All our designers

Friso Kramer

Friso Kramer was a quirky modernist. He believed in 'form follows function' and 'less is more'. Not as dogma but as outcome of human involvement. That was the essence of everything. The simplicity of his designs , meant that they were not eye-catching; yet everyone recognises at least one of his designs. This makes Friso Kramer the most famous, unknown designer. One of The Netherlands' largest industrial designers, he was a rare foreigner who was crowned with the English title; Royal Designer for Industry.

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Marck Haans

Marck Haans (1962) has been Head of Design at Ahrend since 2010 and is responsible for products such as the Ahrend Balance and Team_Up desk collections, the Ahrend Aero conference table and the Delta table. His designs are known for their timeless and minimalist character. As he says himself: "Products that last, and that don't impose themselves in the space." His design process starts with an ideal concept, followed by collaboration with the team to realize the final product.

Haans combined technical skills with creativity during his studies. He studied Monumental Design at the Royal Academy of Art and Design in Den Bosch (1982-1988) and at the Design Academy Eindhoven. He started his career at Brabantia, switched to contract furniture in 1994, worked at Gispen and ASPA, and finally joined Ahrend.

Kees de Boer

Kees de Boer (1969) is our Lead Designer. After studying automotive engineering, he completed his studies in 1996 at the Akademie Industriële Vormgeving Eindhoven (now The Design Academy) in the direction of People & Labour.

In 1997, he started as a chair designer at Ahrend. His first design was the Ahrend 450 (1998), a school furniture set with chair and tables in primary school sizes. This was later followed by the Ahrend 456 (2012) – now known as the EDUU teaching table – which was awarded the GIO design award. The Ahrend Well visitor chair also won a prestigious award: the Best or Best Red Dot. One of his personal favourites is the Ahrend 230 office chair, a timeless design that is still popular thanks to its comfort and durability and is a regular feature in the Circular Hub. 

As a chair designer and seating expert, Kees is part of the European standards committee for EN 1729, which focuses on school furniture. His work is characterized by ergonomics, functionality and timeless design, always with an eye for people and the environment.

 

 

 

Ben van Berkel

Ben van Berkel (born 1957) began his career at the Rietveld Academy. His love of Japanese architecture brought him to Kyoto. He then graduated cum laude at the Architectural Association in London in 1987.

Together with Caroline Bos, he founded Architectuurbureau Van Berkel & Bos in 1988 and UNStudio in 1998: a global network of specialists in architecture, urban planning and infrastructure. At 32, he designed the Erasmus bridge. This was later followed by, among other projects, the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart (1822-Kunstpreis 2003), the Agora Theatre in Lelystad and the Central Station in Arnhem (German Design Award 2018).

Besides his architectural practice, Ben is a lecturer at universities at home and abroad: In 2011, he was appointed to the Kenzo Tange Chair at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. In 2016, UNStudio won the BNA Kubus Award for its outstanding contribution to architecture. In 2024 he designed for Royal Ahrend the most sustainable task chair yet: The Ahrend Remode.

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Paul Brooks

Paul Brooks studied product and furniture design at Ravensbourne College of Design and received his MA in Industrial Design from the Royal College of Art in London. After graduating in 1983, he worked at Robert Heritage's design studio, designing lighting systems at Steven Hall for Philips and Lita, and products for Habitat (UK). In 1990 he started as an independent designer, with a focus on chair design. For Ahrend, he designed the 2020 office chair for which he received the C2C Silver Award.  In 2008, he received the "Designer of the Year" award in the UK. Brooks worked with prestigious companies such as Senator, Boss Design and Bock. In 2006 he opened his studio "Paul Brooks Design GmbH" in Kehl, Germany. His products received awards such as the Red Dot (Viasit) and Gold NeoCon (Boss). His design methodology is evolutionary and liberal, believing that the best products convey enthusiasm and sincerity.

HofmanDujardin

HofmanDujardin's office villa is a perfect balance between peace and excitement, elegance and simplicity. The design is inspired by fourteen nationalities and nine languages, but the sketches speak the most. Since 1999, they have been creating dynamic spaces that are both functional and pleasant. Their unique approach, Shaping Intuition®, focuses on the well-being of the people in the space. They provide individuals with the opportunity to be in harmony with the spatial qualities of grounding, expression, and connection. The cultural values of clarity, quality, personality and inspiration form the basis of their work. The design team of the Ahrend Embrace Collection consists of Barbara Dujardin, Michiel Hofman, Bo Winnubst and David Hernández López.

Basten Leijh

Basten Leijh is known for creating timeless, characterful environments in which fun and functionality merge seamlessly. With years of experience as a product and concept developer, partner and creative director within leading companies, he is an expert in product design. His graduation design at the Design Academy in Eindhoven was immediately purchased by an international bicycle manufacturer. Since 2010, he has focused on modular designs, which ensures unity in form, also in his designs for Ahrend. This unit connects various collections, such as the Charge collection, the concentration corner and the Recharge collection. Leijh knows how to combine two worlds, resulting in a new design language, as can be seen in the lighting he designed for Ahrend in collaboration with Modular Lighting Instruments. He has won several awards and his designs have been shown at international exhibitions.

Marijn van der Poll

Marijn van der Poll (1973) graduated from the Design Academy in 2002. For Ahrend, he designed the Jetstream, a desk in the shape of an airplane wing, and the Ahrend Kaigan chair, inspired by a nostalgic beach chair. The Jetstream was launched at the Fuori Salone Del Mobile in Milan and awarded a Good Design 2008 award from The Chicago Athenaeum. The Ahrend Kaigan offers the user shelter for informal or confidential moments. During his studies, Marijn designed the Do Hit chair and started his own studio. His work is conceptual, diverse and ranges from office furniture to unique vehicles. Among other things, he designed cars for Marcel Wanders and built four of his own cars, including the stainless steel CM426 Merlin. Marijn works for clients such as Damen Shipyards, Marcel Wanders and Droog Design. His work is part of the collections of the Victoria & Albert Museum, among others, and has been shown in the Louvre.

Justus Kolberg

Justus Kolberg is the designer of the beautifully designed back and back adapter of the Ahrend Ease. Its design combines aesthetics, ergonomics and technology. He has cleverly hidden the technical elements so that the chair fits into any environment and any user. The Ahrend Ease is an elegant office chair that offers comfort, ease of use, and flexibility.

In his early twenties, Kolberg made his entrance into the world of industrial design. He likes to design products that are in balance with the human scale and know how to stimulate emotion.