novecento by ontwerpduo
We are happy to show you the first images of the new Novecento collection designed by Ontwerpduo.
Ontwerpduo went back in time for Novecento. The designers allowed themselves to be inspired by early twentieth century design and brought it up to date in a series of ten objects. The collection is inspired of the past but is produced using the latest materials in warm, timeless colours. The sturdy and reliable utensils your grandparents and great-grandparents grew up with were well thought out and lasted a lifetime. Nowadays, we'd call these products functional, or minimalistic. And that's what makes them so stylish. Underneath you'll find a bit more information about the designers and their new collection in a small interview.
We are also happy to announce a great new collaboration with Ontwerpduo. For their new collection we are going to shoot their new products with the April and May vision.. We can't wait to get started on this great project, working with such amazing products.
Soon more about this..
Photography Floor Knaapen
Ontwerpduo on Novecento
Ontwerpduo is the company formed by Tineke Beunders (TB) and Nathan Wierink (NW). The interview below is about their ‘Novecento’ collection.
What made you choose the theme Novecento?
NW: ‘We had quite a few themes in our heads when we visited the Open Air Museum in Arnhem. You really travel back in time there, with little houses just as they used to be, complete with the furniture and products they would have had then. Volunteers, who are often pensioners, are there to explain everything. They do that mostly to other pensioners, because most of the visitors are elderly. A museum like that evokes all sorts of memories: Oh yes! We were especially taken with the things dating back to around 1900.’
TB: ‘When the volunteers realised that we were really interested in life back then, they told us more and more. We were treated to tea made on a wood-burning stove, and the stamppot (hotchpotch) was already being warmed up. We could hardly get away. I’ve always had a special interest in old products. You can imagine so much about them: how people used them, how the people lived, what the atmosphere was like then. But you’ll never know exactly what it was like. That makes it a bit mysterious too.’
What appealed most to you about that period?
NW: ‘You can see how products have changed. And of course: lots of things are now much more convenient than they were then, or they look snappier. But the products that were used around 1900 were often made to last a lifetime. Nowadays cupboards are made from plywood. You can’t compare them with cupboards people bought back then.’
TB: ‘The stereotypical idea is: in the past things were well-made but dull, unattractive. When we were in the Open Air Museum we discovered that shapes and colours those days were everything but dull. Take a blind used back then (converted into the Novecento folding screen, ed.). The underlying system is very transparent, clearly visible and understandable: a weight in the blind, a cord rolled around a spool, loops in the cord. That’s all. But it’s enough to enable you to hang your blind as high as you like. Simple, but ingenious and effective. And it looks good too.’
And when you’d finally chosen your theme, what happened next?
TB: ‘Soon after that, I went back again with Jenna, one of our team. We sat there sketching so that we could put the shapes into our system. You only really start to see them properly when you draw them. And then slowly but surely you start adding more and more of your own touches and it begins to take on a life of its own. That’s how Novecento eventually became a true Ontwerpduo collection.’
Where and when will be able to see the results?
NW: ‘We’ll start by presenting Novecento in its entirety, as a complete collection, in Dutch Design Week 2015. That will be the first opportunity to see all ten products together in real life. People who can’t wait that long can take a look at our revamped website: www.ontwerpduo.nl.’