A birdcage in which you can swing freely, lamps that subdivide like trees, or a table you can play marbles on: the fantastic world of Ontwerpduo emerges from the collaboration and chemistry between Tineke Beunders and Nathan Wierink.
Nothing is impossible
Tineke likes to imagine things just a little bit differently to the way they are by fantasising new functions for them, largely ignoring any practical or technical restrictions. Often these things are in a form that seems impossible – until Nathan becomes involved. He sets to work in a workshop that has come to resemble a laboratory. When he emerges again, Tineke’s ideas turn out to be feasible after all. And so everything can begin again, happily ever after.
Surprising the world
It’s been happening like that ever since their student days at Design Academy. They had formed an alliance even before they both graduated with distinction. Mission statement: to take fairy-tale ideas and translate them into functional designs to surprise the world. Every design expresses a male and female side: technical alongside story-telling, function alongside colour and charm, Nathan alongside Tineke and vice versa.
Devisers and Doers
Ontwerpduo is now an established name in Dutch design. What started as a duo is now a design studio with a close-knit team of devisers and doers. Ontwerpduo has been creating on request and autonomously since 2008. From 2015 they are presenting a thematic collection once a year. The newest of these, Stellar, is available from September 2018 through their webshop and in selected stores worldwide. Ontwerpduo is working on their 2020 collection at the moment.
Studio and production
Ontwerpduo’s premises are on the historic site where the first electricity generating station in Eindhoven stood (from 1912). The building is part of the NRE area, and acts as design studio, laboratory, workshop and showroom. Part of the production is carried out there, and the rest is produced as close to home as possible: mostly in the Netherlands, never outside Europe.
Work with us
Ontwerpduo loves sharing good ideas – and develops them for others too. We designed Lloop (2009) and Elementiles (2015) for the Dutch design label Vij5, the Belgium firm Serax included our lights (2016) in its collection; we made furniture (Pause, Dot & Shift, 2009) and a sofa (Plot, 2011) at the request of Pode. Since 2017 Ontwerpduo is the art-director for the Dutch label Puik, for whom we also design products (Iso, Plus, Circum and Duo, 2017). Would you like to work with us too? Email: info@ontwerpduo.nl.
