Ineke Hans

In these days the Dutch designer Ineke Hans is guest of honours at Stockholm furniture fair. I therefore think it’s the perfect occasion to find out a little more about the playful and innovative designer.

One of the things that have separated the design of Ineke Hans from others must be her philosophy behind the design and her fascination with our interactions between the things that surround us. Sometimes we immediately understand how to use and object and other times we are completely wrong.



On her webpage she sais that ‘Perceptiveness about the connections between people and objects is a fundamental prerequisite for a furniture designer’, and with that as the essential idea she has developed object that investigates the psychological roots of products, perceiving and playing with the interaction between people and objects.


I truly agree with here on that aspect; when a furniture have an aesthetic and a quality that appeals to the adults as well as the child, a furniture should be able to last for generations, tying the history of the different users together.

But when making a product that should last for generations its easy to be to “classical and timeless” in the design. But Ineke Hans manage to balance this with a unique use of modern materials in traditional forms. The forms are not as polished and “nice” as others might be, but more edgy and with a little more attitude, and all of here work really gives med the association to something playful and fun.



Here children collection Black Beauties (2001) is made of recycled materials and painted black. Back is not a colour associated with children products and in this way I think she makes furniture’s that will not only appeal to the aesthetics of the child but foremost to the parents. (Who actually are the ones to place the furniture into their home). At the same time she is “covering up” the recycled look.


Fracture Seat for Cappellini (2007) is a result of experimentation with modern materials. The chair is very light but also super strong!

The porcelain series Black Gold (2002) is made like a Lego-set for adults, where you can attach the 5 different elements together to form different object like espresso cans, candle sticks and pots.

So if you happen to be in Stockholm this weekend, make sure to stop by at her stand!