A designers' dilemma: The story of Stuff

This short film was made in 2007, and is still very relevant today. Even more relevant, i would say, with our collective cellphone addicition (the Iphone came out somewhere around the time this movie was made)(feels ancient, right?).

What to do as a designer?
Should we stop creating stuff altogether or is it our responsibility to keep designing, but do it smarter and make a difference?
Is that even possible?
Can we make a difference by adding more stuff?

More about this and more video's can be found on thestoryofstuff.org.
Feel free to share your thoughts.

In the Clouds / Planes - Crowdyhouse premiere starting soon!

In the Clouds / Planes
photograph by House of Thol

It's been a couple of months since we first launched our original 'In the Clouds'-series during ShowUP. (Back then, i wrote this blog about the heritage of the clouds and birds as a porcelain print.)
In August, the initial pieces were received with great enthusiasm, and even more so in October, when we presented the first extension of the series: the In the Clouds bowls, during the Dutch Design Week.

In the Clouds / Planes - porcelain cups
photograph by House of Thol

And then... well, we didn't put any effort in getting the porcelain pieces out there.
Truth is: we had made the range of variations within the series too large for us to produce in the quantities needed.
This made us hesitant to approach stores and resellers in fear of orders that would be wildly inefficient to make.

production original In the Clouds-series
photograph by House of Thol

Well... we made a few minor adjustments in the design and are now launching a new In the Clouds series.
And this time we're keeping ourselves in check: Instead of offering 24 variations to start with, we're relaunching the In the Clouds cups in one size: medium, two versions: birds and planes, and three possible colours: white, greyish white and light-blue. All cups have a glazed finish.
Still plenty to choose from!

In the Clouds cups in light-blue and greyish white
photograph by House of Thol

To give ourselves the much-needed time to produce a little supply, we're launching the new In the Clouds / Planes cups as a Crowdyhouse premiere: From April 4th onwards, the In the Clouds/Planes cups will be available exclusively via Crowdyhouse for three weeks.
After this launch-period, the cups will be more widely available and we'll keep you posted about new points of sale.

In the Clouds cups
photograph by House of Thol

To be the first to own the new In the Clouds / Planes, check out our campaign on Crowdyhouse.

Interested in reselling these cups? Get in touch!

Plantcare for the Botanically Challenged

Interiors are all about the greenery these days.
Every interior photoshoot on every blog and in every magazine features a few strategically placed houseplants; tradefair stands are dressed up with jungle-walls; greenhouses are turned into restaurants; creating full-on interior urban jungles is no longer the exclusive terrain of the hermit down the street (who you suddenly feel like you should be asking for botanical advice).

Photograph by Livet Hemma: Ikea

I love this trend!
There are so many reasons to have houseplants: the hint of nature in your home; the improved air-quality and healthier moisture levels; the overall beauty of plantlive... What's not to love?
Not so sure about the botanical trend? Read this blogpost for 6 reasons to get houseplants now (5 of which are backed by science)

by House of Thol

However, for those of us with major black thumbs (me), houseplants very seldomly become a lush and blooming urban jungle to take pride in, but rather turn into something that can only be described as a painful representation of an apparent inability to take care of living things (which can be pretty depressing).

all photographs from the House of Thol Instagram account

Anyway, fear not. -All is not lost.
Although we'll probably kill a lot more plants before truly mastering the art of plantcare, over the last three years we've managed to create a pretty green home and a small urban jungle in our studio.

And... if we can do it, so can you! - Here are 7 tips to help you along.

1. Start easy
Luckily some plants are pretty resilient when it comes to bad plantcare. Killing those plants might even involve some skill (from personal experience: it can be done).
A few of the easiest plants to maintain are Spider plant, Devils' ivy, Aloe Vera, Peace Lily and Snake Plant.

illustration by House of Thol

2. Keep the plant-tag
You know the little tag on each store-bought plant? Don't throw it out.
You'll probably want to take it off because in general it doesn't look very pretty, but make sure to keep it somewhere so you'll know how to properly care for this plant.
A plant doesn't always come with a tag. If it doesn't, make sure you find out the type of plant, and don't forget the name (you can add a nice-looking label).
If you run into trouble later on, you can google away and spend hours and hours researching the yellow tips /  white spots /  brown edges of your Musa.

