From February 10–12, we showcased part of the Vij5 collection at the leading design event OBJECT Rotterdam. During the exhibition, we presented several previews of new products. We’ll be officially launching these new products in the coming weeks, so not all of them are available yet on our website website. Want a sneak peek at what’s to come? Then read on...
Photography: Vij5
About OBJECT Rotterdam
OBJECT is a unique pop-up platform that focuses on design labels, well-known Designers , and up-and-coming talents. It combines design, craftsmanship, fashion, architecture, and art, and is a must-see event for anyone looking for interior design inspiration, design enthusiasts, and collectors. For us, it’s an ideal opportunity to present the Vij5 collection to true enthusiasts in a beautiful setting.
The Aesthetics of the HAKA Building
Every year, OBJECT takes place in an iconic building in Rotterdam or the surrounding area. This year, it was once again the beautiful HAKA Building, where our presentation was located on the first floor. The HAKA Building is a completely stripped-down architectural landmark from the 1930s and always serves as a stunning backdrop for our collection.
Our Approach at Trade Shows
At every exhibition we participate in, we believe it’s important to be there in person and provide visitors with information. As publishers, we focus on content: the product and the story behind it are at the heart of what we do. We don’t believe in slick sales pitches, but we’re happy t Share our genuine enthusiasm for our products with you!
Explosion of Color
In our presentation, it was impossible to miss the colorful installation featuring special editions of the “Alf ” wall hook. Especially for OBJECT Rotterdam, we created the “ Alf ” in 11 vibrant colours , which were displayed in a grid of 99 wall hooks, presented as a sort of rainbow!
These special editions are variations on the standard colours from the Alf, designed by Gustav Rosén, which is normally only available in oak, brown, and black. Later this year, we’ll decide which “ colours ” to include in our permanent collection. The remaining items from the installation are now webshop , but act fast—while supplies last!
The colored linseed oil we use to colours the Alfs is the beautiful Satin Wood Oil from Linolie & Pigment in Denmark. We are the distributor in the Netherlands for this wonderful brand. The oil can be ordered at www.linolie.nl.
Previews
We also showed previews of three new products especially for OBJECT:
The “OER Tableware Eindhoven’ by Lotte de Raadt and Kirstie van Noort is a tableware collection made from porcelain clay mixed with iron sludge (OER) that we source directly from the water treatment plant in Eindhoven.
Iron sludge is a natural byproduct of the tap water production process. by When mixed with porcelain, this tableware takes on a light gray hue with small flecks of a darker colour.
Lotte and Kirstie are exploring various applications of local and natural (recycled) materials for, among other things, ceramic products. The materials and products draw inspiration from one of the planet’s most important resources: water.
The OER tableware collection will be officially launched later this year, but you can already place a pre-order at our webshop.
The FoarmeIdwert Petter ’s collection consists of espresso and coffee/tea cups, plus a matching tray. This collection is crafted in a unique way from coloured porcelain, featuring a gradient— by —that Idwert himself designed, available at colours.
A lot can go wrong when making porcelain. The piece may crack or come out of the kiln misshapen. As a result, a large portion of the production often doesn’t make it to the market. With the “ Foarme ” series, Idwert aims to prevent this unnecessary waste by and to shift the focus from the form to the material itself.
What does this material need in order to no longer be forced? Based on form studies, she arrived at a series of double-walled porcelain pieces that incorporate lines of tension into their shape. A strong form that always emerges from the kiln as intended. In this way, the porcelain’s tolerance is never pushed too far, while the lines emphasize its beauty.
With the Stainless Steel Mirror, Theodóra Alfredsdottir transforms a stainless steel sheet into something with a bit more character, while adding as little as possible to or subtracting from its original form. The design takes advantage of how easily these sheets can be bent and manipulated, and how different surface treatments alter their appearance and function.
The functional sculptures were created from simple three-dimensional paper sketches, which were then translated into high-gloss stainless steel mirrors. The mirror is laser-cut and folded twice, after which the brushed portion is finished by hand.
New Variants
In addition to the previews, there were also a number of new variations on existing products from the Vij5 collection.
The Tap Water Carafe of Lotte de Raadt is a water carafe designed to promote the use of tap water. Dutch tap water is top-quality drinking water, and it’s 2,000 times cheaper than bottled water. Even more importantly, it doesn’t require environmentally harmful plastic bottles or transportation.
Lotte’s “ Design ” highlight the beauty of water and thereby encourage a more conscious use of this precious natural resource. The Tap Water Carafe is perhaps her most self-explanatory design, born from this theme. Lotte originally designed the carafe as her graduation project in 2010, but the theme remains relevant to this day. During OBJECT, we presented the carafe for the first time in a glass version. It is now also available in our webshop!
Finally, we presented a new, ginger-yellow color for Alissa + Nienke's Pigments & Porcelain cups. Pigments & Porcelain is an investigation into the intermingling of colors in liquid porcelain, capturing the moment of creation in the final product. The pattern might be colorful or subtle, very smooth or strongly present; it always reveals the blending of the colored porcelain and the movements that have been made during the process.
Pigments & Porcelain is handmade in limited series. Because the color of the pigments is inside the clay itself (not in the glazing), the ceramics will maintain their color even after frequent use. For each series, we choose a new color combination together with Alissa + Nienke. All products are dishwasher safe.
The new ginger-yellow colour is now available in our webshop!
Coming up
Would you like to meet us and/or see the “ Vij5 ” collection at in real life ? Then stop by our showroom in Eindhoven (open by appointment) or visit us at the next exhibition we’re participating in: Dutch Design Week! It’s scheduled for October 21–29, 2023.