Process Lab: Scholten & Baijings
https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/2318794825/
- photo reproduction of silk embroidery on cotton foundation
- Bequest of Gertrude M. Oppenheimer
Founded by Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings, the Dutch design studio Scholten & Baijings has developed an experimental design process that combines traditional craft techniques with industrial design practices to create tableware, furniture, and textiles that are freshly contemporary. As the studio works through new ideas for products, the designers remain open to unexpected discoveries and depend on direct contact with their materials to guide their decision making. "We always mix our own colors, make our own materials, and create our own models," Carole Baijings explains. "Doing this produces forms you couldn't possibly create on a computer. And colors that are precisely right. Only when you hold a model in your hands will you know if it fits human proportions." Over time, the studio's design process has become a narrative woven into every new project. The selection of Scholten & Baijings's products displayed here—each minimal in form, subtly colored, elegant, and functional—demonstrates the important tole of the hand and craftmanship in contemporary industrial design.
