Vij5 is a Dutch design label with a collection of interior products, characterised by their minimalist aesthetic and functionality. A well-known example of their products is the TwoTowel (a tea towel and towel in one), and they are also one of the founders of Newspaperwood, wood made from paper instead of the other way around. Now, they present some of their wooden products in a black edition, which are coloured with linseed oil and natural pigments.
For the Black Editions, Vij5 uses linseed oil from Denmark, which can be combined with natural pigments. In this way, you can colour wooden products in a natural way. Linseed oil paint consists of coloured pigments mixed with linseed oil only, which makes it a very pure material. The paint was popular in Denmark in the second half of the nineteenth and the first half of the twentieth century, but fell into disuse when other materials became available.
The linseed oil paste is extracted by a roller so that the colour eventually penetrates and treats the wood. The results retain extremely well.
Vij5 launched black editions of some products of the Vij5 collection: LookShelf, Le Belge System, Strap Stool, Coatrack by the Meter, and Epaulette.
LookShelf is a solid wood bookshelf on which you can present your favourite books. Designed to be modest and totally dedicated to showing off items on the wall.
The shelf system Le Belge System is made from oak and is based on a basic construction principle: the elasticity of wood. The flexibility of oak permits a simple way of securing the levels and legs together by applying pressure using butterfly-screws, strategically placed near specially designed slots where the legs are inserted.
Strap Stool is part of the Strap Furniture series, easy-to-assemble furniture. The furniture comes as a flat pack and can be set up in a blink of an eye, using the included straps. Every package only consists out of a few oak wood components that seamlessly fit together.
The base of Coatrack by the Meter is a square metal bar which is laser cut in a six-meter stretch. After this the hooks (which are 10 cm apart) are pulled out by hand. The hole the hook creates, allows you to screw the rack onto the wall.
Epaulette, finally, is a frame system with a focus on the corners. The oak wood sides of the frame are held together by L-shaped corner profiles in copper or brass, liberating the frame from any screws. The profiles are slid on to the corners as épaulettes (French for shoulder pieces) and enhance the expression of the frame in a subtle, but characteristic way.
The founders of Vij5, Arjan van Raadshooven and Anieke Branderhorst, designed the basis of the product collection and actively seek collaboration with other young designers to expand their collection. The distribution of the finished products is arranged by Arjan and Anieke, after they complete the design and investigate manufacturing possibilities together with the designers.
Photos: Vij5