Photograph from our Instagram

3. Water regularly.
If you're anything like me, your first thought when looking at a houseplant is 'when was the last time i watered it?'.
I always forget. I forget right up until the moment the leaves start to droop, which is when i decide i'm too late and try to 'save' the plant by throwing in a bucketload of water. Which drowns it.

What most people don't realise, is that houseplants sooner die of getting too much water than of drying out.
When dried out, a plant can pretty often be revived with the proper care. A drowned plant however, usually suffers from irreversably rotted roots and has passed the point of no return.

There are a gazillion helpful tips out there to make it easier to water your plants: from apps to grandmothers' tricks.
We based our natural watering system Waterworks on ancient irrigation techniques and it works wonderfully, we even use a Waterworksset (with a small cone) in our Cactus, and it's thriving. More about Waterworks here.

Waterworks by House of Thol | photograph by Masha Bakker photography

4. Pick the right spot.
Use your plant-tag or google to read up on the best situation for your plant: most plants like their sunlight to be indirect and might even develop burn-spots when put in a brightly lit window-sill. Although very few plants thrive in the dark, there are plants that can live happily in badly-lit places like bathrooms.

The ideal place for plants is about more than sunlight: they often don't like drafts or being touched by the door every-time it opens, and not every plant is happy too close to the central heating.
Also: plants usually do not like to be eaten by your pet.
Note that some plants (like the peace-lily) can be toxic to cats and dogs and should be placed somewhere the pets can't reach them. (some plants are even toxic to humans, so keep those out of the reach of children).

from Pinterest - unable to find the original source

5. Repot. 
This might sound daunting, but most plants won't last long if you keep them in the plastic container they came in: they'll run out of space or nutrients and you'll need to repot them.
Knowing when or how to re-pot your plants is one of those things that doesn't come naturally to us black-thumbed people, but i'll promiss you: it's worth the effort, most plants really thrive when their roots have enough space in a soil filled with fresh nutrients.
There's this pretty good Wiki-how about repotting plants.
When repotting, always use a pot with holes in the bottom and/or add a layer of large stones underneath the soil so it's well-drained.
NB Make sure to run a quick google-search on your plant. Some plants can only be repotted in certain seasons or they won't make it.

Photograph from the Wikihow 'Repot a plant'

6. Use the right soil and keep it fertilized.
The plants in your house come from different habitats. Some  will originate from a jungle-like environment, while other (for example cacti) stem from a desert-like area.
It will come as no surprise that those different types of plants thrive in different types of soil.
Get the right kind for your plants and don't forget to fertilize it once-in-a-while (if your plant likes it).

Alabama Hills | By Forest Mankins / a life alive

7. Be nice, be patient.
Imagine being a plant: you're happy in the garden-centre: surrounded by fresh air, warmth, other plants of all shapes and sizes and workmen to cater your every need. But then... suddenly someone picks you up, moves you around, has you wrapped, possibly keeps you in a trunk for a while, after which you're gifted to someone who cannot even keep a cactus alive.
Most plants are not a big fan of being moved: they'll need time to adapt to their new environment and growth will stagnate for a while.
Don't give up on those plants. Give them time. And love. And play some classical music for them, they dig that (click).

Plant Gang | photograph by Tiffany Grant-Riley for Urban Jungle Bloggers

For more green inspiration, follow Urban Jungle Bloggers or spend an hour or so on Pinterest  for the best urban jungle images.

Good luck keeping that greenery alive!
Any tips you'd like to add?
Don't hesitate to comment on this post, i'd love to hear them.

New Confetti & Fireworks & why we have jewelry in our collection in the first place

Confetti necklace | brass, enamel, gilt steel | 2016
photograph by House of Thol

Aside from interior products and design-solutions for the day-to-day, House of Thol designs jewelry.
Random, right?
Maybe i shouldn't actually say 'House of Thol designs it', since jewelry is really my (Jana's) background, and what i focused on when working under company name 'World of Driftwood'.

