Romantic Brutalism – Design with poetic intensity

Sometimes you walk into a space and immediately feel: this is something special. Romantic Brutalism was one of those moments for me. Without a doubt, one of the most beautiful exhibitions I visited during Milan Design Week 2025.

Living Wealth

Alchemy – the age-old quest for transformation – takes on new meaning in Living Wealth. No longer about turning metals into gold, but about revealing the value within what flows, what feels natural, what engages the senses.

Not magic, but natural processes like shine, colour shifts, and oxidation give materials a living character. Luxury emerges through subtle transformations – as if the materials shape themselves, guided by temperature, touch and time.

Milan Design Week 2025. Just 9 days before departure, my Airbnb host lets me know that the apartment I booked is no longer available due to renovations.
“You could cancel it yourself — that way you won’t have to pay cancellation fees.”
Excuse me... me?

I always warn people travelling to Milan during this week about these practices. It’s happened to me before — just never this last-minute.

Airbnb seems to be taking my complaint seriously. They told me not to cancel myself, and that I won’t end up sleeping on the streets. That’s reassuring.
But meanwhile, prices are soaring — at least triple what I originally paid — and anything remotely central is fully booked.

I’m doing what I’m supposed to do: wait, stay polite, and definitely not cancel (because then I’d lose money). But time is ticking, options are shrinking, and the discomfort keeps growing. Not just practically — but also emotionally.

✨ The upside? I’m incredibly excited for that week in Milan. It marks the beginning of my trendbook TH Spring Summer 2027, and of course, I’ll be sharing a new Milan Design Week report.

The first (press) invitations are already coming in, and I’ve started curating my own map of exhibitions I don’t want to miss. (The Milan city plan is ready...)

Now all I need... is a place to sleep 🙃 💤

Do you see it too? Where men once dominated the design world, powerful women like Patricia Urquiola—one of my long-time favourite designers—and Faye Toogood now take centre stage at major design fairs, sharing their visionary ideas. Their self-expression breaks boundaries, opening new possibilities and turning design into a vibrant dialogue.  

At the same time, a new generation of designers leaves its mark with bold ideas, striking materials, and fearless use of colour. Traditional techniques blend with futuristic materials, and uniform collections give way to expressive, eclectic compositions. I see beyond eclecticism—a fusion of retro, nostalgia, and history, where organic design effortlessly coexists with sharp, geometric patterns.  

How do you navigate these trends? Does it feel like everything is possible, yet difficult to define where to begin? Do you embrace the eclectic approach of millennials, now shaping the industry, or the bold experimentation of Gen Z, redefining design’s future? What defines your brand’s DNA—sustainability, youthfulness, trend leadership, tradition, responsibility, or social engagement?  

I have spent three months working full-time on ATHOME.AWX2627. The last six weeks, even seven days a week. Creating these style guides and trend books is always a huge task.

In between, I made a short trip to the trade fair in Frankfurt with a preview tucked into a rolling suitcase, to meet some clients. A brief escape, and the first chance to hear their reactions.

Every photo and image in the book is my own. Shot at a fair, edited in Photoshop, or created using AI to visualise ideas.

Next stop: Ambiente and Christmasworld ✨ in Frankfurt, from February 7th to 11th! I’m looking forward to see how my clients have translated the TH trends for autumn/winter/Christmas 2025/2026.

This year, I’m traveling solo, which means I also have time to make new connections and exchange ideas. Will you be there too? Let’s meet up for a coffee ☕️ and a chat... send me a message to set up an appointment. 🤗

It’s cold outside. As I work on my TH interior style book for autumn, winter, and Christmas 2026/2027, I’m wearing goat wool socks to keep my feet warm. On my right hand, I’m wearing a fingerless glove —not like Madonna wore as a fashion statement in the eighties, but because my desk feels so cold while I move my Wacom pen across my tablet. These days, the thermostat is set 1.5 degrees lower than it was a few years ago—a conscious choice in these times.

With four unique themes – SAVIA, UBUNTU, AVANT, and MA – you’ll explore the lifeblood of nature, human connection, creative innovation, and the space between. Each chapter offers a wealth of inspiration for design, colour schemes, and (sustainable) materials to shape your new collection.

In creating this digital leaf art, I’ve fully immersed myself in the atmosphere of autumn, winter, and Christmas—perfectly aligned with my current project: TH Autumn | Winter | Christmas Style Guide for 2026/2027. For this new style guide, I’m drawing inspiration from the natural colours and textures of the season.

Savia Pasture

In my TH 2026 interior trend book, we see the farmer in a fresh, transformative role—not just as an agricultural producer but as a true pioneer. Within the theme Savia Pasture, the farmer becomes both a provider and a source of sustainable, natural materials. By merging regenerative farming techniques with artisanal craftsmanship, this trend lays the groundwork for a new kind of collaboration: farmers and designers building a future where aesthetics matter, but the deep-rooted connection to nature takes center stage.

The rise of AI platforms like Midjourney, DALL-E, Ideogram, and Flux has rapidly and profoundly transformed the design world. For many, this development brings a mix of excitement and concern. There is uncertainty about whether AI will replace jobs and expertise. However, now more than ever, the role of the designer is crucial. It is up to designers to ensure we don't end up in a world of uniformity and meaningless designs. This is the time to demonstrate what we, as designers, are capable of and why this role is indispensable.

Biophilic en biobased – in mijn 'bubbel' zijn dit termen die momenteel veel voorbij komen; op social media en mijn mailbox stroomt vol met persberichten hierover. Maar wat betekenen ze nu precies?

Biophilic design draait om het herstellen van onze band met de natuur door natuurlijke elementen, zoals planten, natuurlijk licht en organische vormen, in onze leef- en werkomgeving te integreren. Het idee is dat we beter functioneren in ruimtes die ons herinneren aan de natuur, wat ons welzijn en creativiteit stimuleert. Biobased design, daarentegen, richt zich op het gebruik van hernieuwbare, natuurlijke materialen zoals hout, bamboe of mycelium. Deze materialen zijn duurzaam, afbreekbaar en vaak circulair, wat bijdraagt aan milieuvriendelijke ontwerppraktijken.

Ik ben nu onderweg  naar Eindhoven Dutch Design Week 2024. Mijn interesse in design is breed, maar ik heb ook een aantal exposities geselecteerd die specifiek gericht zijn op biophilic en biobased projecten. Deze wil ik de komende dagen zeker niet missen, en misschien zijn ze ook voor jou interessant!