At Object Rotterdam last week Dutch designer Kiki van Eijk exhibited a table laid with new pieces she has created for Dutch glassware company Royal Leerdam Crystal, cutlery manufacturers Koninklijke Van Kempen and the Audax Textile Museum Tilburg.

Above: Table-Palette, ceramics, crystal, stainless steel, linen/cotton

Called Table-Palette, the installation included table linen based on a series of sketches and water-colours of fish, plants and vegetables by van Eijk, stainless steel cutlery with scalloped handles, a series of glassware and a collection of crockery with raised imagery applied to the surface.

Above: Table-Palette at Object Rotterdam, photo by Jelle Mollema

The project will go on to tour the Audax Textile Museum Tilburg in the Netherlands, the Salone del Mobile in Milan, Italy, and Leerdam Glass Days at Royal Leerdam Crystal, also in the Netherlands.

Above: Table-Palette at Object Rotterdam, photo by Jelle Mollema

All photos are by Frank Tielemans unless otherwise stated.

Above: Soup-tureen, ceramic, for Cor Unum

Here are more details from the Audax Textile Museum Tilburg:

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TOTAL TABLE DESIGN

In contemporary dining culture one encounters worlds of difference.

Above: Bowl, ceramic, for Cor Unum

From here to Timbuktu, masses of people jab little plastic forks into the trademark red and yellow cartons, while experiments in molecular gastronomy are served on specially designed crockery that results in an other aesthetic immersion reserved for the happy few.

Above: Dinner plate, ceramic, for Cor Unum

In the Total Table Design project Dutch designers Scholten & Baijings and Kiki van Eijk present their visions for the art of dining. Total Table Design presents table linen, glassware, crockery and cutlery.

Above: Set of glasses (champagne, liqeur, water/wine, cocktail), crystal, for Royal Leerdam Crystal

To realize the designs, the Audax Textile Museum Tilburg (table linen), Royal Leerdam Crystal (glassware) and Koninklijke van Kempen & Begeer (cutlery) joined forces.

Above: Water and wine carafe, crystal, for Royal Leerdam Crystal

These Dutch institutions and businesses share a passion for traditional craftsmanship.

Above: Cutlery, stainless steel, for Koninklijke van Kempen & Begeer

They regularly work in conjunction with a select group of designers from the Netherlands and beyond to stimulate experiment and innovation.

Above: Cutlery, stainless steel, for Koninklijke van Kempen & Begeer

The crockery the designers developed at Cor Unum and at the European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC) in Den Bosch.

Kiki van Eijk, Table-Palette

Kiki van Eijk's design Table-Palette seems to sympathise with the idea of 'slow food'.

Above: Table-Palette at Object Rotterdam, photo by Jelle Mollema

Her sketches and water-colours, which are the basis for her designs, show beetroot and carrot, fish and poultry as well as tableware with round, bulging forms.

Above: Napkin, linen/cotton - Audax Textile Museum Tilburg

The warm, earthy tones of table linen and crockery like caramel, ochre and siena red arouse a feeling of homeliness, sharing diner and conversation.

Above: Napkin, linen/cotton - Audax Textile Museum Tilburg

Kiki van Eijk (1978) graduated cum laude in 2000 at Design Academy Eindhoven. She is working on her own design collection which is presented in galleries and museums and sold worldwide.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

Besides her own collection she works on projects for companies and institutions such as Studio Edelkoort Paris, Design Academy Eindhoven, MOOOI, Ahrend, Royal Leerdam Crystal, Lebesque, Verardo, Forbo flooring and many more.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

Kiki van Eijk´s style is playful, personal and poetic. Her work is published in magazines such as Wallpaper, Elle Deco, Harpers Bazaar, Vogue, de Architect, Icon magazine and in The International Design Year Book.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

The manufacturers and producers

Royal Leerdam Crystal is the design arm of the Leerdam-based glassworks that was established in 1878 and is steeped in tradition. The firm produces a wide range of household and decorative glassware, realized by artisans or mechanically. Since the start of the 20th century, the factory has commissioned artists such as Berlage, De Bazel and Lebeau in order to offer an aesthetically superior assortment to its customers.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

Over the last few years the company has been working with a diverse group of upcoming and established designers and artists, who contribute to defining the very character of Royal Leerdam Crystal. In 2009 Royal Leerdam Crystal merged with De Porcelyne Fles.

Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

Koninklijke van Kempen & Begeer has a profile defined by a range of products for the ‘world of fine dining’. Based in Zoetermeer since 1985, the company’s history can be traced back to 1789, when Johannes van Kempen established the enterprise. Van Kempen merged with Begeer to form 'Koninklijke van Kempen en Begeer' in 1960.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

The company is proprietor of the brands Keltum (cutlery and table accessories), Gero (cutlery, pans and cookware), BK (pans and cookware), Q-Linair (pans and cookware) and RoyalVKB (food-related lifestyle products). In 2009  Koninklijke van Kempen en Begeer merged with De Porcelyne Fles. In recent years, Koninklijke van Kempen & Begeer has collaborated with renowned designers including Gijs Bakker and Ineke Hans.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

Bearing the new name of Audax Textile Museum Tilburg from 2008, the Textile Museum was established in 1958 and has been based at a former Tilburg textile mill, a listed monument, since 1986. The Audax Textile Museum Tilburg presents itself as a unique and creative ‘working museum’. In the TextileLab, an integral part of the museum, artists and designers can have their designs realized on computer-controlled machinery under the supervision of textile specialists.

Above: Sketch by Kiki van Eijk

In 2010, the 'set tables' by Scholten & Baijings and by Kiki van Eijk will be presented at various locations.

February 4th until 7th, 2010 at the Dutch design fair ‘Object Rotterdam’, Las Palmas building, Kop van Zuid, Rotterdam (NL)
February 13th until March 21st, 2010 in Audax Textile Museum Tilburg (NL)
April 14th – 18th, 2010, Salone del Mobile, Milaan (I), Undai Galleries
June 25th – June 28th, 2010, Leerdam Glass Days, Royal Leerdam Crystal (NL)