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Collection by Amanda Dameron

Highlight from Design Indaba 2015: Hella Jongerius

The Dutch designer made quite an impact today during her presentation at Design Indaba, Cape Town, South Africa’s premier conference focused on creativity, ideas and discourse. “I’m fighting for new industrial values,” she said. “There’s too much shit design, too much shopping without conscience.”

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“Good art triggers the imagination over and over. That’s a feature we lost in design.” Jongerius maintains a small client list by choice, though the clients she does keep—Maharam, Vitra, Danskina—are hardly under-the-radar. She’s had the longest relationship with Maharam, her first industrial client. Here, a shot of Foliage, a 2014 design for the NY-based textile company recently acquired by Herman Miller.
“Good art triggers the imagination over and over. That’s a feature we lost in design.” Jongerius maintains a small client list by choice, though the clients she does keep—Maharam, Vitra, Danskina—are hardly under-the-radar. She’s had the longest relationship with Maharam, her first industrial client. Here, a shot of Foliage, a 2014 design for the NY-based textile company recently acquired by Herman Miller.
As Art Director for Vitra, Jongerius oversees the colors, materials and surfaces of established classic pieces in the inventory—Eames, Prouve—as well as newer pieces by Morrison and the Bouroullecs. Here we share the new color library, Hopsak, that she unveiled at the 2014 Salone del Mobile in Milan.
As Art Director for Vitra, Jongerius oversees the colors, materials and surfaces of established classic pieces in the inventory—Eames, Prouve—as well as newer pieces by Morrison and the Bouroullecs. Here we share the new color library, Hopsak, that she unveiled at the 2014 Salone del Mobile in Milan.
“Design is not about objects. It’s about relationships,” she said. “Design should appeal to the humanity and imagination of the viewer.” During her presentation she talked at length about her work for KLM, the Dutch Airline. In addition to creating a new business class cabin interior, she also repurposed a mountain of discarded flight attendant uniforms and respun the yarn for the carpet. She also shared her design process for establishing the new color family that would work with KLM’s established dark blue hues. “Color changes when you are above the clouds,” she said. Therefore she took a series of different swaths of fabrics onto a Lufthansa flight and tested them out—guerrilla design testing lab. Here, a model of the cabin interior, 2013.
“Design is not about objects. It’s about relationships,” she said. “Design should appeal to the humanity and imagination of the viewer.” During her presentation she talked at length about her work for KLM, the Dutch Airline. In addition to creating a new business class cabin interior, she also repurposed a mountain of discarded flight attendant uniforms and respun the yarn for the carpet. She also shared her design process for establishing the new color family that would work with KLM’s established dark blue hues. “Color changes when you are above the clouds,” she said. Therefore she took a series of different swaths of fabrics onto a Lufthansa flight and tested them out—guerrilla design testing lab. Here, a model of the cabin interior, 2013.
Jongerius also touched upon the importance of a designer having an aesthetic signature. She used the dots that appear throughout her creations as an example. “It’s a magnificent moment to see an object have an independent life.” Here we see the massive Knots & Beads Curtain, created with hand-knotted yarn and 30,000 porcelain beds made from Dutch clay by Royal Tichelaar Makkum, that appears in the new interior for the United Nations North Delegates’ Lounge in New York, 2013. Jongerius worked alongside Rem Koolhaas, Irma Boom, Gabriel Lester and Louise Schouwenberg on various aspects of the space.
Jongerius also touched upon the importance of a designer having an aesthetic signature. She used the dots that appear throughout her creations as an example. “It’s a magnificent moment to see an object have an independent life.” Here we see the massive Knots & Beads Curtain, created with hand-knotted yarn and 30,000 porcelain beds made from Dutch clay by Royal Tichelaar Makkum, that appears in the new interior for the United Nations North Delegates’ Lounge in New York, 2013. Jongerius worked alongside Rem Koolhaas, Irma Boom, Gabriel Lester and Louise Schouwenberg on various aspects of the space.
The presentation by Jongerius was one of the very first to kick off the list of acclaimed speakers appearing at Design Indaba this week. We’ll be reporting on the highlights as they unfold—be sure to check back. Last words from Jongerius: “Products must communicate more than just the ‘new’’.
The presentation by Jongerius was one of the very first to kick off the list of acclaimed speakers appearing at Design Indaba this week. We’ll be reporting on the highlights as they unfold—be sure to check back. Last words from Jongerius: “Products must communicate more than just the ‘new’’.