Jaap Bontekoe

objects stand within a context, and that context is as important as the object itself Jaap Bontekoe (1988 Amsterdam) lives in Antwerp and Amsterdam. After an education in architectural engineering in Amsterdam and interior architecture in Antwerp, Bontekoe specializes in furniture design when following the continued education furniture design (VOMO) in Mechelen. Bontekoe finds that 'with both architecture and furniture design these two disciplines can't be separated'. Ever since he was young Jaap Bontekoe has had a large fascination for steel constructions in architecture. This fascination has never left him and is visible in his designs. In spite of the differences in starting-points he employs and the variation in his use of materials, there is one element in Bontekoe's work that's always there: the created object gives more space to its surroundings. It's not just about the relation between the object and the space around it. According to the designer the object itself also creates an additional space coming from its open structure and transparence. The intention of this is that the use of the piece of furniture will bring forth an experience of space and, more directly, of its construction. Bontekoe finds that the essence of a good design is to release a suspense between the object, it surroundings and the user. In the designing process, research, design, materialization and context succeed each other in a constant, mutual exchange where experimenting with the material plays an important role.