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| Studio Makkink & Bey | |
|---|---|
| Name | Studio Makkink & Bey |
| Founded | 2002 |
| Founders | Rianne Makkink; Jurgen Bey |
| Location | Rotterdam; Amsterdam; Dordrecht |
| Fields | Architecture; Design; Art; Product Design; Social Design |
Studio Makkink & Bey
Studio Makkink & Bey is a multidisciplinary design studio operating at the intersection of architecture, industrial design, contemporary art, urbanism, and social practice in the Netherlands and internationally. The studio engages with clients, institutions, and public commissions across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, collaborating with museums, universities, design biennales, manufacturing houses, and cultural foundations. Their practice is noted for cross-disciplinary commissions for municipal authorities, galleries, and corporate partners, integrating material research, craft traditions, and speculative experimentation.
Founded in 2002, the studio emerged amid postwar European design networks shaped by institutions such as the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Design Museum Gent, and Vitra Design Museum. Early projects coincided with events like the Salone del Mobile and the Milan Furniture Fair, leading to collaborations with galleries including Droog and manufacturers such as Royal Tichelaar Makkum and Leolux. Throughout the 2000s and 2010s the studio participated in international forums including the Venice Biennale, the Rotterdam Architecture Biennale, and the Tokyo Designers Week, expanding networks to partners like Centraal Museum Utrecht, Het Nieuwe Instituut, and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Their trajectory intersects with educational appointments and residencies at institutions such as the Design Academy Eindhoven, Sandberg Instituut, University of the Arts London, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The founders are Dutch designers Rianne Makkink and Jurgen Bey, both alumni of prominent schools and active in pedagogy and curation. Rianne Makkink has held roles in collaborations with organizations like Architectural Association School of Architecture, Royal College of Art, and companies similar to IKEA and Arco. Jurgen Bey has contributed to exhibitions at venues such as Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, and Centre Pompidou, and served on juries for prizes associated with Prix Ars Electronica and Compasso d'Oro. Key collaborators have included craftsmen and makers linked to workshops like Rietveld Academy, curators from Design Museum London and Cooper Hewitt, and academic partners from Delft University of Technology and Technische Universität München.
The studio's philosophy synthesizes influences from Dutch design traditions associated with the De Stijl movement, the pedagogical lineage of the Bauhaus, and contemporary practices exhibited at institutions like MoMA PS1 and Fondation Cartier. Their approach combines artisanal techniques from workshops tied to Royal Delft and Meissen porcelain heritage with industrial processes used by firms such as Herman Miller and Knoll. They reference theorists and practitioners represented by the Getty Research Institute and writings circulating through Domus and Architectural Review; aesthetic affinities recall designers like Gerrit Rietveld, Alvar Aalto, and Charlotte Perriand. Social and ecological dimensions relate to movements and programs by United Nations Environment Programme, ICLEI, and European Cultural Foundation.
The studio's portfolio includes public installations, furniture lines, and exhibition designs presented at major venues. Projects have been commissioned by municipal bodies such as City of Rotterdam and cultural institutions like Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam and Boijmans Van Beuningen, while product series were produced with manufacturers including Leolux, Watson & Company, and artisanal producers resembling Royal Tichelaar Makkum. Noteworthy installations were shown at the Venice Architecture Biennale, Milan Triennale, and SaloneSatellite; collaborative urban interventions were undertaken in partnership with agencies like Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed and regional planning authorities allied with Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
Works have been exhibited in venues such as Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Vitra Design Museum, Design Museum London, Centre Pompidou, Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, Cooper Hewitt, Boijmans Van Beuningen, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and at events including the Venice Biennale, Milan Furniture Fair, and Rotterdam Architecture Biennale. Collections that hold their pieces include institutions comparable to Rijksmuseum, National Museum of Scotland, Ateneum Art Museum, and design archives like the Design Museum Gent and Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam.
The studio and its principals have been recognized by organizations and awards bodies such as the Dutch Design Awards, the Dezeen Awards, the Red Dot Design Award, the Wallpaper* Design Awards, and honors from municipalities and cultural funds like the Mondriaan Fund and Prince Claus Fund. Jurgen Bey and Rianne Makkink have received fellowships and guest professorships at institutions including Design Academy Eindhoven, Sandberg Instituut, and universities participating in European research programs funded by the European Commission.
Their work has been documented in periodicals and outlets such as Dezeen, Domus, Wallpaper*, The Guardian, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Frieze, Icon Magazine, Architectural Review, Metropolis Magazine, and catalogues published by museums including Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and Vitra Design Museum. Monographs and essays appear in publishing series associated with Phaidon, Thames & Hudson, and university presses tied to Routledge and MIT Press. Coverage extends to broadcasts and interviews on platforms like BBC Radio 4, NPR, and channels affiliated with Arte and Nederlandse Publieke Omroep.
Category:Dutch design studios