This new series, Design bites, unveil the backstage of contemporary creation. Tackling various topics from personal designer processes to the position of Collectible design on the global design market; these bites offer different views to suit all tastes. Today we talk with Studio Anton Hendrik Denys.

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COLLECTIBLE: How did the school where you studied influence your practice?

Studio Anton Hendrik Denys: I graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in June 2016 and studying there had a major impact on how I work as a designer today. Earlier on I studied architecture for a couple of years, where the approach was completely different. I had to shake off my embedded ways of working, which was very sketched and scale model-oriented and embrace a more hands-on and less result-oriented approach. This is something I struggled with a lot at the beginning, but eventually led to a much more interesting body of work…

“I had to shake off my embedded ways of working, which was very sketched and scale model-oriented and embrace a more hands-on and less result-oriented approach.”

C: Are you more result or process-oriented?

SAHD: I used to be more result-oriented, but throughout my studies, this shifted a bit towards a more process-oriented mindset. I learned how to start experimenting with no clear goal or end result in mind and let the experiment dictate the function of an object later on. This way of working also allows me to do a full 180 in the middle of a project and discover something more intriguing along the way.

C: What is your favorite material? 

SAHD: I have two favorite materials and they’re both total opposites in many ways. On one hand, I love working with stainless steel because it can be treated in so many different ways – often giving the impression that you’re combining multiple different materials. But it’s also a hard and fragile material to work with, on which I have almost zero control. On the other hand, I also love working with foam, because its flexibility makes it possible to apply a very hands-on approach. This material I can also modify completely myself, allowing me to work in an almost meditative way.

C: Can you talk about a new piece/collection that you release for COLLECTIBLE SALON.

SAHD: For Collectible Salon I developed a series of foam-coated lamps that are a continuation on the material research I did for my room divider project, Foam Fences. Inspired by handwoven baskets, I tried to explore the three-dimensionality of this self-developed technique of coated foam grids. The material’s rigidness resulted in undefinable shapes that, combined with the unpredictably shaped grid, explore unfamiliar aesthetics. The foam coating has a shiny ceramic look that contrasts with the frame’s softness and airily suspension. This is reinforced by the metal hanging structure with incorporated, indirect light sources, tailor-made in height to the customer's needs.

About Studio Anton Hendrik Denys

Studio Anton Hendrik Denys is a Copenhagen-based multidisciplinary design studio, whose driving forces are their interest in materialities and new experiments. The studio’s works span large-scale architectural design projects and smaller scaled, functional art objects.