KARIN AN RIJLAARSDAM DESIGN is an atelier for sustainable interior, textile and product design with studios in Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire and Shanghai, China. Founded in The Netherlands by Dutch designer Karin An Rijlaarsdam, the atelier followed Karin over 4 continents; Rotterdam, The Netherlands (since 2004), Shanghai, China (since 2005), New York City , USA (since 2017) and Grand-Bassam, Côte d'Ivoire since 2019. 

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Our work explores indigenous materials and crafting methods to develop sustainable colours, textures and design.  

 

Creating a sensual tactility, or sculptural texture forms an essential focus during our design process. Tactility greets you in an intimate way, provoking the powerful sensation of experiencing beauty through touch. 

 

We develop sustainable colours and finishes based on continuous research and experiment, we work with local natural pigments, clay, natural oxidation, shea butter and coconut oil to name a few. To Karin the chapter of coloring represents a profound, almost spiritual involvement in the design process, the definition of colours is highly personal and delicate, yet communicative and extrovert at the same time.  

 

Our ongoing collaboration with local artisans allows us to redefine crafting techniques and finishes in a contemporary and durable way.