Laureanne
Kootstra
Laureanne Kootstra is a Dutch product designer who creates beautiful ceramic and porcelain pieces. While she calls Berlin home, she has always maintained a close connection to her Dutch roots. Through the pandemic, Laureanne has felt a new sense of creative freedom that inspired her to tap into those roots and paint in the traditional Dutch blue and white style. Creating this physical connection to home through her work has helped her feel at peace amongst the chaos of quarantine.
Painting the colors of home
Product Designer
Above
Laureanne sponging her mugs
Photo: Helge Mundt
Tell us a bit about yourself
14 APR 2020 I am Laureanne Kootstra, a Dutch product designer based in Berlin. I have been living in Berlin for the last 10 years. At the end of 2018, I finished a Product Design degree at the UdK Berlin. In the first year of this study I discovered porcelain and I fell in love with it! It has been just over a year since I opened my own porcelain workshop in Berlin-Schöneberg. In my workshop I mostly make functional porcelain tableware and work on my new designs.
Above
Vases are inspected before
getting glazed and fired
How have the last few weeks or months shaped or impacted your practice?
The last few weeks have given me the time to collect my thoughts and make sure that I am going in the right direction with my work. I have been interested in collaborating with restaurants & chefs for a while now, and I am working on new designs that fit this purpose. I have also been working on a list of people and places that I would be interested in collaborating with to set some goals for myself. Sometimes moments like these, a forced break, are needed to make sure you are still heading the right direction.
Because I work alone in my workshop, my routine there has not been impacted that much. The last few weeks, I have been updating my online shop & website because at the moment this is the only way to sell your work. Normally I would also sell directly from out of my workshop, shops and other places, but this has pretty much stopped.
Above
Porcelain mugs and vase painted
with slip in the style of Delfts Blauw
Photo: Helge Mundt
It’s so nice to create something that is purely just for fun!”
Above
Porcelain vase made with
3D-printed master molds
Photo: Anders Bigum
How are you coping at home?
In my normal daily routine, I am quite busy. It was amazing to see after having more time that my creativity went up so much!
For me, sport, cooking fresh meals, and time outside are also needed to make sure I dont go crazy. And as a Dutch, I feel like I need to cycle to stay happy! And to make some of the nights feel like a real night out, me and my partner have been joining in on some online-pub quizzes with a team. Super fun!
Above
Porcelain mugs
Order online
Above
Laureanne working on
a new piece
Above
An assortment of pieces from the
“Mastering the Mold” collection
Photo: Anders Bigum
What has inspired you recently?
Lately I have been inspired by the Dutch porcelain style, Delfts Blauw. This blue and white porcelain reminds me of my home even though this style of painting was very much based on Chinese porcelain. In times like these I think a lot of foreigners have a little voice inside that wishes they were closer to their family. I have spent a day painting blue and white at home and it made me feel very peaceful.
Above
Porcelain plate painted
in Delfts Blauw style
How can people support you?
The best way to support my work at the moment is to order porcelain out of my online shop or a bespoke piece from my website.
You can also follow me on Instagram and see what my current projects are! You can also write me a direct message if you have a question or would be interested in a collaboration!
Above
Laureanne outside her studio
Photo: Helge Mundt