Some beginnings arrive long before you realise they're the start.
INCLUSIVE DESIGN FOR COLOUR BLINDNESS
Colour holds meaning. It speaks to our senses, stirs emotion, and gives rhythm to everyday life by marking time and guiding movement. But what happens when this language becomes illegible to some? Inclusive design begins here: not with rules, but with questions.
WORKING WITH COLOUR IN TEXTILES
Colour is at the heart of everything I create. It is more than a finishing touch or decorative element. In my atelier in Rotterdam, I use colour as a language to connect people, materials and stories. My work with colour in textiles is both intuitive and research-driven. Every surface I design begins with a colour story. Sometimes this story unfolds from a client brief, sometimes from my own research into cultural, social or ecological themes.
WHY I BELIEVE IN DESIGN EDITIONS
At Kukka, design begins with colour. But it does not always end in mass
production. I believe in design as a conscious act, an interplay of
form, material and meaning. I never set out to start my own label. But I do
want to create autonomous work now and then, pieces that move along the
edge of art and design. Editions offer the perfect format for this:
small-scale, intentional, and produced on demand or in limited stock.
MY FIRST SURFACE PATTERN DESIGNS EVER
In 2006, during my third year of studying fashion styling in Amsterdam, I
found myself reluctantly sitting down to design surface patterns by
hand. Back then, there were no computer lessons in our curriculum,
everything was done manually. I didn't really enjoy the course at first.
The process felt painstaking: creating a repeating pattern meant
drawing a grid, designing the motifs, and ensuring the edges aligned
perfectly, all on sheets slightly smaller than A3. Precision was
essential, but I lacked the kind of fine motor skills that tasks like
measuring, cutting or pasting require. I often joke that I cannot cut a
straight line to save my life.
I ALMOST DIDN'T BECOME A DESIGNER
When people look at Kukka today, it’s easy to assume I’ve always known I wanted to be a designer. But the truth is, for a long time, I wasn’t even allowed to imagine it. Marking Kukka’s 15th anniversary feels like the right moment to not only reflect on what did unfold, but also on what almost didn’t.
REKINDLING MY LOVE FOR BLOGGING
I used to genuinely enjoy publishing blog posts. Writing, reflecting, and sharing ideas gave me energy. But over time, my schedule became filled with other things. I started following external demands and timelines, and that slowly pulled me away from the reasons I started creating in the first place. I noticed I was mostly responding to what others needed instead of taking time to create from intention. When you're not careful, it creeps in. At some point, I realised I needed to pause.
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