17-06-2016
Spatial Design

Dutch Design Daily

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La Bolleur www.labolleur.com

Opera Forward Festival

By 17-06-2016

At the invitation of DNO and Novel, the multidisciplinary design studio La Bolleur signed up for the spatial design of the Opera Forward Festival in the building of the National Opera & Ballet in Amsterdam.

La Bolleur (LABO for insiders) emerged from a large group of fellow students. They met about 10 years ago in Eindhoven, where they studied at the Design Academy. The LABO style is very popular and recognizable, standing out because of its playful character, explicit use of materials and clearly visible constructive elements.

Bram: “Our style is straightforward. We show how things fit together and we try to come up with nice solutions.”
Steie: “We draw our inspiration from architecture, the logic of physics and the practical side of the design. If it is easier to put a screw in straight from the front, why would you make a hole at the back? Only to hide the screw? We also design during the building process. That is completely different than, for example, a Siematic kitchen, where everything on the outside is tight and straightened. You won’t see any seams, any screws, but underneath there is the cheapest kind of wood.”

La Bolleur draws its inspiration from the existing architecture and allows itself to be guided by simple and logical thoughts to aesthetic design ideas. That’s also what they did for the interior of Opera Forward Festival.

La Bolleur wanted to make a grand gesture with the design and add a clear layer to the huge and fairly busy building. “Our design doesn’t have to stand out, it should first and foremost make people feel good. People should feel that they’re entering a festival with an active, bustling atmosphere.”

Author: Sterre van Rossem
Photos: Bo van Veen