In this interview series, we will enter into a dialogue with the designers we work with. How do they perceive the design profession? Where do their motivations and fascinations come from? How did the products that are included in the Vij5 collection originate and what influence has their education had on what their design studio looks like now?
This time an interview with Iris van Daalen. Together with partner Ruben Thier, she runs Studio Thier & van Daalen in Eindhoven. He is technically strong and has great problem-solving skills, she looks more at light and how colors react. Together they create one beautiful product. Design originating from a fascination with light, reflection, color, connections and sustainable materials. The Angled Cabinet is an example of this, since 2017 the cabinet is part of the Vij5 collection.
Text: Daniëlle van de Haterd(Staaldraad Tekstschrijver)
Photography on location: Blickfanger
Portrait photography: Blickfanger
Product photography: Vij5 + Studio Thier & van Daalen
Arjan & Anieke: ‘Can you tell us a little more about how you came up with the Design for the Angled Cabinet?’
Iris: ‘This cabinet came about mainly due to Ruben's technical inclination. He was inspired by the connections of wooden frames that we use for other Designs and explored what else could be done with them. The Angled Cabinet was therefore born out of a fascination for wood joints and the fact that you can CREATE something very strong from slender slats. The layering of the glass from which the shelves are made ensures that it has become a real Thier & van Daalen, because this gives color accumulation and light reflections.’
Iris: 'The biggest stumbling block in the design was the production price (and thus the selling price). To limit that, we now put a little extra love into the closet. For example, we drill the holes ourselves; Ruben has made a mold for this. We can do this because we're not dealing with large numbers. If we were to sell a large number of cabinets every month, we would be forced to find another solution, and that would be a new challenge!'
“The essence of product design is that something works in every way and that you want to keep looking at it.”
Studio Thier & van Daalen
Arjan & Anieke: ‘Why do you think the Angled Cabinet fits well in the Vij5 collection?’
Iris: ‘Mainly because of the material the cabinet is made of. You see ‘just’ a wooden cabinet, but if you look closely, you see the innovation. In my opinion, that's the case with all products in the Vij5 collection. Something seems simple but is technically very innovative.’
I think that is also the essence of product design; that something works in every way and that you want to keep looking at it.’
Arjan & Anieke: 'Which education did you follow and what did you really remember from it?
Iris: "Both Ruben and I were educated at the Design Academy. For me, it was initially the building that appealed to me so much. I really liked the experience of the space. I also recognized myself in the people and was inspired by the diversity of the classes and teachers. This allowed me to get acquainted with the various aspects of the design profession and to develop my own style.
Ruben took the course from a different starting point than I did. He is more technical. Even as a child he took things apart to see how they were put together. That's why he focused more on the product side while I focused on the interior side.'
“In hindsight, we were very naive. ‘Yeah, why not?’ we thought, and suddenly we were at the design fair in Milan with our products.”
Studio Thier & van Daalen
Arjan & Anieke: 'After your training, you started your own design studio. Why did you choose to do this at the time?'
Iris: 'When we completed our education in 2011, we were in the middle of the crisis. Jobs in our sector were not easy to come by so we decided to start our own business. In hindsight, we were very naive. 'Yeah, why not?' we thought and suddenly we were at the design fair in Milan with our products. It was very overwhelming, we had a lot of visitors but we had no idea who was interesting for us and who was not.. It was only then that we realized what is actually involved in having our own company. Everything we know now, we learned by trial and error and by surrounding ourselves with like-minded people. We now see this crisis as a blessing in disguise.
By the way, it's not like we've never done anything other than work for ourselves. Besides the studio, we've had several side jobs, and even now, Ruben works two days a week as a design engineer at a company in LED Lighting.’
"By not acting too well behaved, innovative ideas emerge."
Studio Thier & van Daalen
Arjan & Anieke: ‘What does a design process look like for you?’
Iris: 'Designs always originate from research and curiosity about a material. When we discover something interesting, we get to work with it. Inspiration can come from all sorts of places. In the time before corona - when we still went somewhere - we found it in museums, factories, or on vacation, for example.'
Arjan & Anieke: 'Talking about corona, another crisis. Does this affect your work?'
Iris: 'In a positive sense, you could say. At first, our work fell silent, which gave us time to think and focus. At a certain point, the demand for our products suddenly increased. The colour shelves and lamps, in particular, were very popular. People had to be home a lot and wanted to make their house beautiful, they couldn't go to the store and had to rely on online purchases. Fortunately, they also found us. For us, this meant that the focus shifted. We had to create instead of invent. The latter is also because there are no fairs, this reduces the pressure to design new items. Of course, we are still designing, but at a different pace.'
"Our designs are always a fusion between natural behavior of a material and a path we have devised."
Studio Thier & van Daalen
Arjan & Anieke: 'What do you think is characteristic of your work?'
Iris: 'Our designs are always a fusion between the natural behavior of a material and a path we have devised. So we put something of ourselves into a natural process. We have a preference for materials that have flexibility in them, we give them a restriction which gives them a form that is partly natural and partly man-made. A good example of this is our framed glass forms as you see for example in the Captured Bubble Light.'
Arjan & Anieke: ‘How important is collaboration to you?’
Iris: 'We find that very important. Anyway, as a duo we like working together, we have our own qualities and tasks, we help each other by asking critical questions. We also find collaboration with other companies, craftsmen and brands very important, we would like to do that even more in the future because it can lead to surprising results.'
Arjan & Anieke: 'Is there something you want to pass on to a new generation of designers?'
Iris: 'Think carefully about sustainability. You can make something that looks very beautiful, but if the materials or production lines are bad or harmful it won't make the world a better place.'