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B Set Beaker

c. 1997

by Hella Jongerius

Bset beaker porcelain hella jongerius 4

Hella Jongerius’ B Set Beaker is contem­po­rary Dutch design at its most intel­lec­tu­ally engag­ing. This porce­lain drink­ing vessel has quietly earned its place in the perma­nent collec­tions of MoMA, the V&A, and Boij­mans van Beunin­gen Museum — a testa­ment to its mastery of combin­ing func­tion with an artful dismissal of industrial perfection.

The vessel stands at a gener­ous 4 1/3 inches tall, weighted perfectly for a measure of water or a sturdy pour of wine. But the key to its cele­brated form is the inten­tional imper­fec­tion. Through a clever, slightly elevated firing temper­a­ture, the clay results in subtle, one-of-a-kind vari­a­tions. Where most factory ceram­ics strive for robotic consis­tency, Jongerius embraces the unique, human touch — a playful and endur­ing state­ment that merges craft and innovation.

This beaker, part of the wider B Set dinner­ware collec­tion, exem­pli­fies the quiet power of a piece designed to be simul­ta­ne­ously every­day and genuinely precious.

Artist Hella Jongerius
Hella Jongerius

Hella Jongerius

Netherlands


Born in the Netherlands in 1963, Jongerius graduated from Eindoven’s Academy of Industrial Design in 1993; after briefly joining Droog, she formed her own studio, Jongeriuslab. Major commissions followed, including a series of color-blocked textiles for Maharam in a tricky fabrication never previously attempted at an industrial scale. In 2007, she became Art Director of Colours and Materials for Vitra and created mainstays like their Polder Sofa and East River chair while developing their Colour & Material Library. In 2012, she joined Danksina as Art Director.

Meanwhile, her own work continued to grow in size and influence. For a collaboration with Rem Koolhaas to redesign interiors of the North Delegates’ Lounge at the United Nations building in New York, she refreshed the modernist landmark with bespoke carpeting and furnishings in bold colors along with a custom beaded curtain of hand-knotted yarn and some 30,000 porcelain beads. A book, 2016’s I Have No Favorite Colour, followed by the following year’s Breathing Colour exhibition at the Design Musuem London articulated her philosophy of hues and tints, while her cabin interiors for KLM airlines put it into practice.

Recently, Jongerius has begun exploring the possibilities of porcelain, in commissions for vases and tableware. Projects throughout her ongoing career and the B Set dinnerware service can be found in the permanent collections of MoMA, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Boijmans van Beuningen Museum.

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Hella Jongerius
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