The winner in the Product category of the Dutch Design Awards, FLAX Chair by Christien Meindertsma, impressed the international jury on all fronts, and won the Future Award: the big prize for the most promising design for the future. Dutch Design Awards (DDA) were awarded in six categories. In addition, there were special prizes for young talent (Young Designer Award), clients (Best Client Award) and a Public Award. The Jury: “In this project, Christien Meindertsma once again impressed us with her thorough approach. She has been conducting research into the potentials of flax as a material for many years; Meindertsma even bought a flax farm to gain an understanding of how the material can be cultivated and processed. This project is clearly about more than just another chair: it is the result of long-term research into the material qualities of flax, a desire to reinstate the value of a largely underrated fibre (the short flax fibre), and seeking to connect with Dutch companies to launch a new product on the market.
Working in collaboration with Label Breed and Enkev, these efforts culminated in an astonishingly elegant result. The jury considers the FLAX Chair an excellent example of what contemporary design can achieve.” Other Dutch Design Awards winners this year: Dikke van Dale by Studio Joost Grootens (Communication), Sistaaz of the Castle by Duran Lantink and Jan Hoek (Fashion), Biesbosch MuseumEiland by Studio Marco Vermeulen (Habitat), Designs for Flies by Frank Kolkman (Service & Systems), Uruzgan’s Legacy by Specialist Operations (Design Research) and Brabantia (Best Client Award). Crystal Houses received the highest number of votes from audiences in the exhibition and online, with which it earned the Public Award.Bathing Girls Tea Set In 2009 Esther Hörchner graduated from Artez Institute Of The Arts in Zwolle, The Netherlands studying illustration. After her graduation she founded design Studio 'Paradise' together with Els ten Klooster en Maaike Burgers. Esther's works are detailed line drawings with 'a wink'
The 'Bathing Girls Tea Set' features girls swimming and relaxing in tea cups with their underwear casually discarded on the saucers and tea spoons. You can 'dress' the bathing girls with the clothing on the tea spoons. The Bathing Girls tea cups and Bathing Girls tea pot are handmade by artisans in 9 days. What is your approach to design? I think good design makes you smile; you have to be touched by either it's refinement or a little twist. What was the inspiration for the tea cups and tea pot? I collect all sorts of porcelain cups, plates and vases and I had the desire to once make my own Tea Set. I wanted to use the shape of the cups as something to underline the feeling of enjoyment of hot tea; in this case the cups became small hot tubs for the bathing girls. Who are the ladies on the cups? I used myself as a model for the naked girls, but I adjusted them a bit ;-) What has been the response so far? I've received a lot of positive and enthusiastic response from people all over the world.
There are a lot of blogs written about my Tea Set. What other designs are you planning for the future? We're busy designing a porcelain breakfast set, new postcards, jewellery and leather wallets, so you can expect new designs from us in the near future! Who would you like to see drinking out of the cups? Who is your favourite Dutch designer and who would you like to work with? My favourite Dutch designer is Lenneke Wispelwey; I love her facet shaped cups and vases and her use of pastel colours. I would love to work with her some time... I would also like to work with the 'Tilburgs Textielmuseum', I'd love to have my own drawings woven. Our customers have asked for cereal bowls with the same illustration, any chance of this being produced in the near future? Actually, there is a 'Take a Bath' bowl set available, with porcelain asian spoons. We now stock the 'Bathing Girls Bowl Set' What is your favourite design you have created and why? I'm most proud of my Bathing Girls Tea Set, because it appeared at many international design blogs.
The Bathing Girls Tea Set is designed by Esther Horchner, who has cleverly illustrated the inside of each Bathing Girl tea cup with a bathing beauty so that each figure appears to be bathing or swimming in the tea. For those days when you're feeling more demure, each spoon comes with a bathing suit on it so the nude girls don't have to bathe au naturel. The Bathing Girls Tea Set comes with 4 cups, 4 saucers and 4 spoons, each finely crafted in white porcelain. A matching Bathing Girls tea pot is available to complete the set, and if the idea of your beauties bathing in soup appeals, we also carry a matching set of bowls and spoons. Bathing Girls Tea Set Dimensions:cup D10xH6 cm Absolutely wonderful set, everybody loves it, and perfect service/shipping!! The tea pot will be the next purchase :D My husband surprised me with 4 tea cups, saucers and spoons for our anniversary and I really LOVE them. The quality is fabulous, the drawings in the cups and on the saucers and spoons are really wonderful and witty.
I will definitely enjoy drinking from them very much. Well done, Ms Horncher! * Denotes required field Go To Checkout Continue Shopping Updating your shopping cart Innovation for a new generation. Greentom is different in every detail, (completely) made of recycled plastic, super lightweight. It grows up in 3 phases, following its precious petit passenger. Designed for the future in every possible way, Greentom is produced safe and sustainable. We believe less is more. It starts at the drawing table by optimising all product parts. It ends with the most comfortable, sustainable and affordable stroller on earth. Greentom is on a roll. It all started off with Dutch designer Bart. Who decided to re-think strolling all over again. On his ’baby’: Greentom. A brand new stroller Greentom turns the world of strollers up side down. Presenting a new generation of baby strollers, for a new generation of parents with a new generation of newborns. Their first investment is a baby stroller as green as planet earth.
