Five Highlights from Dutch Design Week 2025 – Past. Present. Possible.

Banner Image (left to right): Victoire Donneger, Marjo van Schaik, Studio mo man tai, APTUM Lighting.

 

 

As a Dutch Designer living and working in London, Dutch Design Week always feels like coming home. Eindhoven has a special energy during the festival; the old industrial halls and maker-spaces buzz with ideas, experimentation and hands-on creativity.

This year’s theme, “Past. Present. Possible.”, encouraged everyone to reflect on where we’ve come from, recognise what’s happening now, and explore where we could go next. During my short visit, these five moments stood out, each offering its own spark of imagination, craft and future-thinking.

Words by Leonie Tenthof van Noorden, CMF Design Lead at tangerine.

 

 

1. What We Are – Alice Baker

At the Design Academy Eindhoven Graduation Show, Alice Baker caught attention with What we are, a sculptural piece inspired by a eukaryotic cell. It is beautiful to look at, but it also gives you a moment to realise how delicate our cellular world is, and how much we share with every living organism.

2. Modular Seat Systems – Ineke Hans

In the Kazerne location, Ineke Hans presented Wireworks for Vespa: clever, lightweight modular seating, which was evocative of an airline business-class seat. Displaying the seats suspended from the ceiling made the design feel even more impressive, showing off the minimal use of material types and elegant, tonal finishes. Smart, playful and refined.

3. Embossed Metal Craft – Merlijn Pauw

Back at the DAE Graduation Show, Merlijn Pauw explored the softer side of metal. Using adapted industrial tools to emboss mono-material surfaces, Merlijn created pieces that feel both technical and organic. The textures catch the light beautifully and show a lovely balance between handcrafted detail and industrial precision.

 

4. Solar Textiles – Pauline van Dongen & Marjan van Aubel

Generating energy from Solar is one of the most impactful shifts we can make, and it doesn’t have to come from rigid rooftop panels anymore. Designers Pauline van Dongen and Marjan van Aubel showcased beautiful, integrated solutions. The Umbra Pavilion uses flexible solar textiles developed for building cladding or festival tents, while Ra is a self-powering solar tapestry that captures light and glows in the evening, like a modern take on stained glass. You can easily imagine these textiles becoming part of your home, garden or street.

5. Grain Directions – Koen van Tuijl & Io Wu

Two projects at the DAE Graduation Show stood out for their take on wood’s natural and industrial patterns. Koen van Tuijl used birch plywood to create a mesmerising, engineered furniture collection, while Io Wu sculpted discarded timber knots, embracing the flaws and rings of life. Both projects felt honest and skillful.

In Summary

Dutch Design Week 2025 showed that innovation doesn’t always mean being loud or futuristic. Sometimes it’s about working closely with materials, looking at nature with curiosity, and finding elegant ways to bring sustainability into everyday life. From solar fabrics to sculptural cells and reimagined wood, the week was a reminder of how design can open up fresh perspectives and spark new possibilities.

Until next year, Eindhoven. Already looking forward to what comes next.
Leonie Tenthof van Noorden