Jenever: Dutch Gin in Stone Bottle

Ben Oostrum's Jenever bottle is a product design that stands out as a result of combination between old-fashioned and modern high-tech machinery. When the European Ceramic Work Centre approach Ben Oostrum to come up with ideas for Dutch souvenirs,
'he realised that most of the things he brought home from abroad were things that were not actually souvenirs, such as food and drinks. If he were to visit the Netherlands a tourist, he would probably take home a bottle of Jenever: Dutch Gin sold in a traditional stone bottle.
He made a model for a ceramic Jenever bottle, and worked on it with a rapid prototype milling machine to discover that the machine, with a certain setting, began to create patterns on its own. He let the machine do its work and so the relief on the traditional stone bottle was created.'

- Boo, Ben Oostrum Ontwerpt.
On the designer:

Ben Oostrum (1960) studied sculpture at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. As a designer, it is this background that distinguishes him from the other designers. Oostrum: ‘My approach is different. Most designers start from a package of requirements, and I use form and shape as a point of departure.’ But to Oostrum, design is not the only thing that is important. Design and function must be in balance. ‘I hate things like a beautiful chair that is uncomfortable, as well as an ugly chair that is comfortable.’ When Oostrum designed the Jenever Bottle he collaborated with Jan Melis under the name of MNO, but now his studio is called BOO | Ben Oostrum Ontwerpt. BOO focuses mainly on the design of interior products, such as furniture, lighting and accessories.

a+. ben oostrum ontwerpt via no windmills