It’s hard to believe Ventura Lambrate has only been part of the Salone del Mobile for four years now. Seen as the place for independent designers, design schools and young talent, the Lambrate area proved popular once again with the young crowd.
This year Tjep preferred to organise his own solo exhibition at Ventura Lambrate.
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Tjep. a Dutch designer is best known for his design work at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport.
It was an exciting, exhausting, and exhilarating week for Tjep, where his collections including Hendrick’s, Il Treno, and the new Dutch DNA furniture met with great acclaim.
clockwork love wings jewellery
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Tjep presented his furniture and jewellery ranges =
The standalone Il Treno, bringing the romance of a classic dining carriage into your home
Bronze recession chair
And the unveiling of the ultimate expression of individuality with furniture designed from your own DNA, developed together with design label Dutch DNA.
Hendrick’s Collection, inspired by a dedication and nostalgic reflection on Dutch yesteryear.
Il Treno creates an intimate dining experience reminiscent of the old secluded train compartments on the Orient Express. Il Treno is about intimacy and romanticism: for there is nothing better than enjoying fine cuisine while being transported to new landscapes.
This modular unit is handcrafted in Ash or Oak wood and comes in two versions, one with storage for your fine china and one without.
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Dutch DNA Furniture & Jewellery
The first display pieces are made from Giulia Wolthuis’s DNA. Giulia is a Dutch contemporary dance performer and model, and daughter of Eric Wolthuis, the founder of Dutch DNA.
Dance sits at the pinnacle of human achievement, a resplendent art form showcasing human endeavor: a fusion of will, passion, and pure physical ability. To capture and express Giulia’s life, Dutch DNA samples her life code and through the language of design translates Giulia’s distinguishing genetic characteristics into visual forms.
DNA, taken from saliva samples, is embedded into a crafted table via analysis completed at a laboratory in Holland. The DNA is fed into a program that charts the data, and forms lines that are built up into three-dimensional forms, resulting in precision milling. The table is then hand-finished with lacquer in the Netherlands by the same artisans that produce Joris Laarman’s furniture.
As everyone’s DNA is different, the patterns created will be unique and authentic for each piece of furniture, jewellery or sculpture created.
“There is no limit to the extent of personal expression that can be modeled through our own DNA – it is the unique record of who we are, but also where we came from and connects us to our past,” says Tjep. founder and lead designer Frank Tjepkema.
“Your home is a personal reflection of self, now we can offer people the most intimate reflection of our innate identity to embellish and decorate this environment.”
seating jewellery cabinets
At Milan, the exclusive new jewellery collection by Dutch street artist Laser3.14 was unveiled, and these pieces will be available in Tjep’s collection soon.
Hendrick’s Collection is a contemporary furniture range inspired by the trappings of bygone days and pays homage to the 17th century paintings of Hendrick Avercamp, an artist who devoted his life entirely to the portrayal of Dutch winter scenes.
Hendrick’s Collection by Tjep. comprises a dining table, desk, chair and standing lamp made from oak and white lacquered ash.
The chair legs are fixed to wooden bases that flick up at the back like ice skates and allow the sitter to rock backwards
Nostalgia and modern aesthetics, a juxtaposition of old and new, brought together in solidly handcrafted Ash or Oak wood and finished to perfection.
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Tjep has returned to Amsterdam again where he is now busy with several new projects, including interior design for Schiphol, a monumental public space installation in Amsterdam and a very special project on Fogo Island in Canada.
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Tjepology
Tjep. is an Amsterdam based team of misfit-fitting designers and non-designers challenging themselves to question the world and make unexpected connections: creating beautiful things for proud people.
Tjep’s mission is to:
- Add energy and optimism to the world
- Create outstanding interiors and products
- Help our clients reaffirm, enhance and surpass their success through design
- Think and amaze
Founded by Frank Tjepkema in 2001, the studio has garnered a reputation for delivering outstanding creative work across a broad field of expertise that includes award winning interior, architectural, product, furniture, visual and jewelry design.
Spanning both the commercial and cultural sectors, Tjep.’s diverse portfolio of acclaimed work has made it the studio of choice for people and brands seeking a unique and original design perspective.
Clients include the leading brands Droog, Camper, Levi’s, Heineken, British Airways, Feadship and Ikea.
Tjep. fuse together peerless design with accomplished expertise in the latest production techniques.
Internationally, Tjep. is recognized for their dedication to uniting strong design concepts, beautiful aesthetics and great functionality. The studio’s hallmarks are amazing people with color-rich designs that make unexpected connections, playing with people’s sense of the intuitive and rational.
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About Frank Tjepkema
Frank Tjepkema graduated cum laude from the Design Academy in Eindhoven in 1996.
Frank’s graduation project on artificial nature drew immediate attention and was selected for the Droog Design collection.
His relationship with Droog led to a succession of notable projects like the Do Break in 2000, the award-winning British Airways Executive Lounge at Heathrow in 2004 and the Chair of Textures presented during Art Basel Miami Beach 2006 (a Droog project in collaboration with gallery Friedman Benda).
Frank started Tjep. in 2001.
In parallel to leading the studio, Frank Tjepkema provokes audiences worldwide through his art and exhibition pieces, such as the Recession Chair, Bling Bling and Oogst.
Frank’s work can be found in the world’s most influential galleries including Moss in New York, Droog in Amsterdam, and in major design exhibitions such as the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe in Hamburg and Museum of Art and Design in New York.
“I seek to create a body of work that reflects contemporary society, the times we live in. These pieces can have a certain irony yet are created with love for the subject. My more engaged and artistic approach to design can be found in gallery pieces and in the Tjep.collection. Tjep.studio is aimed at working with a broad range of clients to create outstanding design projects infused with Tjep. soul.”
Frank has lectured at many design academies in the Netherlands and abroad including the Design Academy Eindhoven, the Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam (Head of Department from 2001-2004), Universidad Iberoamericana Mexico City, Iceland Academy of The Arts Reykjavik, and The Acadia Summer Arts Program Maine USA.
He has also lectured in Japan (Nagoya Design Center), Malaysia, Spain and Hungary. Frank Tjepkema has been an invited speaker at major conferences such as Design Indaba (twice), What Design Can Do and Singapore Design Challenge 2050.
Frank has also been a member of the board of the Premsela Foundation, a member of the examination commission at the Dutch Foundation for Art and Design and juror for the Dutch Design Awards and Françoise van der Bosch Award.
