Multiple Dutch designs at kinder MODERN

Currently, kinder MODERN features multiple Dutch designs by Lucas Maassen (& Sons), Joost van Bleiswijk, and Visser & Meijwaard. All designs are commercially available via kindermodern.com.

Lucas Maassen

Dutch conceptual designer Lucas Maassen has been working with kinder MODERN since 2013. His creative process has led to producing one-of-a-kind pieces with his three offspring as Lucas Maassen & Sons, developing projects alongside his artist partner Margriet Craens, and presenting his own often politically-themed work. 

Lucas Maassen & Sons‘ “Furniture Factory” is a project between Lucas and his three sons – Thijme (16), Julian (14) and Maris (14). Their work portrays their design education, manufacturing, and inspiration. This latest iteration of their work is inspired by a large life experience: the recent struggle through Maris’s open heart surgery last fall. The hole in his heart provided the framework for this show, which is an homage to its successful patching.

The Chair Affair, a collaborative project by Lucas Maassen and his life partner artist Margriet Craens, is a striking and intensely personal photo series developed from an exhibition by the same name of these chair couplings. Described by the artist and designer as autobiographical, it is a natural extension of their individual work and the result of a confrontation between their two very different practices.

The project was both an expression of both their own intimate relationship and their artistic exploration of the implied intimacy of everyday objects. The work aims to engender a stimulating dialogue about the dynamic intersections between love, design, relationships, and value.

Margriet Craens studied Dutch Language and Culture at the University of Amsterdam and Fine Arts at Den Bosch. She now works as a multi-disciplinary artist and writer, experimenting with art, design, food, and culture.

kinder MODERN’s exhibition of The Chair Affair at PULSE New York in March 2016 was the US debut of this thought-provoking series, examining physicality and sexual desire through the stunning prints as well as the original sculptures. 

Joost van Bleiswijk

Joost van Bleiswijk is a prolific Dutch designer whose work encompasses myriad styles, materials, and categories. 

Joost prides himself on his immense freedom in design, which is the major influence on his process, in both conception and execution. With the aim of timelessness and armed with the motto “Design is no democracy”, Joost focuses on making things with great care, lasting materials, and a clear heritage process in a personal, recognizable and distinctive way. Joost’s designs hark back to a long tradition of archetypes, reinterpreting them into new iconic pieces. Bringing these heritage designs into a contemporary setting has marked Joost’s work throughout his career. 

Joost elaborates, “I find it interesting to work with construction methods to create techniques that work as dogma for my designs. I create contemporary versions of forgotten objects such as the grandfather clock, hourglass, chessboard and goblet. I draw inspiration from the past and study hundreds of years of product design to find archetypes and conclusions of shapes that lie in history. It’s not only the style of design I find very important but the object itself; I choose objects that tell a story.”

From Delft ceramic plates for The Rijksmuseum to his improvised sheet-metal Protopunk furniture and Meccano-like mechanical constructions, Joost’s fascination with industrial processes and building structures is reflected in every masterpiece he constructs. His signature ‘No Glue No Screw’ collections – which have become more complex, detailed and architectural – belie their seemingly simple construction method. 

Visser & Meijwaard

Steven Visser and Vera Meijwaard developed their “Truecolors” series after being inspired by the versatility and durability of industrial PVC cloth, as well as traditional camping closets and gymnasium equipment. Their design label, eponymously called “Visser en Meijwaard”, creates distinct, but minimalistic, products from unexpected materials.

They are inspired by the small, often overlooked, details of everyday objects, which they identify, examine, and reinterpret. Steven and Vera are 2012 graduates of the ArtEZ Institute in Arnhem, Netherlands, where they currently reside.

kinder MODERN

Founded in 2013 by Lora Appleton, kinder MODERN is a contemporary and vintage design gallery and studio. Applauded for its foundation in inspired and historical child design, the gallery has evolved into offering full collections for every part of the home and commercial environments.

Appleton’s ability to identify exceptional and emerging international designers as well as helm her innovative design studio has enabled her to cultivate and produce an unparalleled collection of furniture, objects, and rugs for exemplary residential and commercial projects including homes, amenities spaces, hotels, public space, educational environments and more.