Christien Meindertsma Receives First Paul Deiters Prize for Research-Driven Design

Dutch designer Christien Meindertsma is the first winner of the Paul Deiters Prize, a triennial award established by Stichting Stokroos. The prize is aimed at established Dutch talent at a decisive point in their career and recognises research-driven design. According to Metropolis M, it comes with €120,000 and a solo exhibition at Kunstmuseum Den Haag, opening in October 2027.

Mapping Hidden Material Flows

Meindertsma’s practice starts from a simple question: where do everyday materials come from, and what happens to them along the way? She describes her work as mapping the hidden material flows of everyday products. Her findings take the form of books, exhibitions and new materials developed together with companies.

Her book PIG 05049 traced 187 products made from parts of a single pig and received a Dutch Design Award. For The Flax Project, she bought the harvest of a Dutch flax farmer and explored what could be made from it locally, from tablecloths and rugs to lamps.

_{Samples of linoleum tiles Flaxwood. Image: Secrid}

Wool, Willow and Linoleum

Wool is a recurring material in her work. With the city of Rotterdam, she investigated wool from urban grazing sheep that was previously discarded. Together with engineering firm TFT, she developed Wobot, a robot that felts wool into three-dimensional forms without water or additional materials. More recently, she has been researching willow, including a willow plantation near her home.

Her Local Linoleum research reconsiders linoleum as a three-dimensional material made from local ingredients. Tests at Forbo’s pilot plant used Dutch linseed oil, local wood dust and chalk. A kneadable version, Flaxwood, was later developed with British company Dzek, but production is on hold because no manufacturer has been found yet. Local Linoleum is on show at the Klokgebouw in Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week, from 17 to 25 October 2026, as part of the Secrid Talent Podium.

_{Image of a sheep. Photo: Secrid}

Room for the Next Step

Selection committee chair Chequita Nahar describes Meindertsma as radically investigative without being dogmatic. Margriet Schavemaker, director of Kunstmuseum Den Haag, says the exhibition is intended to support the development of new work.

The prize is named after Paul Deiters (1952–2017), the founder of Stichting Stokroos, who supported artists and designers in developing their work. For designers and manufacturers, Meindertsma’s practice shows how overlooked local resources can become the starting point for new materials, and how much depends on finding industrial partners to take them further.

Source & photos: Metropolis M, Secrid