This year, we’re not going to Salone. It feels a bit strange—after 15 years of presenting at Rossana Orlandi without interruption, we suddenly find ourselves sitting at home in April! We made this decision because things are going too well. And no, that’s not about finances—our business doesn’t work that way. Whatever comes in, goes out just as fast. What I mean is that we’re incredibly busy. Particularly with high-end, beautiful, large-scale projects that make a real difference. We’re seeing a growing divide in wealth distribution worldwide, where the poor are getting poorer, the middle class is disappearing, and the rich are getting (much) richer.
Over the years, besides our “regular collection,” we’ve always made unique pieces. That part of our business has grown enormously. A few years ago, we mainly did what we call standard custom work—creating one-off pieces based on client specifications. What’s “standard” for us would be impossible in most factories. But now, we’re creating completely new objects based on fresh designs (which I make). And those designs are becoming more refined. Since we’ve worked with the same team for so long, our ability to design and execute special projects has reached an incredible level. And judging by the number of extraordinary commissions we’re receiving, that skill is becoming increasingly recognized. Managing this shift in our workshop takes effort and attention. Our most experienced carpenters have mastered their craft over the years, but the new generation has to pick it up at lightning speed. In short, we’re selling plenty and keeping busy. So if we went to Milan and business kept booming, we might end up with too much work!
Salone isn’t just about showcasing products and making sales—it’s mostly a social event for us. In recent years, I’ve started calling it a social-commercial event. We don’t sell much there, but we meet almost all of our contacts, and sometimes, we make a new one. That’s what we’ll miss this year. The biggest loss is not being at “my Italian mother” Rossana’s gallery after 15 years of presenting there. We’ll miss that sense of coming home. But I’ll visit her after Salone when we both have time, which, honestly, is much nicer. We’ll organize a presentation with new objects at another time.
Piet Hein Eek at Rossana Orlandi for Salone del Mobile 2024. Photo: Marco Menghi
Skipping Salone might mean we stay even busier, which is a reassuring thought. (Be sure to read the blog on this topic, with a special extra paragraph!)
From bean bag to luxury sofa
By zipping bean bags together and adding armrests, we’ve created a surprisingly cool luxury sofa.
A stool made of organic sheet material
I designed this stool for Simone van Es, who develops biological sheet material from Silphium perfoliatum. With the first sheets that came out of production, we created this stool. Ironically, due to endless hassle with the environmental agency (which I despise), we also transitioned to using bio-based materials in our own factory. (A rare positive side effect of their nonsense!) The glue is made from beans. Otherwise, unlike Simone’s sheets, the material is fairly conventional. The stool itself is strikingly simple, featuring just one ring, and it stacks in an unusual way—forming beautiful structures when piled up.
A small luxury 40×40 desk
A good example of where our work is headed: a compact 40×40 desk with a pull-out drawer.
The Environmental Agency sideboard
A testament to how something beautiful can emerge from an incredibly negative and frustrating experience. This piece is an ode to creativity and rational thinking—our way of standing up to bureaucratic absurdity.
What we didn’t plan to show, but made anyway:
Baas and Eek
Twenty and thirty years after our graduation, Maarten (Baas) and I (Eek) have fused our final exam projects. Or rather, burned them! For his graduation, Maarten set classic furniture pieces on fire, turning their charred remains into something even more valuable than the originals. Now, he’s torched my Classic Cabinet in Scrapwood—my own graduation work. From an edition of three, there’s only one left for sale (besides the two artist proofs).
An oak table that solves the office table problem
Because the planks run across the width, they expand and contract—resulting in gaps and size variations that some found unacceptable (though we always liked it). This new design solves that issue while defining the table’s entire aesthetic.
Planters
We made these simple planters because they didn’t exist on the market.
Trash bins in aluminum or copper
Why throw trash in something ugly? We made trash bins in copper and aluminum—rust-free and easy to clean.
Handles
We haven’t sold a single one yet, but we thought this was a standard handle—turns out, it wasn’t available anywhere. So we made it ourselves!
We traditionally rush to make something last-minute for Salone, but this time, we’ve stuck to drawings—which is actually a relief. Especially since I have my hands full with the Eindhoven-Dakar project. Instead of racing from Paris to Dakar, it’s about transporting art, design, and products back and forth. The advantage? We don’t have to make everything ourselves. On Saturday, May 17, we’re launching the project with an exhibition featuring the first artworks, products I’ve developed, and objects we’ve brought back from Dakar. It will be a combined opening, as we’re also unveiling exhibitions by Marc Mulders, Studio RENS, and Spanish artist José Maria.
More on that later! But mark your calendar.
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