Piet Hein Eek - Design founded on common sense

In 1990, Piet Hein Eek (1967) graduated from the Design Academy Eindhoven with a striking final project: an expertly crafted cupboard made from scrap wood. In a time of exuberance, Eek chose simple materials and sober design. The cupboard earned him national recognition and his career took off from there. Eek now sells series productions as well as his one-of-a-kind pieces. His collection has been displayed at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and the Groninger Museum.

Interview

What was the idea behind the scrap wood cupboard?

‘Basically, it was my reaction against the prevalent craving for flawlessness. I wanted to show that products that aren’t perfect can still appeal to our sense of aesthetics and functionality. I also wanted to design a product that could be made with limited means, using material that was abundantly available. Uncommon materials combined with methods that were equally uncommon, but also simple, became the theme running through our work. As the possibilities have expanded, there is more variety in the work. Still, the challenge remains to get the most out of the circumstances.’

We are now in the era of sustainability; what does this mean to you?

‘To me it’s all about common sense. You just cannot go about plundering the world’s natural resources without thinking about your behaviour, as a person or a business. The discussion about sustainability is good, but I think it addresses the symptoms rather than the behaviour. In order to make a real difference, we need to change the way we consume. If you buy ecologically sustainable products but throw them out after a couple of years, there’s no real difference. What does make a difference is when you buy a cupboard and keep it for, say, 100 years. In that case, it doesn’t even matter whether you use environmentally friendly materials or not.’

How does it feel to be labelled as a ‘sustainable designer’?

‘I don’t know; to me, the way we work is completely normal. I feel a product should be sustainable in the sense that it’s constructed well and is aesthetically pleasing. If it doesn’t look good, it still won’t last very long.’

But what about the use of scrap wood?

‘Working with scrap wood was not inspired by a desire to recycle; I just don’t like to throw things away. When you think about it, there is no real choice other than to take a “sustainable” approach to work. It is such a fundamental thing. If you don’t do it now, then you will in five years because you have to. The trick is to do it well, and to do it intelligently. And I think that is exactly what we do.’

How do you feel about the international success of Dutch design?

‘Holland does well in the area of design. I feel it is very much a hype, though. When I finished the academy in 1990, a large group of Dutch designers made their first appearance. Marcel Wanders, Hella Jongerius, Richard Hutten, Jur-gen Bey. This coincided with the start of all the interior design magazines. They needed content, we delivered; I think we were really lucky with that. When you created something, it was almost certain to make the magazine.’

But you still had to make something good?

‘Sure. If you made junk, you wouldn’t last. But if you were consistent and achieved a certain standard, you had your ticket to get in. I think we were really lucky with that. It was also a time when major subsidies were available to present your work abroad. This obviously also strengthened our position in the Netherlands. Droog Design put Dutch design on the map internationally, and Moooi later picked it up and made it commercially viable. It was all very well orchestrated. In addition, an older group of renowned designers from Italy retired, making space for Dutch designers to take over their mantle. It was a serendipitous concurrence of circumstances.’

Still, it was something you benefited from.

‘Of course. I am hitching a ride on the same train. The feeling that exists about Dutch design is very much to our advantage. It is beneficial for a designer to be Dutch, so it’s a good idea to promote that aspect. But I think it is not a bad thing to tone it down a bit, and debate the origin and the quality. Be a bit more sober about it.’

Isn’t that typically Dutch as well?

(Laughs) ‘Yes, in that respect I might be the most typically Dutch of them all! I always say I am not a part of it, but maybe I am even more so than the rest.’

What do you think is good design?

‘What is good? Good is what remains; I think that is what it is about. Will I be one of them? I don’t dare to say that... It’s impossible to say. I feel there are many designers who are very good at making what the market wants. But the market doesn’t interest me. When you make what the market requires, you are a slave to the market. When you decide what the market will want in the future, if you decide that taste, shape it, give direction, you are in a much more enjoyable position. That way you are creating a basis for new ideas, which is something I really enjoy.’

How does that relate to your work?

‘I find it important to have ideas that I see as breaking through boundaries and that are just within reach of what outsiders can comprehend. Funnily enough, those ideas often end up being the most commercially viable projects. Often what seems the least commercial is the most successful in the end.’

Can you give an example of that?

‘The scrap wood products are good examples. Modern production is all about efficiency, spending the least possible time and attention on a product in order to make the biggest possible profit. When I made the first scrap wood table I thought: I’m going to spend as much time possible on it, contrary to the ”common” way of doing things. It was great to turn it around, violate all the laws of economics. But that’s an economic law too: when everybody goes left, there’s room on the right. There is always space for the opposite. Because of the amount of work I put into it, the table was outrageously expensive. I pretended that time didn’t matter and the material was worth gold. I didn’t expect it to turn out the way it did, and to my amazement it sold instantly.’

Do you still work on the basis of that philosophy?

'In a way we do. Not this extreme, of course, but labour has always been important to us. We like to show the work that is gone into a product, show the screws and details. Details were born from necessity, out of simplicity, but can be designed so that it looks like they are an enrichment.’
How do you manage to combine your philosophy with a growing business?
‘We have an enormous collection, and every item we produce is available in different versions. It means a lot of work done by hand, ridiculous almost, but the combination of designing and producing in small numbers makes it possible for us to do what we do. If needed, we don’t outsource production, we just hire more people.’

Are you still behind every product?

‘Yes, I draw it and then my employees make it. I used to do production myself as well, but there is just no time for that anymore. I always thought production was an essential part of what I did, but I haven’t experienced it as a loss. I still check everything, but my employees do such a great job that there’s no need for me to be involved in producing anymore. It’s great; I can draw something and two days later I have the finished product in front of me.’

Do you see yourself as an artist or a businessman?

‘That is always an interesting discussion. If you want to get your creativity out there, someone will have to pay for it. Being successful in business gives you freedom. I run the company together with my business partner, Nob Ruijgrok. I am both the commercial and creative person in this company, while Nob takes care of the graphics and operational side of the business. In the end, it is all about creating the freedom to do what we like.’

You feel like you succeeded in that regard?

‘I think we have. We are still growing and evolving. We are currently preparing a move to the old Philips ceramics factory. It will be a superlative of everything we have done so far. A massive building, where we will keep doing what we do in our current premises, but combine it with a restaurant, a gallery and a shop. We plan on opening there in October 2010. We will collaborate with other companies, people with qualities in other areas. A very fun concept.’

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