hella jongerious displayed her visions of the ideal house

hella jongerious displayed her visions of the ideal house ....................................................................................................................................................

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ideal house cologne 2005

by hella jongerius

hella jongerius distances herself from the concept of
an ideal, which is fixed in a condition.
on the contrary, she comes close to such a condition
without ever actually reaching it.
that is like with a never completed archive.
old items are kept for a long time, then eventually removed
and new ones added: a continuous process.
the number of items of furniture and accessories as
well as the kind of interior design should simply be seen
as inspiration for the visitors.
after all, what room is there for desire if perfection has
already been achieved? ideal is by definition open,
a projection into the future, and it must remain as such.

‘I could say of my own house that it is functioning well
at this moment, and is therefore ideal for me’ she says,
‘but how can I determine that for others?
moreover, I keep all options open, even in my own house.’

for this reason she decided, in close cooperation with
architect herman verkerk and designer arian brekveld
(who designs at jongeriuslab), to materialize the concept
of changeability.
likewise after every table, chair, sofa, after every mp3 player,
educational course, after every job, after every vase a new
desire follows.

the visitor moves through a series of floating walls that hang
in succession like building façades.
the living spaces are empty, while the domestic accessories
are hidden away within walls.
the designer positions storage shelf systems everywhere ...
and these fill up the entire height.
they are filled with totally different objects:
flea market articles, family heirlooms and works by
other designers are to be found.
an archive of memory and a warehouse full of possibilities.

hella jongerius has an exceptional feel for material, detail,
colour and ornamentation, a combination of past and future,
centuries-old crafts and high-tech industrial production techniques.
a selection of products by jongerius herself can also be
found, among which the latest ceramic work designed in
commission for nymphenburg and makkom.

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