Chris
Kabel

Which place do you currently call home and where do you work on your projects?

I’m moving between Rotterdam and Brussels. My office/atelier is Rotterdam, where I also have an appartment, and my boyfriend lives in Brussels, so spend a lot of time there as well. In short, Rotterdam is mainly for work, Brussels is for pleasure.

Where is your studio located & how does it look?

The studio building is surrounded by a large garden that is located inside a residential building block. To hide myself from my neighbors I planted many trees when I arrived there 12 years ago so I’m actually in the middle of a little forest now, that is the home of many birds, hedgehogs, bats, dragonflies and salamanders.

I’m not much of a gardener, so the only thing I do is remove plants if they get too invasive. The studio has one storey that is divided in an office where I sketch and a workshop where I make. I feel incredibly lucky with this place. The connection with nature is very present. Birds come take a peek inside and in the summer and we often work outside. This also really benefits my work which is often related to architecture and public space. We can try out and test large scale things easily here.

Are there any projects that are personally important to you—whether recently completed or currently in progress?

Having worked as an independent designer from more than 20 years I am now able to discern a few important paths in my work. I am currently working on designing products for architecture, ranging form bird houses that fit better with the built environment, improving the quality of existing social housing projects and starting up the production of a brick that guides plants along building façades in collaboration with a Ducth Brick manufacturer. I’m very excited about this direction in my work as i feel it is an area where there is lots of potential for meaningfull change.

Do you have a favorite place in your area where you like to relax and linger?

I love the fringes of Rotterdam, I sometimes bike to a small beach in the middle of the harbour to chill while watching collosal freight carriers float by, and there are some nice bars in the industrial areas along the river where not many people come that have incredibly nice sunsets and great food. Brussels is great for its small artistic experiential performances to large art shows.

Are there any urgent political issues or problems in your region?

I’m sorry to see that people are drifting apart and are less and less able to find some kind of elegant middle ground on important matters. Bubblification and decivilization harm progress on all levels in society. Holland, which historically has always been a very egalitarian country, is becoming more and more polarized and one dimensional…

In your opinion, what has developed well in the last 5 years—and what has not?

This is a double sided coin: on the one hand I’m fascinated by the possibilities that digitization brings to all levels of society, from creation and fabrication to interaction and education, but the road to hell is paved with good intentions and so the numbness, polarization and isolation it causes make me sad.

Do you know a hidden gem when it comes to local manufacturers—whether it’s arts and crafts, sustainable products or food?

I love the work of Rotterdam designer Laurids Gallee, especially his artisanal and graphic wood objects. This project started long ago when he was experimenting with coloring wood for a semester project on wood I guided at the Design academy Eindhoven and I’m so impressed how he fine tuned this technique and found his own creative voice for it.

And, lately, a few really nice new design shops and galleries have set up shop near my studio, Waarvandaan sells design and art pieces by local designers and Spazio Viruly shows the work of emerging talent from the Netherlands and beyond, and is entering the international design field participating on several big fairs but also has a nice home gallery around the corner from my studio.

Is there anything particularly innovative in your region? Also in comparison to other places you have already visited?

I’m impressed by the amount of ambitious entrepreneurial manufacturers in and around Rotterdam, Studio Rapp is revolutionizing 3D printed architectural components, Plasticiet recycles plastic into beautiful sheet material, Looploop is into the organic anodizing of aluminum, BYBORRE specializes in custom production of textured knitting for furniture and fashion, Maeden is a fashion label that designs, produces and sells very refined and timeless leather bags and accessories, Array lighting has an expanding collection of highly original lighting solutions, and who does not know the bags of Susan Bijl.

Do you have a secret restaurant tip that you would like to share with us?

In the cold and rainy Rotterdam winter the freshly pulled Biang Biang noodles of Catedak warm me up, in summer I cool down watching the sunset at Bar Schiemond with a beer and some simple but fantastic bites.

Is there a local shop whose products are only available in your region?

Kore is a flower shop that only sells local flowers from the season, the diversity of flowers they have on offer each season, also in winter, is amazing.

What are your 3 favourite apps that you use every day and couldn’t live without?

Apart from the social apps, email and the calendar I’m a big fan of the local weather app (Buienradar), it’s very accurate and tells me if its a good idea to run my errands now or wait a bit because there’s some heavy rain on its way. And I love apps that make use of hardware components, like the flashlight (that you can control and make warm/cold, dim, and change the angle of). Also the magnifying glass I have come to use more and more too, but maybe thats because I actually need glasses and still refuse to admit that to myself.

Do you have any favourite newspapers or online magazines? And how do you keep up to date with politics or social and cultural issues?

I am a big fan of the local free newspaper that I find weekly on my doormat. I love to read about the mini local dramas, flee markets, new restaurants and local heroes. I also listen to the radio a lot, while cooking and cleaning or in the car.

Imagine you could be mayor for a year—what would you change?

I don’t think i will make it till the end of the year due to the harsh environmental measures I would implement.

One last question: If you could choose another place to live—regardless of financial or time constrains—which one would you choose?

It would be an impossible amalgamate of Rotterdamish pragmatism, Californian weather, a Galician landscape and the food culture would be Mediterranean and Asian. A place that combines Metropolitan elegance with countryside ruggedness. But in the mean time I’m actually quite happy now, able to enjoy the best of two very different cities that are not too far apart.