast (with fruit shakes and eggs). Then the men in my house basically disappear to do their thing – I guess that is what happens when raising two adolescent sons...

My workroom feels like a (custom made) coat. Compact, small, with a door that can be closed! It’s also necessary because I am easily distracted. I only put music on when I'm ironing, driving, or designing. 

 

Jannita van den Haak

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Jannita van den Haak from Jannissima

Jannita Lives with Arwin Caljouw in a working class home from 1956 in the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see 

Tranquility and space; our garden faces south. When you look the other way, you can see new developments where there once used to be a park. The entire neighbourhood has been renovated. Kind of useful as now we have a supermarket and tennis courts at our disposal.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to spend time lazing in my sun bed with an Italian novel or magazine. I love the sun. I like to read Italian. My dad always listened to Italian music (Eros Ramazzotti) in the car and from I was 6 years old I started noticing that.  I started to learn Italian this way, from the back seat of the car while going on holiday. I also enjoy tidying up my clothing cupboard on a Sunday afternoon. That really relaxes me. I don’t have time for that during the week. When I am at home we are also cooking and eating. Arwin is really the cook in the house. I am the hostess when people come over for dinner and I like to dress up the table. Arwin is very refined! Everything has to be perfect. This way, we have nicely divided the tasks ;-)

Do you take your work home with you?

We talk about it but being at home means to relax. There are books for inspiration but we do not work at home. I also check my email on my Ipad but I can’t really recommend that to anyone. It is a real automatism and not healthy to be online all the time.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Arwin has done all the customization in our house. We also have a nice mix of our own designs, antiques and Ikea furniture. I made a dish of glass (a project at the Academy), I knitted copper on a knitting machine and melted glass over that. This resulted in a kind of stillness in the glass. That was the start of working with glass. From this I discovered how diverse it is and what all you can do with it. My jewellery collection originated from that. And of course the bags I designed. First backpacks and now also leather purses. For years, I’ve been putting the travel theme into my designs. We also own a lot of souvenirs. I now have my first Fornasetti (an Italian designer) and I am very happy with that. It is a ceramic object of a winking woman.

We love to travel because of the experience and like to take with nice souvenirs from our travels. Nice ceramics with a story; like the Sicilian head. The story behind that is that an Italian woman fell in love with a slave, a forbidden love. Her dad killed her slave and put the head on the land. She went to sit and cried above it and then the land became very fertile and the family very rich. Ever since then, the ceramic variant of the head is a symbol for fertility and richness.

Floris Hovers

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Floris Hovers from Floris Hovers Designs

Floris lives with Eva, their children Ronja, Katrijn, Abel and Winnie the cat in a small working class home (from the 19 hundreds) in Raamsdonk, the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see

At the front of the house, we can see horses. A little while ago, there were even air balloons lifting off in front of our house. At the back of the house, there is a big field where they grow corn. You can also see the dykes from there. It is a very nice and open area. 

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to work in the garden. Keep myself busy. I like being at home anyway and keep things neat. I am also the one who cleans the house. It doesn’t have to be spic and span but it does need to be tidy again at the end of the day. What is a useful about this being a small house, is that it takes only 10 minutes to vacuum and mop the floors.

You work from home. Do you find it easy to let go in the evenings?

Mostly, but it is a continuing process; similar to the business itself really. I am a night owl and enjoy ending the day with a nice glass of port, while sitting on the garden bench. That has become kind of a ritual. It’s my way of pondering over the day. Get everything in order again.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Yes, I use lots of prototypes, all experimental things. Those are actually the nicest, as no concessions have been done to them yet. I don’t own a lot of design, other than a table by Piet Hein Eek (I bought it for very little at the end of my apprenticeship), which I use as a desk now. I also own a ‘Lluslamp’ by Ontwerpduo and a chair by Tiesencoo. In this phase of my life, everything has to be practical and affordable. I also own things from Ikea. I know very well what is nice but it doesn’t fit here right now. The standard chair by Jean Prouvé (Vitra) for example. I would love to have that next to my kitchen table. Or the ‘polder’ couch by Hella Jongerius, which is also very beautiful. I generally tend to like ‘has beens’. I like it when things come together in your home. I inherited a cupboard from the previous occupants. I was allowed to keep it. The inside was already green and I really liked that! I took out the doors so you can see the colour better. Things have to grow over time and that is the same with an interior.

Anne Olde Kalter from LaFarme

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Anne Olde Kalter from LaFarme

Anne lives with Dirk in a very characteristic and authentic house, which used to be a small farm in Watergang, a small village near to Amsterdam.

When you look out your window you see

I see a drawbridge, the canals of the wetlands and a small orchard. During the past winter, the canals were frozen and thousands of skaters came by in our usually quiet little town. In the summer, you can see many boats go by.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I work at home so I am there quite a lot. The nicest thing about living here is being outside, close to nature. I also love to cook together with Dirk. We also use fresh produce from our own backyard, as we have our own kitchen yard since this year!

Do you take your work home with you?

Work and private life aren’t really separated. I enjoy the luxury to work in my pyjamas in the morning. I am not jealous of all those people stuck in traffic jams. I try to do a lot of work during the day, but it can get late sometimes. I just want to do quality work and it is nice and quiet at night. I do have a lot of perseverance I think J. I don’t stop until I’m happy with it. I do try to make appointments in town. From here, I can be in the centre of Amsterdam within 15 minutes. It feels as if we are living partly outside of the city.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Yes I do. It makes me rather happy. I try to make things that I like to look at myself. In addition to graphic design work, I’ve started doing ceramics, mostly for relaxation, although the china cupboard is getting slightly full from it!