Confetti & Fireworks necklaces | brass, enamel, gilt steel | 2016
photograph by House of Thol

Taking the step to work together with Thomas meant that part of my 'World of Driftwood' projects would have to be put on the side-burner for a while. Which i didn't have a problem with at all.
But jewelry ideas kept popping up, and although we still haven't quite figured out how it fits in with everything, we decided to incorporate some of my jewelry designs into our House of Thol collection.

Short answer: There's jewelry in our collection because i couldn't help designing it. (saving possible unconscious significance for retrospection)

Right.
Glad we got that covered.
Now let's talk about the new Confetti & Fireworks necklaces...

Animated preview of the Confetti & Fireworks necklaces by House of Thol

ABOUT CONFETTI & FIREWORKS

Confetti & Fireworks is a new series of contemporary brass and enamel necklaces, similar to the Neotribal collection.
The speckled finish, bright colors and geometric shapes make Confetti & Fireworks a perfect modern accessory, both for the everyday as for a dressy special occasion.

Brighten up your day with the light and bright Confetti-necklace, or go for mysterious chique with the darkblue speckled Fireworks.

Fireworks necklace | brass, enamel, gilt steel | 2016
photograph by House of Thol

All Confetti & Fireworks necklaces are handmade with care in our studio in Zandvoort, at the Dutch seaside.

Each necklace comes in a sturdy cardboard giftbox and has a lengthy gilt ballchain that slips on easily.

A bit of a 'salesy' text? 

That's possible, part of it is taken from Crowdyhouse, where Confetti & Fireworks will premier this Monday. - CHECK IT OUT

Get in touch for prices, high-resolution images and retail-information.

House of Thol @ DDW 2015

It's that time again: leaves have started falling and pepernoten are in the stores, which means the Dutch Design Week must be coming up.
The city of Eindhoven will be all about design from October 17th till 25th, and we'll be part of the program.
This DDW we'll be showcasing our fresh range of porcelain tableware 'In the Clouds' as well as the new Scape Mirror, Neotribal jewelry and the Waterworks project.

For the second consecutive year we'll be at Designperron, not far from Eindhoven's city centre, near the train tracks.
And we're not alone: For a full list of all designers and companies participating in the exhibitions around Designperron, visit the Designperron website.
A little scoop: This year Designperron will have a pop-up shop on site that offers exclusive design products from the participating brands.

Come visit us at Designperron, only a short 5-minute walk away from Eindhoven Central Station.
We're planning to be at the location during all regular opening hours of the exhibition and would love to see you there.

House of Thol @ Designperron
Fuutlaan 12
5613 AB Eindhoven

17-25 October 2015
Open daily 10:00 - 18:00

Official DDW location for Dutch Design Rides. | Free parking space available.

We'll keep you posted on this blog.

Clouds & Birds

Our new series of tableware 'in the clouds' has a decoration of, well... clouds. And birds of course.

Clouds and birds.

Why?

It all started with an inspirational visit to the ceramics collection of our Dutch National Museum: Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. 

Browsing through the vast collection of both Asian and Dutch ceramics, we saw a huge variation of themes and decorations. 

We were almost getting overwhelmed by the collection and enormous variety of decorations, when we started noticing a lot of the Delftware landscapes had clouds on them with birds flying by. 

close up of a Delftware plaque - ca 1780
Photograph via Rijksstudio / Rijksmuseum

Once we zoomed in on the clouds and the birds we saw them everywhere. We found that clouds and/or birds are quite often an inconspicuous part of the decoration on both Asian porcelain as well as Dutch Delftware.  

All photographs via Rijksmuseum / Rijksstudio

Ever since visiting the museum our heads have remained in 'clouds & birds'-mode. We've been so focused we started seeing pictures of clouds and birds everywhere.

Anyway, that's the inspiration behind the print of the 'IN THE CLOUDS' tableware. 

We thought you might appreciate a bit of background information.

It took a lot of trial and error and many revisions to develop the decoration into the graphic print it is today, but that's a whole 'nother story.

