Storytelling Interior

DK HOME

Storytelling INTERIOR Traditional crafts, such as eggshell and mother of pearl inlay, are at the heart of everything we do 

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The Luxury of Craftsmanship Operating from our headquarters in the Netherlands, we supply exclusive interior products to thousands of customers in 91 countries. Of course, every organization will tell you that its output is unique.That’s why we’re grateful for this opportunity to explain exactly what it is that makes our furniture, vases, lamps and accessories so special. To begin with, every product we make has a natural finish derived from materials provided by Mother Earth. From seashell to mother of pearl, stingray to silver leaf, ebony to eggshell – we know where to find it and, just as important, how to incorporate it into our products in a highly skilful way. And that means old-fashioned handwork.

The kind of craftsmanship we achieve by working with enthusiastic artisans in Asia. Men and women with a mastery of age-old techniques. People who take pride in the products they create. Their precision, perseverance and attention to detail are unequalled. It is this unsurpassed level of craftsmanship that imbues our products with a quality best described as ‘luxury’.

But wait – we’ve saved the best for last: the person who really influences the appearance of our products is you. And, in so doing, you transform our products into your personal treasures. Yes, many customers select products from the large collection already available at DK Home. But how can we claim to be a progressive contemporary company without opening our eyes and ears to your ideas and wishes? Working with you on products and projects; tuning into your suggestions on sizes, shapes and materials; supervising the whole operation, including production and supply – it’s this joint venture that really gets our juices flowing. Challenge us. We’re ready to roll.

Front page::

Designed by Marco van Ham. Custom made products DK Home.

Vase: eggshell, black lacquer and mother of pearl.

Doorhandle: black tab shell, black crack shell and ebony.

DK Home Energieweg 39 4231 DJ Meerkerk The Netherlands dkhome.com

Left page:

Showroom DK Home. Table: dark silverleaf, inlay with eggshell.

Tray table: caviar stingray with stone top. Vase: champagne silverleaf.

Mirrors: platinum silverleaf finish. Pillar: black petrified wood on chrome base.

Standing lamp: black tab shell, black crack shell and stainless steel shade.

Hanging lamp: metal and mirror.

Products:

Showroom DK Home. Coffee table: pattern 3D in silverleaf, grey and black lacquer. Accessories on the table.

Vase: crack black tab shell. Tray: black lacquer with eggshell and polished eggshell with black lacquer.

Small tray: tabac stingray with ebony borders and black mother of pearl. Napkin ring: grey stingray with ebony and black mother of pearl details. Blocks cabinet: dark and light eggshell, platinum silverleaf, yellow silverleaf, grey lacquer, mother of pearl and black lacquer. Accessories in blocks cabinet. Lamp: natural petrified wood on chrome base. Jewellery box: tabac stingray and ebony. Oval boxes: black crack shell, black tab shell, white kabibe, cowrie shell and stainless steel. Vases, varying forms and finishes: seashell, stingray and mahogany wood.

Bench: platinum antique black leather with lasered flower pattern.

Products:

Showroom DK Home. Bench: copper antique hairy leather. Cushions: brown lambskin and cow hide platinum, cow hide lasered. Side table: crack mother of pearl with stainless steel borders. Tray: caviar stingray and ebony. Wall panels: eggshell from light to dark with black/ brown lacquer. Vase: brown lip shell. Lamp: anthracite wire with glass drops.

Vase: brown lip shell.

The Artisan’s Hand

Traditional crafts, such as eggshell and mother of pearl inlay, = are at the heart of everything we do 

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Craftsmanship is the hallmark of all DK Home products. And the hallmark of fine craftsmanship is the artisan’s hand. What machines produce to veritable perfection, artisans shape with a personal touch. No two handcrafted objects are alike. Variations are to be expected. Sizes are approximate and colours may differ as well. It’s the imperfection inherent to the individual human approach that makes every product unique! We love the look and feel – and the potential – of remarkable materials such as seashell, mother of pearl, eggshell, silverleaf and stingray leather.

We enjoy dedicated relationships with craftspeople specialized in traditional handwork. Their ingenuity and skill, as well as their readiness to collaborate with our designers, is what makes DK Home products unique.

Project:

Showroom DK Home | The Netherlands.

Vase: black shell and stainless steel.

Lamp: anthracite wire with glass drops.

Seashell The shells are simply beautiful and shimmer like a gemstone.

