The Dutch

The Dutch merit a section of their own because they look at design in a refreshingly different manner to everyone else. Droog Design championed the notion ‘Act Local. Think Global’ with four designers developing pieces to revitalise the East German region of Oranienbaum. The brief? ‘Add a touch of joy to the area and design products on the basis of regional options.’

Examples included the Gardening bench and Treetrunk bench, both by Jurgen Bey, literally a bench made from compacted garden waste extruded to any length and a tree trunk implanted with chair backs. The Dutch group also worked with one of the oldest Italian glass houses, Salviati. Most striking was Changing Candlelight by Matijs Korpershoek, a glass cylinder that temporarily loses its coloured coating when the candle burns.

Other notables included Invaders Products, a group founded by Hella Jongerius and Bernadine Walrecht to showcase young talent, and The Dutch Individuals: several design studios invited to show last year by Allessandro Mendini, back with new and improved works. Most interesting was Ineke Hans’ chunky chairs and Copray & Scholten’s portable units for sleeping, eating, working and bathing.