Dutch Design Week: You shouldn’t miss these cool gadgets

Fifty shades of red
Designer Ilse Evers relaxes on a bright red chair. It’s made from old fire hoses, just like the rest of her collection.

“I make belts and bags, but also lamps and seats. All from fire hoses. My neighbor once gave me a hose like this. Then I looked at the material from all sides and started cutting it. I discovered that it is a very strong material. Its color is stable,” says Ilse, smiling. Very beautiful shine. You can use it indoors and outdoors, because it is not afraid of water.”

All of Ilse’s designs are unique. “Each snake has its own color and its own details. Fifty shades of red actually. So no two products are the same.”

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Converted fire hoses attract a lot of attention. Simon Le Fevre, a visitor to Dutch Design Week, also sat in Elsie’s chair.

“It fits well. It makes you think. To make wooden chairs, we cut down trees. We need animals to make leather chairs. But this is reusing old materials. I think that’s important.”

Clipence
Many people look at designer Amy Bensdorp’s stones. It’s making clean bricks again from clay soil contaminated with PFAS. “This is very special, because previously this soil could only be disposed of,” she explains proudly.

But Amy found a way to break down toxic PFAS. “I put the contaminated soil into an industrial kiln. The heat causes the chemicals to break down and a clean building product remains. We will soon do a big test and make 50,000 bricks, enough to build a terrace house. It would be great if houses could do that.” We will soon be able to build with this Brick. The most important thing is that no harmful chemicals reach the environment.”

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Forcoaster
Everyone has tried it: You think your food is still good in the fridge, but the expiration date on the package has just passed. Many people just throw it away anyway. But with the “vorkoster” (connoisseur) this is no longer necessary.

“This is a foil coating that responds to the pH value of the stored food. By changing colour, it shows whether the food containing the protein is still edible or not. It therefore shows the actual shelf life,” explains René van Geer from Harvard University. Secret talent platform. “If the food is no longer good, the foil simply turns red. This prevents food from being thrown away unnecessarily.”

Ryan Van Jenken and his wife look on intently. “I think it’s a smart lid. There are also a lot of products here and I think, what should I do with them? But I think I will buy this. Very good for preventing waste this way.”

Dutch Design Week can be visited until October 29th.