STUDENT CHALLENGE: FORBO X WDKA

Project WDKA LINOLAB

Student Challenge Willem de Kooning | group portrait

Beyond the obvious

Flexible Furniture Linoleum is a material in development that offers a thinner and more flexible version as opposed to the regular Marmoleum for flooring. Originally it is intended to be used within the context of furniture and interior.

In this collaboration, 27 third-year design students of the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam were challenged to look beyond the obvious and to approach the material from a fresh perspective.

Prior to the Dutch Design Week the students had 6 weeks to explore and experiment with the Flexible Furniture linoleum. In their approach, they embraced their differences in style and ways of working. The outcome was an inspiring and diverse range of material experiments, based on the material’s wide range of possibilities, such as flexibility, texture, and movement.

In the second phase of the project the students were asked to develop product orientated concepts and translate these into larger prototypes. In the final presentation a series of exciting results were showcased varying from a room divider, a vase to a jewellery display and many more.

With the professional support of their tutors, the students succeeded in making the endless possibilities and applications of Forbo’s Flexible Furniture linoleum tangible.

Curious to see the finished results? Click on the tabs above to view each project and read more on the design process.

Meet the designers
To the linolab instagram page

Daen

Linoleum Clamp

‘An organic shape appeared in my hands when I clamped the linoleum between my fingers’. With the goal in mind to get control over this new shape Daen Kroezen designed a clamp to regulate the pleats. By clamping the material, it gained stiffness.

The outcome of his research was translated into organic shapes that can be clicked together using the clamps. The design can be applied as a wall covering, an acoustic panel, or used to create a spatial object.

The panels are made of Flexible furniture Linoleum reinforced with a layer of felt that provides the design with additional acoustic properties. The clamps are connected by magnets.

Daen Kroezen
@vandaendesign
https://daenkroezen.hotglue.me

Luize

A display with personality

"Perceiving touch as a sense with great impact on how we experience the world, the aim was to create an interactive object the viewer desires to touch.

Taking advantage of the Flexibility of linoleum, Luīze Mihailova used a vacuum press to adjust the material to layers of MDF creating harmonic and fluent shapes.

“Ooze” is a display for jewellery that embodies the curves of the human body and reflects the way jewellery adjusts to it. Material’s natural minimalistic colour, lets the jewellery stand out, creating a balance that is appealing to the viewer."

Luīze Mihailova
@luize.mihailova

Kasper

Lino scales

"Lino Scales is a sheet with 3dimensional features, made from modular pieces of linoleum with the goal of visualizing movement in form.

The pattern in which the scales are connected is designed in such a way that there is an overlap. This emphasizes a change in direction by sticking out or bending.

When draped on top of a volume or object, the Lino Scales highlight the movement within the shape by covering it. The Lino Scales can visualize simple, complex, and traditional objects."

Kasper Boelens
@biiiepbop
kasperboelens.nl

Moritz

A new linoleum aesthetic

In his research Moritz Liedtke discovered new ways to redesign flat linoleum sheet material for use in a 3-dimensional context. By working visually with the structure of the jute combined with the front and back sides of the linoleum he offers a new linoleum aesthetic with an unexpected angle.

In his playful designs composed with wood and linoleum the material construction of the linoleum is revealed and emphasized. The separation of the linoleum and the jute backing highlights the different layers of the material and creates an optical contrast between the different elements.

For the assignment, Moritz created two boxes that showcase how his findings can be implemented in a smart way in a product design.

Moritz Liedtke
www.liedtke.nl

Luna

Wall wave

People have a strong need to change the interior of their house (frequently). With a movable wall, a space can be easily transformed and adapted to the changing needs of the inhabitant.

The movable Wall Wave design of Luna Haverkorn is based on the flexibility and stiffness of the linoleum and can be moulded into four different shapes. By adding pressure to the surface from different directions a variety of patterns can be created.

The design offers the possibility to combine different patterns in one surface thus creating your own unique Wall Wave. The two differently coloured sides, a darker and a lighter, make it possible to adapt the room divider to any desired atmosphere.

Luna Haverkorn
@luna.haverkorn
https://lunahaverkorn.wixsite.com/my-site

Izzy

Linograat

The playing with simple shapes cut from linoleum inspired Izzy Goedvolk to design his skeletal forms. By connecting the shapes and adding new layers, interesting movements developed.

To enhance the organic appearance, the jute backing was coloured. For the final construction yarns from the coloured jute were used.

Izzy Goedvolk
@izgoed
www.izgoed.nl

Sophie

Fine Line vase collection

Inspired by all the layers that go into linoleum, combined with the flexibility of Forbo’s new material Sophie Haring designed a set of four Fine Line vases showcasing the layering, detail, and contrast of Flexible linoleum.

Created by using a repetitive amount of linoleum slabs, alternating between two different colours. Rolling and overlapping each other tightly into a heavy roll. Modified on the turning lathe, by removing material, an organic shape arises with a beautiful gradient.

The Fine Line vase collection showcases the layers and most importantly the pliability of Flexible linoleum.

Sophie Haring
@s.haringdesign
https://sharingdesign.cargo.site

Jake

Only linoleum

What can be made with linoleum when you are forced to use only the material itself without other materials or methods of fixation?

Jake Zakrzewski challenged himself to create a 3D structure made entirely out of linoleum to show the true properties of the material. Inspired by patterns in nature he created a modular system with laser-cut linoleum elements that can be connected together without using any foreign materials or methods like glueing, stitching, etc.

With the modules, a vast variety of structures can be built that gain their strength from their intricate patterns.

Jake Lalor Zakrzewski
@jakelalzak
www.jakelz.nl

Federico

Linoleum bowl

The design of Federico is conceived by experimenting with the reflective and flexible qualities of linoleum. The Flexible furniture linoleum was carved into specific sections with a laser cutter.

The carvings allow the material to be folded together, like origami, to create a 3-dimensional vessel. The design can just as easily be unfolded and put away saving space. The folds and the material finish create a playful interaction with light.

Federico Ramirez Honack
@papi_papillon_
www.papipapillon.com

Anne

Form Follows / Wavy

Anne Visser is intrigued by the way the material captures light and creates these beautiful different shades and structures when it moves.

With ‘Form Follows’ she is connecting the Flexible Furniture Linoleum with other materials in a controlled way, to show the contrast of the linoleum with other materials and its behavior together and by showing its flexibility by creating wavy structures. This results in the material having a softer and thus more flexible appearance.

Anne Visser
@anne.vimo
www.annevisser.com

Thanos

From Flat to Folded

By turning the linoleum into a three-dimensional pattern, treating it as a fabric, Thanos Deenen pushed the boundaries of the Flexible linoleum.

The three-dimensional effect was created by hand sewing colourful rope through the material and by playing with the length of the rope.

The design challenges the user to interact with the product. By pulling the ends of the rope the flat, hanging material is transformed into a folded, dynamic object, giving it the function of either a room divider or blinds.

Thanos Deenen
@thanos.deenen
www.thanosdeenen.com

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