Dutch designers provide timeless and matchless products that enrich lives and set trends.
The Dutch have been known for their design expertise for centuries. During the Renaissance in Europe, Dutch designs in wooden furniture, metal work, lamps and other items for home interiors were in great demand.
Over the centuries, the Dutch have continued to express their innovative and distinctive design capabilities through a variety of products ranging from jewellery and textiles to furniture, lighting and electronic goods. In the 21st century, Dutch design is as much sought after as it used to be and has fervent fans across the developed and developing world.
The Design Academy in Eindhoven in the Netherlands is one of the foremost centres of learning design and its graduates are employed in organisations around the world.
Recently the influential British design magazine, ICON, compiled a top-21 of the most influential people, products and companies in the world and gave the Dutch Design Academy a prominent fifth place.
Local admirers
In the UAE, where residents are blessed with products designed by the best in the world, the Dutch have established a firm following.
Products from well-known Dutch companies such as Philips, as well as specialised and niche-clientele targeting companies such as Dutchkid, Caspaiou and Otazu, have found admirers and buyers in this country.
"Dutch design of today is being appreciated in its prime time, not many years later and, therefore, has time to evolve and become even bigger and better than what it already is," says Laura Brown, Marketing Manager of DutchKid.
Individual designs
DutchKid, which started in 2005, represents more than 50 high quality, baby-related products as distributor for the Middle East market. DutchKid's main product categories are strollers and transport, fashion, furniture, babycare, and interior design accessories.
Says Brown, "We look for brands that create individual designs, which we have not seen in the Middle East before. The categories are diverse — everything from organic fashion wear to modern mobility strollers is covered. We feel that with the Dutch collection DutchKid has to offer, we can give the region durable, child-friendly products, which are contemporary, fun, safe and very responsible towards the development of the child."
Designer products from Dutchkid can be used to decorate a child's room or even placed in the living room to give a new twist to interior décor. A colourful Tord Boontje mid-summer-light hanging from the ceiling of the baby's nursery, a Denim 007 Bugaboo in the hallway, and modern Gewoon (which means normal in Dutch) hang bags on the wall add refreshing and interesting ambience to the house.
Refreshing decor
The award-winning Studio Tord Boontje has developed a variety of products and accessories such as lamps, sofas and chairs, tableware, glasses and jewellery to name a few. Bugaboo builds strollers allow users to explore and discover without sacrificing comfort, time or convenience, with a balance of innovation and design, along with high-quality durable materials.
Colorique accessories, Imps&Elfs baby and toddler wear and Jottum children's wear are competently designed by the Dutch, giving due importance to beauty, simplicity and comfort, respectively.
A new concept
Caspaiou, together with its renowned designers from the famous European design group Wolterinck, transforms homes and gardens, hotels and restaurants, offering guidance to help customers find exactly what they like whether it be one exclusive item, a redecoration or a totally new concept.
Linda Pape of Caspaiou in Dubai, which offers furniture, accessories and uniquely designed lighting items, says, "We have several products of Dutch design, which is very innovative and distinctive.
"The Dutch, who consider the interiors of a house very important, design several of our popular lighting products. These products are not only beautiful but also functional. In future, too, I think Dutch designed products will be in high demand for discerning customers around the world," says Pape.
Philips is one of the most-recognised Dutch brands in the world. The design philosophy of the company as stated on its website is to "design products, which use technology to encourage the individual's cultural growth that promote the amplification of the senses and the individual's power. Products must compete in terms of their capacity for improving the quality of man's domestic and working environment and for promoting man's self-actualisation. It is this, rather than quantitative, redundant gadgetry, which must become the key to the future."
Several of Philips products have won many design awards in the past 50 years. With winners in the Consumer Electronics, Lighting, Medicine, Public Design/Interior Design and Advanced Studies categories, Philips'successful products at this year's IF (International Forum) design awards demonstrate Philips Design's product design excellence.
Philips products ranging from small gadgets such as headphones and digital audio players to sophisticated televisions, ultrasound systems and big and sleek urban lighting solutions, seek to empower users with their simplicity of use and environment friendliness rather than overwhelm them.
Otazu is a fashion jewellery brand from the Netherlands that caters to the high-end market segment. It is present in more than 24 countries and some of its leading clients include Harrods in London, Barneys in New York, to name a few. In the UAE, Otazu has tied up with Paris Gallery, which will be showcasing the exclusive jewellery brand. Otazu is the brand and company name of Rodrigo Otazu, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but has been based in the Netherlands for the past 12 years.
Dramatic appeal
Marijke Vos of Otazu International FZCO in Dubai, says, "We are a Dutch brand because Rodrigo Otazu works from the Netherlands and the people working with him as he designs his spectacular jewellery are Dutch. Otazu jewellery has a dramatic appeal and makes the wearer stand out in a crowd."
Whether it is clothes, interiors, lighting, electronics, children's goods or jewellery, the Dutch have proved themselves design experts who have understood the demands of the world of today and provide timeless and matchless products that enrich lives and set trends at the same time.
