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One half of lamp design duo Brand van Egmond, the Dutch designer recounts her firm’s journey to success and how she continues to inspire herself.
Annet Van Egmond
SINGAPORE TATLER HOMES: How was Brand van Egmond established?
The company was founded from a partnership between William Brand and myself. We met at the Utrecht School of Arts in Netherlands, where I was studying to be a sculptor and William to be an architect. We decided to work together after a brief stint of venturing out individually and our first studio was in my parents’ garage. Because we had no budget, we actually had free reign to design. I started twisting shapes out of iron and then we added lights to the forms. Thus began the story of our lamps and chandeliers.
Candle and Spirit; Lavieenrose hanging lamp
You count prestigious brands like Chopard and Louis Vuitton among your clients. How do you feel about your achievements?
I believe a lot of our success is due to not being fettered by design rules. Our style is free, chartered by our imagination. We are also very fortunate to have gained the “endorsement” of other influential designers and tastemakers. In 2007, our collection “Flower Power” was given a special recognition in the International design Yearbook by Patricia Urquiola. It was later used in the award-winning Park POD hotel in Chennai, India. We were also commissioned by Chopard to design a lamp, which can also be described as a dazzling art installation for the opening of their new boutique in Dubai last October. We have and continue to keep an open, enthusiastic mind about all the projects that we undertake. It is important to not restrict ourselves to designing within our comfort zones, but to branch out and try new things all the time.
Crystal Waters hanging lamp; Hollywood collection
How do you and Brand complement each other in your work?
It’s been 25 years since we started Brand van Egmond in 1989 but we are still very excited about every new project we work on. As an architect, William has a very good sense of space. He knows what works where and how things come together. All these add a lot of value when it’s combined with my aesthetic style while we are conceptualising a new collection or something for a client.
It’s been a long journey, how do you stay passionate about your work?
By staying curious in things that surround us – the people and their life tatler_tatler_stories. We travel a lot and pick up interesting things about a place’s history and culture that inspire us. Some of our ideas come from the most mundane of things. For example, the Sultan of Swing collection was inspired by curtain tassels. These days, we are all too overwhelmed by glaring lights and attention-grabbing signs that we forget how beautiful small and intricate details can be.
Visit Space Furniture to view more designs from Brand van Egmond.
