Joost and Kiki

Design Academy Eindhoven graduates Joost van Bleiswijk and Kiki van Eijk—known as Joost & Kiki—have gained a following for their conceptual art–based furniture, but recent pieces signal a change. Their Scratch dining table, benches, and ladder resemble Delft Blue Pottery, a likely nod to van Bleiswijk’s hometown. The lacquered wood is meticulously scratched by hand to create a vibrant texture and finished with a clear varnish.

Joost and Kiki's scratched paint technique is an example of how something that is “normally undesirable“ becomes “beautiful,“ says Van Bleiswij.