I’ve said it before, and I am sure I’ll say it again: The Dutch are so crazy creative and their designs are always so unique – what is it that makes them think not just outside of the box, but way, way beyond it? Whenever I am looking for something highly unusual, I always start with Dutch designers, and they never disappoint
Bertjan Pot is a perfect example. After graduating from Design Academy Eindhoven, he started freelancing and formed the design company “Monkey Boys” together with a classmate, Daniel White. They worked together for a few years, designing furniture and lighting, but eventually parted ways and each started freelancing on his own.
Over the years, Bertjan has designed lots of very interesting, fun and gorgeous items – the pink sofa “Rits”, the beanbag “Pitstop” and the smile-inducing “free potato wallpaper” are some of my favorites.
But his light fixtures are where his design really wows, in my opinion:
The Downstairs, which was born out of the (permanent) installation “Stairway to Heaven” at Cafe Wennekerpand (in Schiedam, Holland) comes with LEDs or regular light bulbs in three sizes (4, 6 or 8 steps)
The Revolving Chandelier (right) is made with propeller-like, semi-transparent and reflective shades, 
which starts to rotate (and produce a twinkling effect) when the three halogen lamps inside heat up.
Bertjan designed the famous Random light (left) as an experiment in 1999, and the epoxy-soaked fiberglass sphere has become one of his most popular designs (there are countless DIY “recipes” for how to make one on the web).
The mid-century modern-looking Non-Random light (below) came to be when an attempt was made to make the Random light mechanically rather than manually. The machine was unwilling to create the random pattern and the Non-Random light was born.
The Disco Dome is a clean, smooth white on the outside and a disco ball light on the inside – 
brilliant! I have never stopped loving disco balls, but for some reason, other family members feel that they are “a bit too much” in certain rooms. Well, here is the solution! So fun and festive.
Bertjan has received numerous awards (among them, the 2012 FRAME moooi award), his work has been featured in many exhibits, and some items are part of the collection of, among others, the Victoria & Albert Museum (London), the Stedelijk Museum (Amsterdam) and MoMA (NYC). I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next!
All photos: Studio Bertjan Pot
For samples of the work of some other amazing Dutch designers and artists, also see my posts on Paper Cutting, Warming Metal Wall Decor, Interesting Wall Lamp Designs, Using Curtain Fabric on the Walls, and Baby Nursery Decor Inspiration.
