CONNECTION - The core of our new collection

It looks like 2022 will be the year in which we will reach a new ‘normal’. And hopefully it will be a year in which differences will be ironed out and in which we can, again, seek the connection. Because ‘connection’ is a key value within LINTELOO: bringing people together, in an environment where they feel relaxed and safe. A number of new designs is added to the collection which each, in some way or other, feature ‘connection’. We present these new designs here, with comments on the designs by the designers themselves. Be inspired to give connection more room again!

CLAMP by Sjoerd Vroonland

Nowhere is the connection more visible than in the Sjoerd Vroonland’s ‘Clamp’ series. ‘Of course, I am, originally, a wooden furniture guy. And that is where the construction, the way in which various parts connect, is truly at the heart of your design. This time, I did not opt for wood but for a metal frame, containing a table top made out of two parts, each a different material. It was exciting to me to see and to show how one material grabs hold of the other. Therefore, in that metal embrace, the clamp is left in plain sight. The table tops are made using off-cuts, whenever possible, for optimum use of the natural materials. Customers can select the combination—there are three types of marble and two types of wood—, giving them an active influence over their own interiors. This fits well within the current philosophy of individuality and flexibility.’

MALIBU by Jan te Lintelo

A connection between past and present—and, for that matter, between the American West Coast and East Coast—can be seen in Jan te Lintelo’s latest design, the ‘Malibu’ sofa. ‘I have always been very happy with the ‘Hamptons’: sleek yet relaxed and incredibly comfortable. We wanted to keep those qualities and connect them to a slightly more luxurious outlook. Adding an elegant frame with feet that are so slender that the sofa appears to float, creates just the right difference. And the names reflect that as well: the vibe in the Hamptons is a bit more rugged, more earthy than in Malibu, California. But both are on the coast, so that feeling of space and freedom you always have when you are near the ocean, is definitely also there in the ‘Malibu’.’

BIJOU by Roderick Vos

That Roderick Vos has not yet lost the connection with his childhood, is confirmed by the ‘Bijou’ side table. ‘By lifting or lowering the top, you create the desired height. It is a very simple act, reminiscent of a childhood toy. As a kid you would have all of these simply constructed toys. People connect with that childhood memory. And that makes a design timeless. I am certain that in 30 years, ‘Bijou’ will still feel right. The silhouette gives a playful nod to the Art Deco, as do a number of my designs. And to Japan, where they are also very good at this kind of seemingly simple constructions.

IWA by Roderick Vos

For the ‘Iwa’ dining table, which Roderick Vos designed as the ‘Iwa’ coffee table’s ‘big brother’, he gave his inner boy free reign. ‘I wanted to design a table without actually designing it, a bit like how a child would draw a table. The ‘Iwa’ coffee table always reminds me of Fred Flintstone, and this dining table is the Barney Rubble variety! Very basic, very simple. That is to say, so it seems. Because this table is not simple: the two U-shaped bases can be slotted into different holes on the underside of the tabletop, close together or far apart. And both bases, or just one of them, can also be turned upside down, like a Π instead of a U. Precisely because this table is so seemingly simple, it is not susceptible to trends. With each design, I ask myself two questions. Would I want to own it? And will it still be beautiful in 30 years? Well, yes.’

LLOYD by Roderick Vos

How unique is this: an object, a piece of furniture, which forms a direct connection between a father and a son. That is the case with Roderick Vos’s version of the ‘DWI’, once designed for LINTELOO by his father Henk. ‘The ‘DWI’ is a flawless design and in my version, the ‘Lloyd’, I underlined that by giving the chair a completely honest look, following –and thereby outlining—its silhouette with a cord. I opted for two versions: a dining chair with a wide back and one with a slightly narrower back—perfect as an accent chair. The back tapers in slightly, which is different from the original design. Of course, that is difficult to upholster, but we have turned that into an honest feature as well, with a visible zipper.’

BROADWAY by Roderick Vos

Simple is quite often brilliant. And sometimes you see something so simple—and so brilliant—that you wonder ‘why did nobody else think of this?’ A striking example is Roderick Vos’s new ‘Broadway’ sofa, where the connection between the front and the side and between the side and the back is not square or rounded, but at a 45 degree angle. ‘The entire silhouette of the sofa is outlined by a thick cord, which really makes those chamfered edges stand out. It is a ‘plump’ sofa, with hidden feet, so from a distance this design reminds me of an organic cube. That may sound contradictory, but it is, I think, a good description. It is a modular sofa, so I embraced that whole idea of ‘be your own designer’. And it is really comfortable! I mean, let’s be honest, what is the use of a beautiful sofa you can’t sit on?’

OFFSET by Anthony Guerrée

In his designs, Anthony Guerrée often throws the viewer off-guard. These are designs with a sense of humour. He has given the iconic Parisian bistro chair a new silhouette, a rocking chair gets a backrest shaped like a painter’s easel, a bench immediately reminds you of a piano. ‘I became a furniture designer because I love the idea that, through design, you can influence people’s day-to-day interactions.’ His designs are often sculptural, as we can see in the ‘Offset’ tables—‘puzzle pieces’ which appear to be carefully fretsawn, to then slot seamlessly into one another, using the simplest connection of all: a slit in one piece, a slit in the other, and hey presto, slide them in at a 90 degree angle. The end result, again, throws the viewer off-guard because, to a degree, the contrast in character of the materials—marble and wood—disappears.

PAVIA by Marcel Wolterinck

The Italians know it like no other: sharing a meal offers the best connection. As does cooking together! Which is why dining chair ‘Pavia’—designed by Marcel Wolterinck, a huge fan of Italian cuisine—was given a long-legged sister. This tall version is perfect for sitting down at a kitchen island or breakfast bar, and so comfortable you can stay there for hours. Which is important, especially when you wish to truly enjoy a beautiful Franciacorte, the best bubbly in Italy, made in Lombardy, of which Pavia is the capital.