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Nightshop Transforms Office Furniture From Pure Function to Art

Adriaan van der Ploeg and Ward van Gemert have never worked in an office. So, it might come as a surprise that the latest collection of work from their Netherlands-based studio Nightshop is, in fact, office furniture.

The aptly titled Business collection includes standard office fare such as tables and file cabinets, each meticulously detailed with hand-drawn patterns reminiscent of graffiti on high school lockers and bathroom stalls, which are then coated in a thick layer of clear resin to protect them for eternity.

More unexpected pieces include lamps, a mirror, a sign with no message, a series of misshapen heads with no function at all and selections from Showdown, a collection of urethane foam rugs we covered earlier this year.

“We grew frustrated by the often costly and time-consuming nature of the modern-day design process,” van der Ploeg says. Giving themselves a one year deadline, the duo worked quickly, making as much as they could in-house to avoid time spent on external manufacturing.

Drawn to office furniture for its “boring neutralness,” van der Ploeg and van Gemert saw it as a blank canvas and an opportunity to elevate the traditionally drab pieces. Carving out a somewhat unique space for themselves at the intersection of good taste and bad, Nightshop sees their latest endeavor as a continuation of that exploration, mixing high culture and pop references to create a collection of office furniture and accessories that deviate from the norm.

The end result is an exercise in patience and a close collaboration with Robert van Oosterom Interiors & Fine Art, where the collection will be making its debut this Thursday. “We have no idea what’s next. There’s only Thursday,” van der Ploeg says.

“Business,” the first solo exhibition by design studio NIGHTSHOP will be hold an opening reception at Robert van Oosterom Interiors & Fine Art on June 16, 2016. 

http://www.core77.com/posts/53941/Nightshop-Transforms-Office-Furniture-From-Pure-Function-to-Art