Fundamentals of Makkum Atelier NL

Location:	Makkum
Designer:	Atelier NL
Project type:	art & design
Product:	glazed earthenware

In a bid to develop and produce a new Dutch dinner service that was also accessible to a broad public, Koninklijke Tichelaar approached the young designers Lonny van Ryswyck and Nadine Sterk, who were collaborating under the name Atelier NL. Jan Tichelaar was aware of Lonny van Ryswyck’s final project thesis ‘Uit de klei getrokken’ (“Drawn from clay”), in which she sees the Netherlands as a depository of different kinds of river, sea and glacial clay. The result is a very attractive and very practical five-part service in six different colours, with a stamp of origin.

By excavating, shaping and baking these clays into various plates and bowls, the physical and chemical properties revealed a wonderfully colourful ‘map’ of the Netherlands. This concept fitted perfectly with our desire to design new pottery, as had been fashioned in Makkum up to and during the 19th century.