08-04-2017

Dutch Design Daily

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Job van den Berg www.jobvandenberg.com

The Essence of the Blue Cabinet

By 08-04-2017

ONE WEEK ABOUT Dutch Designers in Milan by Connecting the Dots in cooperation with Civica Scuola Interpreti e Traduttori ‘Altiero Spinelli’

Imagine yourself wandering through a garden in the heart of Milan: that’s Galleria Rossana Orlandi, via Matteo Bandello 14/16. The location is rich with delicate perfumes, shining colors and eccentric objects. One in particular catches the eye: a shining blue cabinet. At its side a smiling young designer is introducing his work to the visitors. His name is Job van den Berg, he is 26 years old and a Dutch designer exhibiting for the first time in Milan at the Fuorisalone.

The design of the Blue Metal Skin Cabinet stands perfectly for the essence of Job’s work. He graduated two years ago from the Design Academy Eindhoven, but started working on the cabinet five years ago. The concept deals with experimenting with new industrial making processes. That’s why he collaborated with a sheet-metal manufacturer to develop a system to press different things into metal sheets, such as wood in the case of the cabinet. In order to create the outside of the Metal Skin Cabinet, he forged wood veneer and sheet-metal under high pressure, obtaining a unique and appealing texture which adds character and individuality to this project. The strong color also plays an important role in the outcome of the armoire. The cabinet is painted with a powder-coating in order to be very scratch resistant and extremely bright. The first version was grey but then Van den Berg shifted to a less neutral colour. “Why blue? It’s my favourite color”, he looks around for a few seconds before continuing, “and it contrasts with my red hair, so…”

Now he is considering using new materials, such as glass, and new processes. “But you never know what can happen.”

Text: Martina Pianezzola and Ilaria Arghenini – students of Civica Scuola Interpreti e Traduttori ‘Altiero Spinelli’