Dutch Design Week

Today's the last day of the Dutch Design Week, the largest annual design event in the Netherlands. This past week Eindhoven has been the mecca for the amazing discovery of around 1,500 talents, ideas and products from design disciplines such as industrial design, concept design, graphic design, textile & fashion, spatial design, food design and design management & trends.

It's too much to list all that stood out, but let me share the work of some of my personal favorites, starting with Sanne Sofia Broks and her Suitcase 20 Kilogram Generation.

The concept of 'temporary design' is again taken to a new level when keeping traveling and identity in mind. Another great example was the fabulous work of Lotty Lindeman and her suitcase closet two years ago.

This year Sanne surprises us with her suitcase that will allow anyone to give an unfamiliar space a bit of a personal and homier touch. The suitcase and it's compartments turn into functional stylish interior objects, adding extra functionality to the suitcase. Your identity is no longer restricted to the twenty kilograms that fit inside the suitcase.

d'Espresso

New coffee bar the d’Espresso Cafe in New York based it’s design on the interior of a library. Never a dull moment in this library; to make sure heads would turn, the interior was spun around, shifting each part 90 degrees. The floor was shifted to the rear wall, the library stacks were shifed to the floor, ceiling and outer walls, and the library ceiling became the back of the bar. Great place to enjoy coffee over a good book.

The twist of the interior design by Nema Workshop reminds me a lot of the Viktor & Rolf store in Milan, which unfortunately had to close it’s doors in 2008. In the Viktor & Rolf, by Dutch interior architect and art historian Siebe Tettero, literally everything was turned upside down. The rug was on the ceiling and the chandeliers were on the floor. Even the names of the designers were upside down on the shop window. Those were the days...

Homemade is best

Ikea's new cookbook 'Homemade is Best' presents ingredients in a visually stunning original and graphical way. Instead of focusing on the end product, Ikea takes the concept of ‘food that looks great’ to a completely other level and focuses on the ingredients. The presentation makes you respect and understand better what end products are made off, focusing on the real, good and simple.

To top it off with, Ikea also launched the Kondis iPhone app where food, fit and fun are brought together. The app tells you what you need to do to burn those calories off and can indulge guilt-free afterwards.

Butter licking good goes 2.0!