Milan 09: Dutch designer Dick van Hoff  presented wood-burning stoves made of tiles for Dutch ceramic manufacturers Royal Tichelaar Makkum in Milan in April.

A hand-painted version of the stove (above and below) was exhibited alongside the manufactured product (top image).

See all our stories from Milan in our special Milan 09 category.

Here’s further details from Royal Tichelaar Makkum:

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Royal Tichelaar presents ‘FUNDAMENTALS OF MAKKUM’

Royal Tichelaar Makkum is persistently on the prowl for novel applications of ceramics. This approach has earned the company a strong reputation for ceramic creativity in projects together with, among others, Hella Jongerius, Studio Job, Alexander van Slobbe, and Studio Makkink and Bey.

Last year Tichelaar’s Flower Pyramids won wide international acclaim. These exuberant celebrations of ceramic mastery showed the public craftsmanship and attention for detail as ‘New Luxury’.

To contrast such highly exclusive tulip vases, produced in very limited numbers, Royal Tichelaar Makkum chose rather basic products for this year: a straightforward pottery’s service, developed with Atelier NL, in line with a tradition that has continued in Makkum until well into the 19th century; and two wood burning traditional tile stoves, as reinterpreted by Dick van Hoff.

These products’ Arcadian charms demonstrate the beauty of local products and traditions. Both service set and tile stove will also be introduced in a hand painted version. The results will be shown to the world for the first time on the Salone del Mobile 2009 in Milan, from April 22nd to 26th.

In order to further broaden the scope of ceramics, Dick van Hoff had already been asked to ponder a reshape of the traditional tile stove.

As a functional designer, Van Hoff was the right man for the job: well known from previous cooperation projects, he had also proved to master the intricacies of artistically and technically designing a properly working wood burning stove.

The ‘tile stove project’ was set up together with ‘Weltevree’, in recognition of their specific knowledge and shared appreciation of quality in use.

Royal Tichelaar Makkum, the Netherlands’ oldest company, takes its long history serious without being ‘smugged down’ by it.

Classic craftsmanship, contemporary design and research for the future, have sealed a durable alliance in Makkum.