Ineke Hans was born in the Netherlands in 1966. She studied product design at Institute of the Arts in Arnhem (ArtEZ) from 1986-1991. She went on to earn a Master’s degree in furniture design at the Royal College of Art in London (1995). Between 1995 and 1997, Hans worked as a freelance designer for London’s Habitat UK Ltd. She returned to the Netherlands and established her own studio, STUDIO | INEKEHANS in Arnhem in 1998.
Between 1998 and 2005, Hans worked primarily on self-initiated furniture and product projects. Since 2005, her focus has expanded to include a variety of industrial design, exhibition, and architectural projects, with an emphasis on outdoor and indoor furniture for domestic and contractual use. Her projects range from playful tableware and furniture to children’s items and beyond. Hans plays with both old and new manufacturing methods, and her work is characterized by a sense of clarity and function. Clients include the likes of Cappellini; Rabobank; Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum; Lloyd Hotel; Arco, and many others.
Hans has exhibited extensively in both solo and group shows around the world. She has received numerous awards, including, as of this writing: a 2013 Red Dot Award and a 2012 Good Design Award for Smallroom; a 2011 Good Design Award and a 2011 GIO Award for Ahrend 380; and a 2010 Red Dot Award for Sound Panel GEO. Hans was also a Guest of Honor at the 2009 Stockholm Furniture Fair. Her work is included in the permanent collections of several respected institutions, including, but not limited to: the Art Institute of Chicago, Crafts Council London, Design Museum Essen, Indianapolis Museum of Art, Musée des Arts Décoratifs Paris, Netherlands Textile Museum Tilburg, San Francisco Museum of Art, Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, Design Museum Essen, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
