FORBO FLOORING X DESIGN ACADEMY EINDHOVEN
How can a collaboration with a brand result in something truly personal and unexpected? That question marked the beginning of our collaboration with the Design Academy Eindhoven (DAE) in the Netherlands. Under the theme “Take a Walk on the Wild Side,” we teamed up with 18 international third-year students to explore fresh, unconventional ways of working with two of our linoleum products: Furniture Linoleum and Bulletin Board.
This wasn’t about traditional applications. The challenge was about pushing boundaries, unlocking the material’s potential, and expressing each student’s unique vision, whether through a three-dimensional object or a functional design.
Studio Thinking Hands
This collaboration took place within Studio Thinking Hands, a thematic DAE course that uses craftsmanship as a way of exploring ideas, with materials playing a key role in the design process.
For this edition, the students were guided by celebrated Dutch designers Kiki van Eijk and Joost van Bleiswijk. With their hands-on approach and emphasis on material exploration, students were encouraged to fully engage with Furniture Linoleum and Bulletin Board, discovering their possibilities in an entirely personal way. All participants were given free access to these materials and challenged to reimagine how they could be used.
The assignment
The brief was to create an inspiring, out-of-the-box interpretation of our linoleum products. Students were asked to explore what attracts them to the material, how they could make it their own, and how it might connect to themes that matter to them. The end result: a three-dimensional object—autonomous or applied—that shows a new perspective on how Furniture Linoleum and Bulletin Board can be used. The goal: to inspire, to surprise, and to show how linoleum can spark new ways of thinking and making.
Curious to see the final results? Click on the tabs above to explore a selection of student projects, dive into their design processes, and watch short videos that bring their ideas to life.
Dezeen x Design Academy Eindhoven
To document the process of our most recent collaboration with DAE, we have teamed up with Dezeen magazine to create a video documenting the students journey.