Let's continue the thread about Dutch designers that started on Friday republishing an interview with Richard Hutten. I originally did this piece for another publication.
The international markets are saturated with design products, yet many of them lack any real cultural, practical and functional relationship with the users. In this confusing jungle, there is a key difference between products, though: there are indeed certain objects that create emotional value through materials, shape, weight, smell and tactile characteristics. Among such pieces there are also Richard Hutten's.
Born in 1967, Hutten launched his own design studio in Rotterdam in 1991, just after he graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven. Throughout the years, he worked on a variety of projects and created iconic pieces that, blurring the boundaries between art and interior design but always preserving a healthy dose of irony and playfulness, have become part of the permanent collections of various famous institutions, from the Vitra Design Museum to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.
Pieces such as his double-handed “Domoor” cups made in collaboration with Droog Design entered history, while his recent “Playing With Tradition” rugs were launched by Priveekollektie Gallery during Design Miami/Basel and his "Books" chair and table were presented by Gallery Judy Straten during the Scope fair.
In October Hutten launched new pieces - his "Apps" sofas inspired by the icons on a smartphone screen for Artifort, his table and lamp for the Fotomuseum in Rotterdam and the latest additions to the This-That-Than series of chairs and the new Layers coffee table in a limited edition of 3 pieces - at Interieur, the European Design Biennale taking place in Kortrijk, Belgium.
In your opinion, what makes Dutch design so different?
Richard Hutten: There is a long tradition in design in the Netherlands, but, in order to be able to innovate and make something that looks fresh, you have to be open-minded, free and radical and Dutch designers usually know how to do it. The other thing is that we don't have too much industry here, so we can talk about ideas and concepts freely without the constrictions that the industry may be putting upon you.
What's the most frequent feedback you get from people who see your pieces?
Richard Hutten: At Design Miami/Basel the major comments I heard about my work were that the pieces shouldn't have been there, but at Art Basel since my pieces related more to art history than to design history and I was in the wrong context. For me, design is one of the arts - not every painting is art and not every chair is art, but some paintings are art and some chairs are art...
What inspired the blurred pattern in your “Playing With Tradition” rugs?
Richard Hutten: I love Persian rugs and I have an antique one at home. I think they work really well on the floor and give a lot of atmosphere to a room and a space. I was thinking of doing something with the traditional rugs, but come up with a modern version maybe. So I gave it a try and in the end I made four designs. I tried to mix tradition and modernity by stretching the traditional pattern and combine in this way 2000 years of art history in one piece, so on one side you have the traditional pattern that has been there for many centuries, and on the other you have a contemporary piece that has been created by taking all the colours and patterns out. I used the vintage carpet I had at home for one of these designs, and I cut the pattern at a certain point so that all the colours would come out and the final piece would look really alive. I used the computer to make the design that it was then sent to the craftspeople in India and it was really funny in a way as they weren't really used to do such patterns, they were really surprised!
At the moment there is a lot of talk about Open Source pieces also in interior design, are you working on any projects along these lines?
Richard Hutten: Coincidentally at the moment I'm working with Droog Designs again on a project called “Copy China” that deals with open source and copyright and that kind of stuff. The whole idea is to spark new dialogues about these themes. We're working on a collection that will hopefully be presented in Milan next April. China copied us so much that it's time to copy China back!
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European interior decor styles are at the root of almost all decor styles seen throughout the developed world thanks to the Renaissance, which resulted in rapid developments in furniture making and a highly skilled band of artisans and colonialism, which spread these designs throughout the world.
Posted by: best cheap curtain design | November 21, 2012 at 08:10 AM
The interior architectural designin these items are beautiful! I love the craftsmanship of the work and the unique beauty of these pieces! I want them all for me home!
Posted by: caty smith | November 26, 2012 at 08:55 PM
Very nice! I haven't seen much of that kind of art, using household stuff in order to make these amazing looking furniture. It's a custom made kind of furniture, very unique. Thanks for the share!
Posted by: home improvement | November 29, 2012 at 03:26 AM