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Go to shop21 May 2025
According to the designer, the house is a refuge to be furnished in a functional way without forgetting the enchantment.
From the collaboration between Richard Hutten and Ghidini 1961 comes a perfect combination of experimentation and tradition, creativity and manufacturing that is also confirmed in the new Plomis project, just presented at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Much more than a bookcase, Plomis is a configurable and versatile shelving system that can be placed against a wall or in the center of a room and act as a divider, as the designer himself explains. Hutten trained at the Design Academy in Eindhoven during a period of great freedom, almost self-management, which he was able to channel and transform into a free but concrete approach to the project.
When and how did the collaboration with Ghidini 1961 start?
My collaboration with Ghidini 1961 started in 2015. My dear friend Stefano Giovannoni called me, asking if I could design for a company he started art directing. When a good friend asks you, you can’t say no. Then I visited the factory of Ghidini and I was totally blown away. The quality and precision of their craftsmen was simply superb. That made it really interesting for me to collaborate with them, since I have a strong passion for making and their products would last long.
Could you tell us more about the Plomis bookshelf introduced at Salone del mobile?
You call it bookshelf but I think shelf system is a better word. I have created a horizontal element, the shelf, and a vertical element is a sort of flower shape, as the vertical element. Clients can choose how high and how wide the shelf should be and were the verticals are placed. In this way it’s like a toolbox where you can configure the shelf the way you want. It can be placed against the wall. It can be as high as your ceiling, even if your ceiling is 10 meters high. But you can also place it free in the space and then it doubles as a room divider. In that case you can also choose per vertical box on which side the opening should be.
The Butterfly series is also very iconic, could you tell us more about how this idea was born?
All my life I have been intrigued by butterflies. Recently I even bought land which I will dedicate to create habit for butterflies. It is a marvellous wonder of nature. My interest in this amazing animal lead to the creation of the butterfly. It is not only beautiful to watch but also very functional; I use it at home.
Talking about interior design for private spaces, what do you think we really need right now?
We are living in harsh and uncertain times. In this situation the interior becomes more and more important. It’s a shelter for the outside world. Interiors therefore need comforting and functional designs, from natural materials and away from plastics. Products which are sustainable and who age well.
You graduated at Design Academy Eindhoven, what did this experience leave in your way of designing?
When I graduated from The Design Academy Eindhoven, back in 1991, it was a total different place then today. While I studied it changed its name from Academy for Industrial Design to The Design Academy. The curriculum also changed in that period. Teachers were more interested in the change than in the students. It was a mild sort of anarchy since the staff and school were not really there. This moment of change was used by the student. We got into a sort of Do It Yourself mode, and we pushed ourselves and others. As a result the “golden 5 of Eindhoven”, as a variation of the 5 of Antwerp, graduated in the same period: Hella Jongerius, Jurgen Bey, Piet Hein Eek, Tord Boontjes and myself. What I learned in that time is that if you really push hard you will succeed.
When you approach a new project, what are your priorities?
When I approach a project sustainability is the key starting point. How can I make a product which is long lasting and which has the smalles possible footprint? Then I start playing. The result should always be playful, fun and beautiful.
What’s your relationship with Rotterdam and what does the city give you in terms of inspiration and work environment?
Rotterdam is a great city to live and work. It’s a relative small city with only 800.000 inhabitants, but it’s very vivid. There are a lot of world-famous creatives such as MVRDV, Rem Koolhaas, Sabine Marcellis, Joep van Lieshout and many more. Since it’s a small city we all meet frequently. That gives a lot of energy. Since Rotterdam is the biggest port in Europe, the mentality is also to look further. At the same time there is not too much distraction so you really can concentrate on working.