For a collection of examples of Clouds & Birds on Dutch and Asian ceramics, click here to visit Rijksstudio.

The first pieces of the 'IN THE CLOUDS'-set are now premiering on Crowdyhouse - get them here. 

Waking up at Mirlo's

photograph via buitenshuis.com

Lately we've been seeing a lot of coffeeplace/conceptstore combinations popping up everywhere.
These 'little shops around the corner' are often brimming with personality, becoming an extension of the character (and living room) of the owner, who is usually pooring the coffee herself.

photographs via buitenshuis.com

Mirlo's in Antwerpen is a fine example of a lovely place to have your coffee, breakfast and lunch. With loads of character, a clean interior design and a welcoming owner (Merel).
And now, aside from all the edible and drinkable goodness, you can also visit Mirlo's to buy Waterworks!

photograph by Mirlo's

For more information, visit Mirlo's website (more should be coming soon), or visit Mirlo's Facebook page.

Mirlo's
Verbondstraat 1
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium

For all HOUSE OF THOL stockists, please visit our website.

Newsletter trouble....

Something went wrong when we tried to send out our newsletter yesterday.
Click here to read it online: "Zien we je bij ShowUP?".
And here is our (Dutch) press release.

Since it's all about the Dutch Tradefair ShowUP, the newsletter is completely Dutch this time.
An English newsletter will follow after the fair.

Less than a week till ShowUP...

We'll be participating in the ShowUP tradefair in Expo Haarlemmermeer on Sunday August 23, and Monday August 24.

 Since it's our first time, we've rented a small booth in which we'll present our project Waterworks, the Scape Mirror and the Neotribal collection. We'll also launch our new collection of porcelain tableware 'InTheClouds'.

 ShowUP has been gradually growing over the past years, up to the point where it's now the go to tradefair in the Netherlands for independant creative brands.
 Visit showupbrands.com to see what other brands and designstudios will be presenting their latest products.

We'll both be at the fair on Sunday and Monday and would love to meet you there. Our boothnumber is 172, which is right opposite the doors to the outdoor area.

For more general information about the fair click here.
Admission to ShowUP is free, however the fair is only accessible for professionals from the Home&Gifts industry.
Register here to get your tickets.

ShowUP Tradefair
Expo Haarlemmermeer
Stelling 1 Vijfhuizen (next to Schiphol Airport)

Sunday August 23 | 10:00 - 18:00
Monday August 24 | 10:00 - 18:00

Get in touch if you have any questions about our presentation at the fair or if you like more information about the products we'll be presenting.

 Hope to see you at ShowUP!

Meanwhile in Sweden...

Waterworks was featured on lantliv.com, in this article by blogger and (if i understand correctly) shop owner of Zetas Tradgard, Victoria Skoglund.
Sadly my knowledge of the Swedish language only extends to 'Skoll', therefore i have no idea what's in this article, but the photographs are gorgeous!

Click here for the full article, in Swedish. (Anyone care to translate?) // All photographs via Lantliv.com / Victoria Skoglund.

We'll be at ShowUP!

With a little over a month to go, we're getting serious about our ShowUP preparations.
It's the first time we're participating in an official trade-fair, and there are all kinds of things we need to think about besides the obvious making sure our stand will look the part.

More will surely follow.... but for now: We'll be on stand #172 and hope to see you there!

We're on Crowdyhouse and we're trending!

Crowdyhouse is an online platform that makes it possible to buy directly from designers and makers in the entire world.

One part of the Crowdyhouse website is all about 'Premieres': freshly designed products that are new to the market and sometimes made to order. (read more about premieres)

And there's a regular shop/marketplace that's a bit like Etsy, but way more curated: All designers who want to sell via Crowdyhouse need to apply first, and only after approval by the Crowdyhouse team can they set up shop and offer their designs online.

Graphic by Crowdyhouse

We decided to give it a go, and after going live last Tuesday, Waterworks has already climbed the ranks of popularity and is trending!

Click here for Waterworks on Crowdyhouse.
Click here for Neotribal jewelry on Crowdyhouse.