Depending on the angle of light, its color dances. The luminous quality and coloring of every shell is extraordinary and unique. The process of cutting, shaping, grinding and polishing the shells renders them truly magnificent. There is a surprising degree of variation in the shape, pattern and ornamentation of seashells.

A craftsperson relies on knowledge passed down from his ancestors and years of experience before he masters exceptional craft. No school can teach what the artisan needs to know.

Practice, patience and passion are required to becoming a true master.

There is a surprising degree of variation in the shape, pattern and ornamentation of seashells. Reason for the exquisite coloring of a given species is not always clear.

Seashells have been used as human adornment and jewellery since prehistory beads, buttons, brooches, hair combs, rings. By virtue of the sheer hardness of the shells and typically sharp edges, mollusks have been used as tools, scrapers, blades, clasps. They have also been used as service ware cups, bowls, ladles, spoons, even troughs.

Shells are used in various products like vases, pillars, panels, washbasins, bowls, boxes and jewellery.

Products:

The Dylan | Amsterdam, designed by FG Stijl.

Custom made products DK Home. Doorhandle: base of brushed stainless steel, mother of pearl shell and paua blue shell. Lamp: natural petrified wood polished with shade.

Table: top in natural petrified wood on chrome base. Desk: top inlay in eggshell.

We offer one of a kind solutions with a personal signature. Your signature 

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Doorhandles:

Custom made products DK Home. Technical drawing and product picture.

Used materials: black tab shell, mother of pearl, blue shell, ebony and a base of brushed stainless steel.

Project:

Castle Withuis | The Netherlands, designed by Theodoor Willemsen.

Vase: black lacquer and mother of pearl inlay.

Lacquer & Mother of pearl The art of lacquer ornamentation has been practiced for millennia. It is said to have originated in China around the second half of the second millennium BC, when it was first used for writing on bamboo slips.

Lacquer was applied to various utensils and even architecture. By the 15th century lacquerware, enriched with silver and gold inlays, had assumed a royal status in the Chinese Imperial household. The people followed suit. Lacquerwork became a fashion.

Mother of pearl is the term applied to the luminous substance obtained from the inside of a mollusk shell. Also known as nacre it is the same as that which the mollusk uses to coat a foreign particle that has made its way into its mantle, irritating its muscular tissue. A pearl is a result of this self-protective process. Asian people were among the first to cultivate mollusks for the quality of their inner shells. Once harvested, these artisans cut the shells into shapes with a coping saw to create the most intricate designs.

The cut pieces of mother of pearl are approximately 2 mm. thick. Just as individual shapes are first drawn onto the prepared shells, the patterned design is drawn directly onto the respective mold. The pieces, cut to precision, are glued on according to the surface pattern.

Once the mother of pearl has been laid on, layer upon layer of lacquer, then plaster, lacquer, then plaster, is applied successively, until the lacquered surface is equal to the level of the mother of pearl. Each layer is dried, then rubbed smooth using fine sandpaper and water. A final polished glaze of lacquer finishes the piece.

Mother of pearl’s unique undulating grain is the result of seasonal fluctuations in a mollusk’s diet. Darker layers are laid down during winter months. Lighter layers are laid down during warmer summer months.

Matte or shiny, light or dark seashell is one of nature’s most versatile materials.

Each shell has a unique character 

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Showroom DK Home | The Netherlands. Table: brown lip with stainless steel top.

Custom made for Crosby Street Hotel | New York.

Right page a selection of natural materials:

Seashell: white kabibe, brown lip, black lip shell, white mother of pearl, grey capize, naturel shell, paua beige. Silverleaf: platinum coloured, silverleaf grey/blue coloured and green coloured. Leather finish: stingray antique, stingray elephant grey and stingray tabac.

Eggshell: polished with white lacquer. White lacquer, coconut shell, naturel petrified wood, stainless steel and black stonecast.

Doorhandle: varying forms and finishes, seashell and chrome.

Project:

Hyatt | Düsseldorf, designed by FG Stijl.

Side table: black lacquer polished eggshell.

Vase: black lacquer and mother of pearl.

Eggshell The art of eggshell inlay originated in China around the time of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The technique spread from China to Japan via Korea and was destined to become one of the most well-known traditional crafts practiced in Vietnam.

