Laurens van Wieringen’s Five by Seven vase holds anywhere from one flower to dozens, creating a miniature ‘field’ indoors. Though it looks like porcelain, it’s made of vinyl. And his amusing Softy table lamp, dip-moulded of pliable material, has a surface that feels like felt. It also bends when you touch it to assume various attitudes.
Refreshingly unusual pieces like these result from exploration and experimentation, Van Wieringen says. “It’s important to me to look for new materials and applications as well as to have a second look at existing production methods. There’s much more potential there than is currently used.”
In designing products, he always keeps the user’s enjoyment in mind. “I try to offer an atmosphere in which people can feel pleasure, have a laugh or be misguided for a moment, and to trigger people to do what they feel like doing,” he says. “I feel it’s my job to interfere, to help to find solutions and to comment on things.”
Laurens van Wieringen earned a BA from Arnhem’s ArtEZ art and design academy in 2000 and an MA from London’s Royal College of Art in 2002. Working out of his Amsterdam studio, he’s successfully launched various interior products as well as created interiors for numerous restaurants, bars and offices. His work for Florian in Arnhem won Theme:NL magazine’s prize for best new bar design. The jury called it “a potential classic” for its blend of contemporary retro-glam style and timeless quality. He recently designed the leather upholstered, crystal accented Crown Chairs for Swarovski.
Links
laurensvanwieringen.nl
