Netherlands

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Image features a brown wooden chair with straight legs and low stretchers, slightly angled back and rectangular seat, both upholstered in tan to brown fabric. The legs and frame back are decorated with square ebony inlay. Please scroll down to read the blog post about this object.
Nieuwe, Not Nouveau
Refined, rational, and demonstrably Dutch, this was the aim when Hendrik Petrus Berlage designed this chair for the Amsterdam-based firm, ‘t Binnenhuis (The Interior). This important architect and designer opened the firm in 1900 in collaboration with the insurance company director, Carel Henny, jeweler, Willem Hoeker, and interior designer, Jacob van den Bosch.[1] Motivated by...
Image features table clock in curving glazed earthenware case with polychrome linear decoration of stylized plant forms on a cream-colored ground. Please scroll down to read the blog post about this object.
Nieuwe Kunst, Nieuwe Clock
This Dutch glazed earthenware clock, manufactured in 1910 by the Arnhem Faience Factory exemplifies the Art Nouveau style, or Nieuwe Kunst as it was called in the Netherlands, prevalent in that country from about 1892 to 1910. Art Nouveau had origins in England and quickly gained popularity in France and the rest of Europe as...
Ornate example of script in the form of a letter. Flourishes include swirls and a crowned eagle at lower left.
Van de Velde’s Famous Flourishes
From computers to cellphones, Twitter to Facebook, the typed word dominates our daily life. With the increasing proliferation of digital technologies, access to writing has become almost universal.  In the 17th century, however, writing was a skill reserved for an educated subset within the European population. Calligraphy, referred to as the “Tenth Muse,” was considered...
Exhibition poster in black and white with 3 registers. Top and bottom registers consist of 3 squares, black in the corners, white in center. In center register: circle thickly outlined in black with 4 black squares in diamond in center. Black squares have small white square in center. Text along bottom register.
Simple Yet Bold
Born on today’s date in 1930, Ikko Tanaka was one of the giants of Japanese graphic design in the second half of the twentieth century. Tanaka began designing posters in 1954 and was renowned for his ability to synthesize both Japanese and Western aesthetics. His name became synonymous with straightforward, impressive designs recognizable for their...
Why Design Now?: H20tel
Why? Water is the primary energy source in the H2Otel, and because of this comprehensive use of water, it is expected to be named the first carbon-neutral hotel in the Netherlands. Hydropower is one of the worlds largest sources of renewable energy, and the H2Otel benefits from the relatively low operating costs and low-tech water...
Pioneers of Change
Yesterday I attended the kick-off event for Pioneers of Change, a festival of modern Dutch design, fashion, and architecture that is currently underway on Governor’s Island. Presented to celebrate the 400-year history of Dutch-American friendship, Pioneers of Change features installations by a number of leading Dutch designers in eleven former Officers’ houses at Nolan Park...
Rope Pumps
The show was conceived to begin a conversation and provoke discussion about the broad range of ways various organizations and individuals are addressing the underpinnings of poverty through design innovations. The selected objects tell a story and are windows into the numerous ways these groups are providing direct solutions. This blog will allow the discussion...