Paul Coenen graduated in 2019 from the Design Academy Eindhoven with his project Borders of Assembly. This collection was one of my personal highlights of the graduation sh. ow. Paul found out that many materials come into the market in a standardized size so that all machines can work with these materials. After producing the products, they are often made in a way that they fit precisely in a standard-sized box and those fit again on a standard size pallet and so on.
This standardization affects how everything in our surrounding is shaped. Paul started to look in these standard materials and techniques with the idea to find a way to use such material differently.
After experimenting with various materials and techniques, he ended up with standard-sized sheet metal. Sheet metal is often folded to create stiffness in the material, and to rule out, it's flexible characteristics. Instead of folding the steel, he used those flexible characteristics in his advantage. Bending the steel creates tension in the sheet, and this tension locks everything together. This results in a collection without any welds, screws or any other type of fasteners. The zinc-plated steel gives the objects a mesmerizing look, especially when they catch the light. Longevity, quality and timelessness are fundamental design aspects for Paul. He believes that a well-designed object stays at least a lifetime in circulation. Whether it's still with its first owner or sold on the second-hand market. This means that the purpose should not be affected by trends, so it will last over time and will keep its value.