Identity enhancement through seating
NS HiSpeed Seating
Client
NS HiSpeed
Design
Frank Tjepkema, Leonie Janssen
Production
Blowups
Tjep. was commissioned to enhance the NS HiSpeed brand for Dutch Railway by designing innovative seating along the HiSpeed tracks, spanning from Amsterdam to Rotterdam. The project aimed to elevate brand perception while providing travelers with superior comfort compared to standard NS furniture.
Design Approach
Guided by the core themes of comfort and speed, the seating design reflects the dynamic essence of high-speed travel. Subtle decorative text from well-known travel stories was integrated as a narrative layer, adding cultural depth and a unique identity to the benches.
Impact
Strategically placed across the Netherlands, these benches offer an inviting and comfortable experience for passengers, reinforcing the NS HiSpeed brand’s commitment to quality and innovation in public transport environments.
Visually delicate, yet unyieldingly strong.
The Bronze Age collection showcases meticulously hand-crafted pieces, rooted in traditional techniques that once defined human survival. Each work is a labor-intensive creation, forged from bronze—the material that heralded the dawn of civilization.
“For this project, I sought to counter the technology-driven trends fueled by digital innovations like 3D printing. Bronze, with its inherent value, embodies sustainability: it is either cherished and preserved or melted down and reborn, never discarded. Who knows—some of these pieces might even carry the essence of ancient bronze swords, remelted and reimagined,” says Frank Tjepkema, lead designer and founder of Tjep.
The bronze foundation of this collection evokes stability, strength, and enduring sustainability, as the material can be endlessly recycled. The furniture designs draw on classic forms but are transformed to reflect a modern narrative. The collection boldly engages with contemporary issues, evoking the specter of human-induced crises—such as climate change or nuclear fallout—positioning these pieces as both timeless and urgently relevant.
The result is a series of sculptural works that marry a pure, elegant aesthetic with robust physicality. Do these pieces bear the scars of great calamity, or do they stand as testaments to the enduring power of tradition, like an ancient bronze sword?