Nienke Sybrandy

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Nienke Sybrandy from Studio Nienke Sybrandy

Nienke lives with Sander in a new apartment in IJburg, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

When you look out your window you see..

I see the playground from the school located around the corner, with children playing the entire day. We used to have an open view of the Rembrandt tower but now everything is completed filled with new construction. What’s good is that the trees are getting bigger all the time.  We don’t have a garden but we do have lots of windows. What’s also nice is that we are right at the lake (IJsselmeer) as soon as we walk out of our street.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I like to cook and eat together with Sander. We love Italian food: lots of pastas and risottos. I recently found a very nice book with lots of delicious recipes: La Cucina Verde (the most delicious Italian vegetable recipes). I also like to read a lot of books. The television is hardly ever on. It is actually silly that we have two television sets.

Do you take your work home with you?

YES. I often keep working in my studio until late, so we also often eat at Italian times. Sander has usually prepared dinner by then. Sander is really my sidekick. When you work alone, it’s still good to be able to consult someone every now and then.

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Not really, except for the new cushions. I have one damask tablecloth, but that really only gets used at special occasions. Sander really wanted to have one of those. When you move into a home, there are often already holes in the wall. The house is passed on to the new occupants with a past of its own. By putting a golden plug in the wall you can mark the spot, reminding you of the previous occupants.

 

Renee Mennen and Stefanie van Keijsteren :: Studio rENs

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Renee Mennen from rENs

Renee Mennen lives with Lex in a bright house in Eindhoven, in the Netherlands Together with Stefanie van Keijsteren she founded Dutch design studio rENs

When you look out your window you see

A nice, deep garden with lots of green and no neighbours peeking in.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

I love to cook and most of all I love making soup: zucchini soup or pumpkin soup with homemade bread. I am a real ‘soup lover’, already from when I was a kid. I also like to mess about the house, move furniture around and tidy up my clothing cupboard. I am not really that neat, but I can really enjoy having all my clothes sorted according to colour.  Even though I know that it will be messy again within two days…

Do you take your work home with you?

No. As I know that when I take work home, it stays at the forefront of my mind, which causes me to sleep badly, so I try to minimize this as much as possible. Lex, my boyfriend, studies architecture and often works at home until very late. It sometimes happens that I end up helping him with his work, but that is different as it is not my own work.  

Do you use your designs in your own house?

Yes, several. I purposely do not purchase designs from other designers.  I enjoy it much more to collect items. If you buy something for a lot of money it is more difficult to part with it, which I find a shame. I do own work from my parents though. My parents are artists and real collectors. Their house is full with beautiful things that they have collected over the years.

We regularly get a phone call from my dad that he has found something new and interesting again. If we really wanted to, our studio and my whole house would be full too.

Tineke Beunders :: Ontwerpduo

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Tineke Beunders from Ontwerpduo 

Tineke lives with Nathan Wierink and their daughter Jasmijn in a small village in the Netherlands called Veldhoven. It is a rented link house. They both graduted - cum laude - from the design academy in Eindhoven and now work toegther as: Ontwerpduo. 

When you look out your window you see...

... a supermarket. I never realized that it would be so handy to have a supermarket this close. Nowadays, we always have fresh flowers and cookies in the house, which we didn’t used to have before. And when you look out the back window you can see our own backyard, which is also special as this is quite new for us. We used to rent from an ‘anti-squatting’ organization, where we had an enormous yard, but we didn’t really do anything with it, as we never knew how long we would be living there still. I like gardening, but it also shouldn’t take too much time. We love our greenhouse, which we found via the Internet after a long search. We also plan to put in a wooden stove. We spend a lot of time there.  

 

Mae Engelgeer: Studio Mae Engelgeer

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Mae Engelgeer from Studio Mae 

Mae lives with (Do)minique and Evy Leigh in a ground floor apartment of a house in de Pijp, a wonderful neighborhood in Amsterdam ... 'small but lovely' she says. 

When you look out your window you see

A large new housing block, inspired by the old Amsterdam style. Beautiful and neat, but not entirely convincing I think. This is a narrow street with almost no green, really city-like. We were renting here before and we recently bought the place. As soon as you walk out of the street, you get into the lively area of town called ‘de Pijp’. That’s great! 

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

We mostly like to sit here at the small round table enjoying a meal with friends or just between the three of us. My boyfriend is a great cook. I’m not such a good cook myself, so I much rather prefer to eat (laughs). Of course I do throw myself at decorating the table etc. A very nice spot in the house is the bed; other than sleeping in it we also use it as a play area for Evy Leigh at the end of the day. A real family moment.

Klaartje de Hartog from Keecie

{Photography: Marjon Hoogervorst ~ Words: Sandra Jacobs ~ Translation: Nanette Watson}

Face-to-face: a designer's profile with Klaartje de Hartog from Keecie

Klaartje de Hartog lives with Stijn and her cat Mooz in an old shop (from the 1920’s) in Amsterdam (De Pijp) with a lovely garden strip in front of the house.

When you look out your window you see…

When the plants are in bloom: flowers and unfortunately a new housing development with ugly front doors. I don’t understand how they can pick such awful colours. Almost all the houses across the road are still unoccupied.

What do you like to do most when you are at home?

Read, read and read: books, but also lifestyle magazines. In summer, I also like to work in my little garden so I can also enjoy the outdoors a bit.