This article is an interview with Mieke Meijer for the official launch of the first NewspaperWood collection in Milan, April 2011.
How It All Began
Mieke Meijer:
“In the spring of 2003, I began my third module in the ‘Atelier’ program at the Design Academy Eindhoven. This program (which, incidentally, no longer exists) was different from all the other programs: classes were held right in the workshop. Students who chose this program were ‘makers.’ Experimenting with materials formed the basis for every assignment.”
“The assignment with the theme ‘wood’ got me thinking. Wood, in its most basic form, is the basis for paper. Once it takes the form of paper, however, it never returns from the paper recycling cycle—it remains paper. I thought it would be wonderful to be able to turn paper back into wood.”
“I had a stack of newspapers and started with the oldest one. Using a small roller, I coated the newspaper with glue and rolled it up as tightly as possible. Every day, I spent two hours gluing and rolling up newspapers, and that’s how a paper ‘trunk’ came into being.”
“The academy’s workshop supervisors weren’t too thrilled with me: ‘Could I just cut through the log on the band saw?’ I think it cost the school a saw blade, but the result exceeded expectations: the material seemed strong, and it was also really beautiful! I spent the few days remaining before the evaluation experimenting with the new material. It turned out to have a surprising number of similarities to wood: it warped, you could sand it, make joints in it, and so on. I passed my course, and… the project ended up in the closet.”
Vij5
Mieke Meijer:
“It wasn’t until 2007 that I came into contact with Arjan and Anieke from the design label Vij5. While browsing through my portfolio, they came across the KrantHout project. They knew the material existed, but didn’t realize it was mine. They wanted to get started with it right away!”
“In 2008, we presented the material to the public once again during the “ Dutch Design ” Week in Eindhoven. The response was overwhelming, and in 2009, KrantHout was even nominated for the ‘Doen Material Award.’”
Production
“Meanwhile, behind the scenes, we were steadily by developing the material. Making KrantHout produc didn’t happen overnight. We had to transition from a manual process to a less labor-intensive and more cost-efficient product. Step by step, we made progress, but with every solution we found, we often ran into yet another New problem. That was sometimes very frustrating, and I think it’s impressive that Arjan and Anieke stuck with it. I think that’s also their strength: picking up projects that have been gathering dust on the shelf and making them a success no matter what. If it had been up to me, I would have given up long ago…”
Mieke Meijer
Collection
Mieke Meijer:
“At some point, we were ready to take the leap to Design ! We already had some ideas of our own, but we also thought it would be fun to let other Designers work with the material so we could thoroughly explore and showcase the possibilities of KrantHout. No sooner said than done: Vij5 sent out an invitation, which generated a lot of responses.”
“Ultimately, a select group of Designers was formed. We met regularly to brainstorm, exchange ideas, and discuss Design . The first prototypes will be presented in Milan.”
NewspaperWood BV
by Building on the growing success of NewspaperWood , Vij5 and Studio Mieke Meijer have now joined forces in a New separate company called NewspaperWood b.v. This company is dedicated to the production and development of NewspaperWood materials in order to explore new semi-finished products, finished products, and innovative applications.
For more information, please visit our " website ": www.newspaperwood.com
About Studio
Mieke Meijer
Studio Mieke Meijer navigates the fields of architecture and design while avoiding the traditional limitations of both.
Studio Mieke Meijer was founded in by , Mieke Meijer, and Roy Letterlé. The studio designs, develops, and produces unique objects for the public and private spheres. Meijer (Wezep, 1982) graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven. Letterlé (Kerkrade, 1978) graduated with a degree in civil engineering from PTH Eindhoven. Meijer and Letterlé give lectures and workshops at various educational and cultural institutions. They currently teach at the Design Academy Eindhoven and HKU University of the Arts Utrecht. In addition, they are co-founders of NewspaperWood BV.
