The winner in the Product category of the Dutch Design Awards, FLAX Chair by Christien Meindertsma, impressed the international jury on all fronts, and won the Future Award: the big prize for the most promising design for the future. Dutch Design Awards (DDA) were awarded in six categories. In addition, there were special prizes for young talent (Young Designer Award), clients (Best Client Award) and a Public Award.
The Jury: “In this project, Christien Meindertsma once again impressed us with her thorough approach. She has been conducting research into the potentials of flax as a material for many years; Meindertsma even bought a flax farm to gain an understanding of how the material can be cultivated and processed. This project is clearly about more than just another chair: it is the result of long-term research into the material qualities of flax, a desire to reinstate the value of a largely underrated fibre (the short flax fibre), and seeking to connect with Dutch companies to launch a new product on the market. Working in collaboration with Label Breed and Enkev, these efforts culminated in an astonishingly elegant result. The jury considers the FLAX Chair an excellent example of what contemporary design can achieve.”
DDA winners
Other Dutch Design Awards winners this year: Dikke van Dale by Studio Joost Grootens (Communication), Sistaaz of the Castle by Duran Lantink and Jan Hoek (Fashion), Biesbosch MuseumEiland by Studio Marco Vermeulen (Habitat), Designs for Flies by Frank Kolkman (Service & Systems), Uruzgan’s Legacy by Specialist Operations (Design Research) and Brabantia (Best Client Award). Crystal Houses received the highest number of votes from audiences in the exhibition and online, with which it earned the Public Award.