Bio materials, compact living, handmade : discover more about the design trends 2022 from the Dutch Design Week 2021
The Dutch Design Week has always been one of my favorite design events, and it was great to visit it again this year. I love how this event showcases design in a totally non-commercial way – it’s the right place to spot new ideas, talents, innovations, to get an idea of the direction of design.
I loved this DDW21 edition and how it was filled with positive thinking, with meaningful design ideas, for a more sustainable, inclusive, right society. The pandemic crisis together with environmental issues clearly showed that it’s time for a change – and I have the feeling that young generations are much more aware about this, as most of the projects of the Design Eindhoven Academy graduates clearly showed.
Other than these, here my highlights from the Dutch Design Week 2021 – with a focus on sustainability design, compact living solutions & color+decoration.
3 Design trends from Dutch Design Week 2021
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Design Trend #1 / Bio-materials
One of the key topics of the DDW21 was sustainability. In this regards, one of my highlights from is for sure the sustainable house by Biobased Creations. The building was entirely made from biomaterials ( except from the screws of the timber frame and the glass windows, to be precise), with 100 different plant-based or natural materials that are either commercially available already or coming to market soon.
Walls, floorings and ceilings were totally made of biomaterials, including earth, plants and fungi, different ones according to the room functions. For example, there were bathroom wall tiles made from waste, exterior tiles 3D printed from sewage sludge and algae; insulation made from reeds, acoustic wall panelling made from bioplastic; tiles made from seaweed, lime plaster coloured with algae and an algae textile screens, just to mention a few bio materilas. There was also a whole room dedicated to products derived from bacteria and fungus, where mycelium was used to create wall tiles, insulation and a composite flooring.
Acoustic wall panels from mycelium
Facades tiles of reed, blue algae and cellulose fibers from sewage sludge
Acoustic walls from recycled burlap
Other than this, furniture and objects were also made of bio materials: tableware from food products including eggs and oyster shells; the kitchen panels were made of waste; the bed from natural rubber and linen.
The house was a modular design based on a standard grid, to show that sustainable design has also to be scalable. The structural timber frame is also demountable, so the house could be relocated or recycled in the future – a great example of circular design.
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Design Trend #2 / Compact Living
Another big focus of the DDW21 was about making design more sustainable also through more affordable and compact living solutions.
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StartBlock showcased a complete house built on the limited footprint of 20mq, suitable for 1-2 person households, that can be delivered from the factory to the construction site. After 6 days of assembly time, the entire house is transported to the installation location and ready to be lived in.
The interior includes a kitchen, bathroom and toilet, everything developed on three levels, and really well designed: a very affordable, circular but beautiful house model for everybody.
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My Home Office is a garden office designed by Cosmas Bronsgeest and Bart Berkhout, which offers peace and privacy at home, to work undisturbed in a serene environment. Totally made from sustainable materials, with details in black steel and a marmoleum floor, with a very simple but beautiful design-.
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Design Trend #3 / Carefully handmade
Although decoration was not for sure not the focus of the Dutch Design Week, I actually spotted some interesting products I would like to share. The common feature is that they are all carefully handmade – as mentioning in the last article 6 Furniture and design trends for imm cologne, the real luxury now is quality and handmade.
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RE-GLOW tiles are created by studio rens , a Dutch creative studio with a big focus on color research. Their tiles collection is the update of an out-of-date collection by employing a manual painting and glazing method, with beautiful colors and finishes.
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RIBBEL vases is a tactile collection of porcelain pots and vases by Studio Ineke van der Werff for Saudade Collective, distinguished by its elegant repetition in round shapes. The small ripples echo throughout the different models, with a soft and subtle hand glazed touch.⠀
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STATERA plant table is a side table and flowerpot in one, handmade in The Netherlands by Melvin Pijnaker. Statera translates to balance, it looks like the flowerpot is balancing on the table which definitely makes it a conversation starter.
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Hope you enjoyed my highlights from the Dutch Design Week 2021. It was great to travel again and see things in person, finally. Don’t forget to subscribe to ITALIANBARK newsletter for more contents, also exclusive ones.
