Hella Jongerius
Dutch Hella Jongerius, born in 1963 in De Meern (Utrecht), works as a designer and lecturer in design. Jongerius learned the profession of carpenter and studied at the Design Academy in Eindhoven. She became a member of the designer collective Droog Design in Amsterdam before setting up her own company, Jongeriuslab, in Rotterdam. At the Academy in Eindhoven, she taught industrial design and headed the Living Atelier department in early 2000. She combines craftsmanship and techniques, tradition with modernity.
Porcelain & more
Hella Jongerius became known for her vases in which the porcelain is combined with embroidery or joined to glass by adhesive tape. She also gave new life to medieval vessels, creating the "Soft Urn", the "Red White Vase" and the "Big White Pot". For Porzellan Manufaktur Nymphenburg, Jongerius developed the "Nymphenburg Sketches," the "Four Seasons" collection, and her well-known animal bowls, for which the designer selected seven animals from seven hundred animal figurines in the porcelain manufactory's archives, placed them in bowls, painted them naturalistically, and added a classic Nymphenburg décor. The Merger rug, made of virgin wool and cotton by the textile company Kvadrat in India, combines well with other furniture and objects; Jongerius created the subtle tone-on-tone design for this textile. Hella Jongerius designed the business class of the Dutch airline KLM as a cozy place to slow down in a fast mode of transportation. Jongerius' designs made it to London's Design Museum and New York's MoMA. In 2004, she was named "Designer of the Year" by the Salon du Meuble in Paris.
Collaboration with Vitra
Since 1993 Hella Jongerius has been running the studio Jongeriuslab, where she realizes her own projects and works for the Vitra company. For the Vitra company, Jongerius has designed products such as the Bovist, which inspires with its natural materials and color concept. The beautiful seat cushion allows flexible sitting in all rooms. With a handle you can sit flexibly somewhere else. You can find the Bovist in the pro office store. Polder is the name of their famous sofa, the word refers to flat areas by the sea that are used for agriculture in crop rotation. The Polder Sofa is asymmetrical, consists of different color fields and can adapt to a wide variety of spaces. Vitra also produces the Seat Dots, which are round, lightly padded, all-purpose seat cushions for chairs in colors that cater to every taste. In a set, there are the Vitra Coat Dots, art on the wall, for a contemporary wardrobe.
Color and art at Vitra
Hella Jongerius is drawing attention for the importance of color in contemporary design. For several years, Jongerius has served as art director for colors & materials for Vitra. She has developed the Vitra Colour & Material Library - an archive system that allows the combination of materials and colors of Vitra's extensive products. This activity resulted in her book "I Don't Have a Favorite Colour".
