For as long as Berry Dijkstra can remember, he has been thinking visually. He can't turn it off: for him, everything is about form, color, composition, balance and framing. He eats with his eyes, so to speak, through film, art, photography, and especially in everyday life, he sees unintentional form experiments, color combinations, and still lifes everywhere that most people overlook. Berry combines these qualities into his freelance practice focused on product design. He is active in organizing shows, a collector of design, and an interior and object photographer.
Berry's love for design is rooted in collecting vintage designs. He is always searching for design treasures to enrich his personal collection and for interior projects he works on. Through his work as an interior stylist he broadened his horizons to contemporary design. When designing and decorating an interior, the focus is on functionality and practicality. As a counter-reaction, he started using the 'Form Follows Fun' principle for his interior. From this vision, he has made a name for himself as a composition artist with stacked furniture installations. Functionality is completely subordinated by carefully arranging and rearranging furniture and objects. He creates friction by merging different worlds and by stacking, twisting, and combining. In doing so, Berry has developed his visual signature. The furniture installations look casual; however, once the viewer zooms in, it becomes clear that nothing has been left to chance. The still lifes are meticulously constructed and captured carefully on film. Always frontally and from a low vantage point to emphasize the architectural aspect. Often, the environment within which the installation is constructed plays a role. Like a scenographer, he creates installations that are grand in form and rich in color and material. Berry's strength is in effortlessly merging different worlds, eras, and materials and combining them into a harmonious and appealing whole.
Berry stays away from trends, hypes, and knock-offs. His personal collection consists of slow designs by mostly young designers and studios, combined with mid-century classics and postmodern objects, and complemented by ocean liner memorabilia, graphic works, and toys from his childhood. His ever-changing interior is a collection of memories and expressions of a taste he has developed over the years, allowing the collection to grow steadily and become more layered over time.
His perspective on form, color, material, and knowledge of design have resulted in collaborations with galleries, fairs, and stores and led to numerous print publications. He also has a keen eye for emerging talent. He supports this talent by acquiring works for his own collection and by offering designers a platform in his shows and installations. Berry is currently based in Valencia, but he can also be found regularly in Paris and Rotterdam.
clients
Bijenkorf, MisterDesign, Nieuwe Instituut, Shåk Gallery, Studio HENK, Tylko, Valerie Objects
publications
De Standaard Magazine, Mãnera, Eigenhuis en Interieur, Stijlvol Wonen
Architectural Digest / Get clever, Elle Decoration, Dutch Design week, Sabato, Finnish Design Shop,
&C magazine, Loods 5, De morgen, Weekender, Residence, De Standaard
board member
