Highlights of the 2019 Dutch Design Week

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It’s a wrap! The dust has settled down and it’s time to delve into 8 design trends presented at the 2019 Dutch Design Week (DDW). These trends mark important developments of the design industry, but mostly the reflections of designers about the future. The slogan: ‘If not now, then when?’

View of the inside of the Growing Pavilion an installation at the Biobasecamp during 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Inside the Growing Pavilion made from a timber frame and a biobased material called mycelium as the external panel covering.
An installation that explores pattern making beyond those found in nature base on 3D patterns as seen during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Beyond Natural where 3D patterns create an unreal sense of depth.
Fluid Forces is the Elle Decoration installation during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Elle Decoration. Fluid Forces.

The Design Trends of the 2019 Dutch Design Week

In short the design trends are:

Data as Material. Since Big Data makes up our digital world, it is hence receiving more attention from designers. I think the main reason is that designing for data is key to creating resilient communities.

Growing Design. This is a big trend that examines closely at biobased materials or natural living materials.

Re/Connect. This trend explores the lost personal connection due to the modern technology and rise of social media. Hence, the aim is to find ways to re-connect with one another.

An installation that explores the possibilities of applied materials during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Below the Surface. Seeking Comfort.
From the crafting rituals installation at the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Crafting Rituals.

Back to Earth. It is all about applications in ceramics where new technologies help to reinterpret an old existing material.

The Invisible Design. The concept of the invisible designer has to do with big issues that our societies face today like climate and pollution, where the designer is called upon to find solutions to.

The Design Museum. This trend examines design in a museological context.

An installation from the Dutch Invertuals. that explores the circle during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
The Dutch Invertuals. Exploring the Circle – the most iconic shape. Curator: Wendy Plomp.
Distorting plastics to create sculptures. An installation by Dorian Renard during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
The beauty of distortion, an installation by Dorian Renard inspired with the glass-blowing techniques, only glass is replaced by plastic and turned into sculptures.
Fluid Forces is the Elle Decoration installation during the 2019 Dutch Design Week. Here's one of the three spaces.
Elle Decoration. Fluid Forces.
Decor on shelves. Detail view from Elle Decoration Fluid Forces installation during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Elle Decoration. Fluid Forces.

Save Us. This trend explores the ability of a designer to find solutions to the challenges of the modern world.

The Power of We. This trend deals with the concept of coming together for a collective effort.

A sample of a wool carpet from the RENS designer duo during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
RENS Marks the Spot. The designer duo curious about color, presenting here a wool carpet. RENSxDesso

Now my interpretation of these 8 trends is that the design industry is shifting its focus from an egocentric aspiration to something bigger, more complex and definitely more involving. It is perhaps the beginnings of a new era that is about to explore the context of design. That includes not only the aesthetic sensibility of things, but its afterlife and mostly its implications in society.

ILPS printing with light. Samples on display made by Madeleine Marquardt for the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
ILPS printing with light, by Madeleine Marquardt.

Hence, this era will eventually go beyond the concepts of sustainability and circular economy. It needs to stretch far beyond and become more inclusive, for I’d like to think that joining forces and having everyone bring something to the table will serve best all.

View of an installation at Piet Hein Eek during the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
Wallpaper – Piet Hein Eek.
Lights designed by Luiza Guidi Tomio presented in the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
MAYA by Luiza Guidi Tomio.
Close up of a weaved composition showcased at the 2019 Dutch Design Week called Linescapes from Fault Lines Design Studio..
Linescapes.
Close up of a weaved composition showcased at the 2019 Dutch Design Week called Linescapes from Fault Lines Design Studio.
The Textile art studio Fault Lines is Founded in 2015 by Matthias de Vogel. Linescapes.
A sample of an indigo dyed home product by Le Grelle for the 2019 Dutch Design Week.
In Praise of Indigo. Clara Le Grelle set out to adapt and experiment with the pigment’s range of hues, in wood and textiles thus, supporting sustainable production methods.
Below the Surface. Victor de Bie. DDW 2019.
Below the Surface. Victor de Bie.

The Upshot

Perhaps, these rumblings of mine are the mere illusions of a dreamer. However, the truth of the matter is that great design is about editing within context. So in this age of reckoning, it’s good to step back, look at the big picture and put context up center.

Always design a thing, considering it in its larger context, a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in a an environment, an environment in a city.

Eliel Saarinen, (Finnish architect (1873 – 1950))

Before I go, you may want to read the Highlights of the Dutch Design Week 2018. In any case, I hope I got you thinking about what’s in store…

Yours,

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P.S. All images are courtesy of Elisabetta Rizzato, the founder and mastermind of Italianbark who has put together an in-depth analysis of these trends.

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