Hurter Tapeten

Who we are and what we do

Studio Ditte is a young design agency specialized in concept development and product design. We are three female designers - Marieke Dirks, Natasja Heesbeen, and Endry van Zwam. We met each other at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in The Hague. During our education, we enjoyed working together so much that we decided to join forces.

Besides the products we design on our own initiative, which are brought onto the market by several producers and distributors, we design products for clients. We work from our studio in Breda in the Netherlands.

How we work

For new ideas, we are inspired by things from the everyday life around us. For example Dinky Toys – the little cars our fathers played with as children. Excitement radiates from these die-cast model cars of the past, and they were an inspiration to us for new wallpaper.

Using photography we make images and then we play with the images on the computer. It takes us a while, like finding the pieces of a puzzle, until one interesting picture arises.

For our own product collection we work with Dutch companies; our wallpaper is also produced in the Netherlands. This allows us to follow the process closely and keep the communication lines short.

What inspires us

It is really everyday life that gets us going in new directions. Finding used buttons in forgotten cupboards in the attic and old cigar boxes, for instance. This kind of looking around and discovery brings us frequently to new ideas.

Our design philosophy

Studio Ditte wants to add something to the user’s perception of the environment by giving everyday life an extra touch. A hidden story, an element from another culture, or a twist that makes you think about things. We do not believe in heavy philosophy or in design movements. However, we do believe in people and their emotions, desires and dreams.

Our stylistic influences

Our first wallpaper design was for an exhibition called ‘Copy Paste History'. Studio Ditte was asked to choose a Dutch design icon and translate that work via ‘copy-paste' into a new design. We chose the scrap wood cabinet by Piet Hein Eek.

We knew scrap wood was difficult to find because of its popularity, so we decided to design scrap wood wallpaper - and it was a success. Now  anyone can decorate walls or furniture with scrap wood. Following the idea that each scrap wood board is unique and has its own story, we are always looking for unique and familiar sources of inspiration.

Our future goals and ambitions

We want to continue to expand our wallpaper collection with diverse and inspiring designs. We also intend to design a different kind of product collection in the future.