The history of Royal Tichelaar Makkum dates back to 1572, which makes it the oldest enterprise in the Netherlands to claim a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the area of ceramics production and refinement. Tichelaar is a modern and dynamic company that produces hand painted consumer earthenware and innovative ceramics intended for the building industry. The company is also involved in restoration projects, such as the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag by H.P. Berlage and Hilversum’s city hall by W.M. Dudok.
Tichelaar has collaborated with leading Dutch designers for the production of consumer and decorative ceramics since the late 1990s. The products that they design must incorporate the traditional methods still in use today, knowledge of ceramics, and respect for the company’s history. One well-known design that resulted from this collaboration is the B-set by Hella Jongerius from 1998. In the ceramics industry, ‘B’ stands for ‘second choice.’ However, the A quality, where everything produced must be perfect and identical, reduces the traditionally made ceramics to a manufactured product devoid of any soul. The B-set, however, is fired in kilns at such high temperatures that the cups and plates warp somewhat. As a result, no two items are the same. This successful collaboration was followed by the project Nothing New, which involved Jurgen Bey, Marcel Wanders and once again Hella Jongerius. In 2003 and 2006, project collaborators included Studio Job: Still Life and Biscuit, followed in 2007 by Dick van Hoff and Dutch fashion designer Alexander van Slobbe. In addition to these special projects, the company also produced traditional consumer ceramics and products by designers such as Roderick Vos, Jan Broekstra, Baukje Trenning and Arnout Visser.
Links
tichelaar.nl
