This week, TILT designhub, serving as guest editor, is contributing five articles about Deventer and Design. Today about The Deventer Interior Design Days.
The Deventer Interior Design Days (DiDD) is an annual event that focuses on interior design and interior architecture. DiDD serves as a substantive bridge between education, professional practice, and the public, and demonstrates how a local design platform can contribute to a broader culture of design and innovation.
Within a local design ecosystem, the mere presence of design studios, workshops, and educational institutions is not enough in itself to speak of a cohesive design culture. It is precisely the connection between these parties that matters. A platform or event can bring these often-fragmented worlds together, stimulate the exchange of knowledge, and raise the profile of the local design community within a broader network. In Deventer, the DiDD fulfills this catalytic role in the fields of interior design and spatial design.
DiDD is an initiative of Saxion’s Interior Design and Interior Brand Identity programs and is made possible in part by professionals, design organizations, and public platforms in the city. In just a few years, DiDD has become a recurring feature of Deventer’s event calendar, with various locations both in and outside the city center forming part of the program. Historic buildings, public institutions, and other distinctive venues serve as exhibition spaces, meeting places, or venues for workshops and lectures.
From September 29 through October 4, this year’s theme is MUTE: what happens within the design process when we slow down and make room for silence? In doing so, DiDD addresses current issues such as mental health, sensory processing, well-being, and the quality of the living environment. Together with partners such as TILT Designhub, Carlos in Huis, and Architecture center Rondeel, the festival explores the role that tranquility, mindfulness, and sensory relief can play in the built environment and how these qualities can be translated into interior design and architecture.
Through its substantive programming, DiDD aims to be more than just a showcase for students. The Lebuïnuskerk will feature the work of more than 150 students, exploring themes such as mental health, sustainability, inclusivity, and the quality of our living environment. In this way, the exhibition not only offers an overview of the work produced within the degree programs but also serves as a space where contemporary design issues are brought to light and opened up for discussion. For students, DiDD also provides an important link to the professional world: the event gives them the opportunity to showcase concepts, research, and designs to peers, professionals, potential employers, and residents of Deventer.
At the same time, DiDD provides established design practices with a platform to explore current developments within the discipline and to connect with one another. The program includes masterclasses, workshops, exhibitions, and discussions, with themes such as TABOO, It’s Aesthetic!, and Who’s Limited Here?, as well as topics like the influence of light on health and well-being and the role of sensory perception in the design process. Hands-on workshops, such as Urban Sketching and MUTE Your Book, directly link design skills, observation, and reflection to real-world practice.
DiDD partners’ activities take place at venues such as City Hall, the Library, the Lebuïnus Church, and the Gasfabriek, making the city not just a backdrop but also an integral part of the program. Instead of a large-scale event at a single central location, DiDD makes use of both well-known and lesser-known spots throughout the city. This creates a network in which education, design practice, culture, and the public temporarily reinforce one another, serving as both a meeting place and a breeding ground for knowledge sharing, talent development, and professional exchange.
TILT designhub Deventer
TILT designhub is an independent, designer-led platform in Deventer for design, knowledge exchange and collaboration. Operating without subsidies, TILT strengthens the regional design community through studios, exhibitions, events and professional encounters.
Text: John Patrick Nijkamp, Studio KERN
Photography: Deventer Interior Design Days 2025
