13. Buro Belén

Brecht Duijf and Lenneke Langenhuijsen met in Milan in 2011, as they were unpacking their respective works at Salone del Mobile. ‘Our products had exactly the same colours,’ recall the pair, who founded Buro Belén soon after. Beyond colours, the Dutch designers’ shared interests formed a fertile ground for collaboration: while Duijf researched the reflective potential of materials, Langenhuijsen looked at how wood could be made flexible. Among their key projects so far is Sun+ (pictured), a series of textile products questioning our relation to the star. But their latest interest is closer to home: the pair are now focusing on walls – ‘they are our third skin in a way’, they say. For the duo, this focus on immediate surroundings should be a key aspect in a designer’s outlook. ‘Study your surroundings, and you will see possible projects that need a creative mind,’ they advise. ‘Don’t think as big as the world’s problems. It will kill your skill of seeing possibilities.’ burobelen.com