BerndTeuleDesign

Bernd Teule Design develops shop interiors and displays. Bernd, the owner, is a graduate in industrial design from what is now called Design Academy Eindhoven. In 1999, he moved to Denmark, where he continues to work and live for half of the year. The other half of the year, he spends his time in Apeldoorn. After having had several positions as a shop interior designer for various companies, Bernd started out as a self-employed entrepreneur in 2010.

Bernd designs shop interiors in both countries. This varies from small countertop displays to large Shop-in-Shop solutions and from POS communication systems to interior concepts. However, the products in shop interiors and displays have a short lifespan. It was a volatile market, and that started to bother him. Bernd, 'I became more interested in circular and sustainable designs. Then I got to know Steef Niesing from Vivatec here on the Zwitsal complex.’

'Together, we decided to explore business opportunities for a circular product. The result was a circular lamp.  This lamp is a combination of upcycled wood, metal and paper. The wood is the easy part of the circular design: we used wood from old tables and table legs that could no longer be used. Circular paper is a bigger challenge.'

'Paper used to be made from old rags. Thrift shop Foenix struggled with large quantities of fabrics that couldn't be processed properly and had to be burned instead. Together with paper mill Middelste Molen from Loenen, we now process part of the cotton and linen garments to sheets of paper.'

'For the metal, we use spokes from old bikes, and the electrical cords come from old irons. We use the fittings from discarded lamps, and a bag made from second-hand fabric is used as packaging. Foenix helps supply the wood, the packaging, and the spokes and collects the cords and the fittings. To do this, they work with people with low job prospects, a history or a disability.

Bernd tries to apply the lessons he has learned making the circular lamp to his shop interior designs. Although the branch is relatively conservative as a whole, Bernd sees that clients are becoming increasingly open to the idea. Bernd: 'We're beginning to see a change, and I'm glad to be a part of that change. And circular product design is definitely something we'd like to continue to work on. So who knows, maybe we'll come up with a new initiative soon.'

Export countries: Denmark & Norway