Richard Hutten

Traditionally design is about solving a problem. I don’t solve problems; I create possibilities

Rotterdam based Richard Hutten is one of the most influential and successful Dutch designers. He is well known for his conceptual and playful designs. He is well known for his conceptual and playful designs. A true innovator, he has established himself as one of the leading international figures in his field, continuously pushing the boundaries of design.

Born in The Netherlands in 1967, Richard Hutten graduated of the Design Academy in Eindhoven in 1991, the same year he started his own design studio. With a team of experts he is working across furniture design and interior design. Many of his products have become successful design icons and are represented in renowned museums all over the world.

Playfulness is an important aspect of Richard Hutten work. Referring to ‘Homo Ludens or “Playing Man” by the Dutch historian and cultural theorist Professor Johan Huizinga, Richard Hutten’s designs are aiming to contribute to the importance of play as culture. Therefor his designs are not only beautiful but also optimistic and fun.

He is a key exponent of “Droog Design” in which he has been involved since it’s start in 1993, making him one of the main founders of the famous Dutch Design movement. Since 2008 is Richard Hutten the art director of Gispen, Hollands second largest and most famous furniture brand with an almost 100 years history.

His impressive list of clients are all leaders in their field and include Moooi, Muij, Offecct, Christofle, Artifort, Kvadrat, Moroso, Rabobank, Lloyd hotel, I+I Milano, DSM, Skultuna as well as Gemeentemuseum The Hague, OMA/Rem Koolhaas, MVRDV, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Karl Lagerveld and HRH Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands.

His work is held in the permanent collections of over 40 museums around the world making him one of the most collected living designers. The list includes MoMA New York, Victoria & Albert Museum London, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Vitra Museum Weil am Rhein, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Design Museum London, Design Museum Gent, Stedelijk Museum ’s Hertogenbosch, Chicago Art Institute and the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam.

Winner of numerous international awards, such as the Red Dot Award, LAI interior award, Frame magazine / The great Indoors award and the German Design Award, his work has been extensively exhibited internationally including the MoMA New York, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Zuiderzee museum, Enkhuizen, Museum of Modern Art San Francisco, Design Museum Holon, Moti Museum Breda, Triennale Milan, Louisiana Museum Copenhagen, Übersee Museum Bremen, Alvar Aalto Museum Finland, Kunsthal Rotterdam.

His work has been extensively published around the globe including world leading magazines such as Domus, Abitare, Interni, New York Times, Washington Post, Wallpaper, Icon, Frame, Mark, The International Herald Tribune, Axis, Elle decoration and many others.