Dutch Design Week is undoubtably one of the largest design events in the world. The main focus is on young, emerging and experimental design and innovative thinking. To put it clearly – this is the place to find out what is on the mindset of the next generation of designers. What are they planning to design? Here is my report for Dutch Design Week 2026.
It is difficult to compare visitor numbers at design weeks that are open to the wider public. According to the organisers, Dutch Design Week attracts around 300,000–350,000 visitors.
Compare this with 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, which officially reports around 60,000 visitors. However, DDW runs for nine days, from Saturday, October 17, to Sunday, October 25, spanning two weekends. Duration alone makes a direct comparison difficult.
The figures are not entirely comparable, either. DDW features around 2,500 designers, while 3 Days of Design brings together approximately 460 brands. Both events are growing, although Copenhagen appears to be growing faster.
The biggest difference lies in their focus. DDW puts designers, ideas and experimentation centre stage, while 3 Days of Design is more brand-driven. You won’t find many major product launches in Eindhoven. There are exceptions, of course, but the emphasis is firmly on exploring ideas, testing boundaries and asking questions rather than presenting finished products.
Like Copenhagen, Eindhoven is a relatively walkable city during design week. That said, I certainly clocked up a few kilometres — including one 40-minute walk. Walkable, yes, but don’t underestimate the distances.
Where are we with AI and design?
So DDW is a place for thinking. One of the main things I bring back from days here are the attitude towards AI. At studio Dutch Invertuals they made a manifesto on design. I liked bulletpoint two here “The question is no longer what we can make, but what is worth making”.
The design week is soooo much about materials that we forgot to ask ourselves – do I need it?
I don’t want to point finger at anyone, but so much is about doing things with the proper material. But does anyone want it? If noone wants it – should we actually produce it?
This question is of course not necessarily about AI but is associated to new technology. But there was a whole exhibition on AI.
One of the projects that got my attention was this. Vera van der Burg introduced her way of working in ceramics to AI. She trained it. Back and forth.
AI got better and better. These images above are from AI in a “Vera style”.
And then she would make it. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it broke in the kiln because AI doesn’t know the material clay. Yet. But soon it will.
I talked to one of the curators – Jesse Josua Benjamin – and he is a teacher at Design Academy Eindhoven. And he wanted to bring the discussion on AI to the table. If AI can do this today – what should teachers educate the design students? The exhibition didn’t give any clear answers but opened up to discussion. What are you teaching your design students in your city?
These kind of conversations are things you find at Dutch Design Week. And I love it.
Interestingly enough, I didn’t see a lot of talk about AI among the design students at Design Academy Eindhoven. If I understood this project correctly, this student asked AI to make a picture, and then he had a “conversation” with AI and added branches, doodle etc. By Jonas Dannacher.
This is kind of looking at AI. Or at least virtual tools. Designer Valerio Arsenio made models of a classical teapot. Maybe more looking at graphic design tools than actual AI.
Finnish design university Aalto brought an AI exhibition. Not sure I understood everything… But the steel wall decoration, started as handdrawn and then AI did something… Not sure. Second image, I think the students are exploring if AI can do architecture.
Materials first
The overarching theme at Dutch Design Week is materials — and, more specifically, sustainable materials. The majority of installations address the subject. Really. It feels like 90% of the show. Recycled denim turned into planks, upcycled waste, flax, bioresin and lots and lots of wool.
I have nothing against conversations about materials, but after a while, it starts to feel a little one-note. As if this were the only thing left to talk about.
What I do like, though, is the provocative statement from Dutch Invertuals: “The question is no longer what we can make, but what is worth making.”
Here are some material projects that caught my attention.
Design student Vikene Vaitkeviciute made a project about people going out to the woods and collecting mateirals. Yes, materials, that’s the theme now. These people were fostered and encourage to enjoy nature. And collect materials to make something. “Why does it always have to be bags?”, someone asked me. And it is true. Do we need another bag?
This student project was also nice. Marc Bottenwieser started with the material available. He called various producers and asked “what do you have spare?”. And created from that. Not starting with an idea of what he wanted to do – but with what material he had available. Nice.
Again focus on material. Sarah Maurer saved her household waste and burned it to ashes, and made soap out of it – and then a bathtub. Functionality is zero, but we are talking about materials. But do we want this??
Glass blowing in molds made of mycelium. Does it work? Is it more sustainable? More beautiful? Do I want to buy one of these…? Maybe?? By Frederick Rombach,
One thousand wool projects. Here two design students. Marian Kilian and Katla Björg Sigurjonsdottir.
This I really liked. Wool as upholstery. Material first, and construction second. By Charlotte Meinicke
More wool – but among the installations in the city. I must say I do appreciate the concept of doing wigs out of wool. Someone should call RuPauls Drag Race.
Shelter
A third theme for DDW could be “shelter”. In a scary world we need to shield off things.
Here three student works. If it is scary out there – go to a metal cocoon. Or is it actually a prison? Or go to bed. Or go see a textile toy that is also a therapist focusing on sustainability. By Jip van Someren, Sade Linda Ekwedike and Vince-Manon Vincent.
Things I really liked
Here is a pretty long segment with things that were really nice. Perhaps not part of a trend, but actually really nice.
Designstudent Soojin Kim found spare molds and forced the odd parts together to cast new design. Perhaps a theme on waste? These molds would have been thrown away but are now “saved”. Created nice, unexpected shapes. The pieces in creme colour are actual things on market. Yes, I see this as a nice commercial product.
This touched me from a human perspective. The flowers are by Ina Hwang. Sometimes flowers are seen as “invasive” and with Europe becoming stricter and stricter on immigration. Perhaps humans can be seen as invasive too. Ina moved from Korea where these invasive flowers are. I liked this conversation about what is invasive and what is not.
I saw a few chairs with more textile than usual. First is a student project. Doesn’t look super comfortable, but with a strong identity. By Jessy van den Elzen. Second is from city exhibition and by Jack Brandsma.
A project in the city. Former Japanese designers made a thing to encourage dogs to pee on it. Instead of repellant – encourage to go somewhere else. By Hinako Makita and Nanako Okusa
Two pretty technical solutions. First is Berlin student Sophia Ludwig. She made a modular lamp. Add pieces, or take off. Second are window solar panels. We have seen it before and it is still nice. Perfect for a sunny hallway. The charge is still not too strong. I asked if I could charge my mobile phone with six pieces of that on my window – and the designer said I need more. Six is not enough to charge a phone. Not yet. By Teresa van Dongen.
A lamp with parts that easily can be separated – and repaired. By Rein Reitsma.
Renate Vos with lampis in flax and recycled denim.
Set made of biodegradable plastics from Em Ef Studio
This project also spoke to me. Garden tools that doesn’t look like chef’s knives or you need to be an engineer to use. Super intuitive. The ends look like twigs and tree stumps. You don’t have to overthink it. Use it like it was a spare branch on the ground. Love. By Di Mao.
Also saw this sofa “repaired” with “sashiko” technique. Loved it.
Colours
Burgundy of all kinds were present everywhere.
Pierre Castignola
Tim Teven
Willem Zwiers
Studio Rens and Auping
Rive Roshan
Collective Paper Aestethics
Fransje Gimbrere
Rive Roshan with NCS
Raw Colors.
Jasper Rombouts
Iris Toonen
I also saw a lot of blue hues. More on the lighter side. Can you say “dusty blue”? It works when you say “dusty pink”, so we can try. More “dusty blue”.
By Borre
Willem Zwiers again
Studio Rens again.
Piet Hein Eek
Raw Colors
At Craft Council
Iris Toonen again.
Envisionaires