Dario Erkelens
Furniture maker
Stabio, Switzerland
Function found in the forgotten
- Dario upcycles mixed media and wooden scraps into functional and sculptural furniture
- His main sources of inspiration are nature and the Swiss landscape
- His creative process is led by freedom of experimentation
Dario Erkelens combines discarded wood, aikido sticks, salvaged electrical cables and dented steel pipes to create artful furniture from found objects. He was raised in rural Switzerland by Dutch parents who spent years restoring an old house. "My brother and I revelled in using leftover materials to tackle our own projects, from skateboard ramps and wooden huts to other playthings," he says. After high school, he returned to his Dutch roots to study at one of the world’s top design schools, Design Academy Eindhoven, graduating in 2023. He was named among the Graduates to Watch by Hypebeast, and his work has been shown at Dutch Design Week, as well as Paris and Milan Design Weeks.
INTERVIEW
It all started when I was a child, surrounded by raw materials, tools and possibilities. Working with rubbish comes with constraints that feed creativity. I often ask, 'What could I do with this?' However, it also comes with the freedom of experimenting without fear. The worst-case scenario is the material goes back to where I found it.
Nature and the Swiss landscape are core references, particularly through the contrasts between organic forms and industrial materials. I aim for a sense of functional ambiguity, creating pieces that may not immediately register as furniture, but reveal their purpose effortlessly once in use.
My process is largely intuitive and hands-on. I start working directly with the materials I find and discover their direction, using sketching to refine the concept. The materials I work with are often one-of-a-kind, so I am forced to plan the design around the material at hand.
I love scavenging construction sites and industry debris, or just scouring the streets. It is incredible how much I can find, no matter where I am. Scavenging for materials is exciting, but I have had to slow down because I have run out of space to store them.
Dario Erkelens
Furniture maker
Stabio, Switzerland
ADDRESS
Address upon request, Stabio, Switzerland
AVAILABILITY
By appointment only
LANGUAGES
Italian, German, English, Dutch
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