We are heading into the DDW with only five weeks to go, so as always, things are starting to get pretty exciting. We still have a lot to start and a lot to finish. This is not because we have been sitting still and or not realising new objects and projects. On the contrary; we have a lot of new things to present. However, it is not only, or perhaps especially not, only furniture that we present. More than ever, we have been working on the total. The total is the building and the people who work there and we host. Making objects and building we have been doing from the very beginning. You could say that the building is the hardware and the people are the software. The software comes much more precisely and is much more fragile. In our case, we use the software to create the hardware, or in other words we create the environment in which we work and receive guests. Presenting this environment and the people working in it is perhaps more important than ever this year. For the first time in years, it seems that even in the restaurant and hotel, we have a team you can show off. At the moment it is still quite complicated, but the confidence is there because we have nice, good and, above all, motivated people. Erling (the chef) works his ass off!
We will be open throughout DDW with the different restaurants (Grand Café, Friet, Lobby and Dakbar.) We have a plan for each of the spots, but we will also organise a few very special events. In the Grand Café at the old Canteen Table, we will organise a sit-down dinner every day for €25 per person (ex drinks). The main aim is to showcase the way we cook. The essence is that the ingredients are central and so we work almost exclusively with organic produce from farmers and artisans in the region. We are in the process of portraying greens, water buffalo, cheeses and the farmers themselves in the process from farm to fork. These portraits will be displayed during dinner.
We will host the most spectacular dinner in the workshop on Friday and Saturday. The table on which we ended up dancing years ago will return. This time Erling and Merlijn Amaro, from restaurant Bitter in Rotterdam, will collaborate and we will provide live music and a DJ so that we can end up dancing on the table again.
The construction crew has finished quite a few studios, a few of which have already been rented out, but we are also finishing a few hulls to make available to exhibitors. The building is slowly but surely nearing completion and it is becoming increasingly worth visiting us. The endless investing seems to be coming to an end, at least for as long as it lasts. I must say that, for the first time in my life, I feel a strong urge not to invest at all for a while, but this year too, there is a lot to change and see.
Then, in addition to a host of exhibitors displaying their work throughout the building, we will also have our own new work. In order of likelihood, a list:
- We are getting back the Barnwood Cabinet we presented at Rossana Orlandi during the Salone. That sounds just like it was not a success, but that is not true and we are immensely happy to show the exceptional “state of the art” cabinet.
- We are making two 90×90 Waste Waste armchairs (brother and sister are still in Milan).
- New standing sawn glass lamp objects. (Promising in itself, but for now only my drawing is finished)
- An old window cabinet stack is what the word says; a large quantity of wooden cabinets with old windows as doors that can be stacked in space as an installation.
- The beach chair made of tube and fabric is a remake of a product that really should have been much more successful than its much more rickety wooden siblings. We are going to revive it (probably in vain).
- We did not yet have the 40×40 wardrobe and coat rack, and they are a bit more playful than previous 40×40 objects that actually turned out beautifully without exception. That puzzling with (40×40) scrap wood blocks was actually quite a good idea.
- Our sales department (that’s Nard) thought it wise to present 3 tile cabinets. This mainly because they are extremely successful for us.
- The jerrycan installation lamp is a kind of sequel to “the Plastic bottle lamp” which we sold exactly none of, so this lamp is made precisely not because of the success of its predecessor. It is more the hope that the perseverer wins!
- And last and so very unlikely to show and already selling, the new double candle holderinspired by the “One-Mould Lamp.” This time one mould, two candle holders and stackable. The chances may be better than I think, as there are two highly motivated, smart, handy and fun students working on it!
That, then, is the last thing I want to report. Again this year, whatever the outcome will be and whatever will go wrong, what succeeds is an achievement of all the people who work for us and do so incredibly well.
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