One of nature’s most fragile forms, the eggshell is inlaid into one of nature’s most durable products, lacquer. The combination of these two materials, processed according to techniques developed by skilled artisans centuries ago, make for some of the most exquisite – and original – lacquerware crafted by hand today.

Fire is one of humankind’s most important tools. Eggshell inlay uses duck eggs. The shells are cleaned, arranged in a pan and carefully roasted over a bed of hot charcoal. A range of coloration can be achieved, ranging from light mocha to deep chocolate to burnished gold to ash black.

Delicate-fingered, keen-eyed artisans puzzle out patterns of irregular geometry from broken off pieces of burnt eggshell. Each piece is carefully glued, one shard at a time, on to the readied mold. Especial attention is given to spacing and its effect on the overall design. Multiple layers of lacquer are then applied and the piece is finished with purified beeswax polished to a high gloss.

Collaborations By collaborating with renowned architects and designers our products have found their way into some exciting projects around the world. Moreover, we’re proud to say that DK Home products now embellish many a luxury hospitality interior. Our collaborations include the following people and companies in 91 countries.  

Projects:

Accor Group

Beverly Hills Hotel

Cavendish Hotel

Crosby Street Hotel

Crowne Plaza Caravel

Dylan Hotels Fairmont

Four Seasons

Grand Hyatt Hermes

Hyatt Regency

Hyatt Palace Hilton

Hotel Royal Monsour

HPG International Kempinski

Lio Ibiza

Marco Polo

Marriott

Design firms:

Andrew Martin Bobby Mukherji DWP Bahrain David Rockwell David Alayetto Ethnic Chic Amsterdam FG Stijl Hirsch Bedner Associates LPL Shanghai LTW Sesign Works

Marco van Ham Marcel Wolterinck MCM Tony Chi

Sergio Echeverria Edwards Wilson Associates Zafar Chaudhary

Moët Hennessy

Park Hyatt

Park Plaza

Pasha Club

Qasar Al Ain

Radisson Blu Renaissance Ritz

Savoy Hotel Sofitel

Shangri La Sheraton

The Grand

Trump Club

Tommy Hilfiger

Villa Moda

Waldorf Astoria

Westin Lima Wynn Zara

The Wynn Encore Hotel | Las Vegas, designed by Marnell Corrao Associates.

Vases: varying forms and finishes, black lacquer inlay with mother of pearl, champagne silverleaf.

Custom made doorhandle:

Designed

by Marco Ham Showroom DKvan Home | The Netherlands.

Doorhandle: antique stingray with stainless steel.

Vase; Design in eggshell from light to dark, black lacquer and Mother of Pearl details.

Doorhandle; Black shell. black crack shell and ebony

Authentic materials like stingray leather and parchment bear traces of life 

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Private house Lago di Como | Italy, designed by Ethnic Chic Amsterdam.

Desk: grey stingray, black parchment with ebony details.

Left page project:

Cannes | Le Café, designed by FG Stijl.

Wall panels: multicolour shell mix, raw mother of pearl, yellow mother of pearl crack, young penn shell, paua beige crack and pink shell.

Project:

Hyatt | Düsseldorf, designed by FG Stijl.

Vase: platinum silverleaf.

Silverleaf The art of applying silverleaf to decorative objects, including lacquerware, is known as gilding. Gilding is a delicate and exacting process.

First the surface is primed, using flat paints, lacquers, or sealing glues.

Next it is sized. While the size is still tacky to the touch, individual leaves are laid onto the surface using a gilder’s tip. This is a fine camel hair brush set in a thin cardboard folder.

The leaf is held to the tip by static electricity generated by gently rubbing the tip against the gilder’s hair. Utmost care must be taken. The slightest breath can send the leaf flying. Once the gilding is complete the leaf-covered surface is burnished to a high luster using surgical grade cotton.

Wood molds are the preferred core for lacquerware, though wickerwork, leather and textile can also be used. The imparted shape bespeaks its utility – implement, vessel, furniture, etc. Its ornamentation is unique to the creator. Decorative motifs, from the most intricate to more sober patterns, are drawn and transferred by hand on to the receptacle. These are inlaid with gold- and silverleaf, mother of pearl, seashell and fine powder pigments, according to the specifications of the design.

The Westin Lima Hotel & Convention Center, designed by Sergio Echeverria Edwards.

Table: parchment leather with ebony borders.

Wall panels: silverleaf platinum colour.

Left page a selection of natural materials: Seashell: concave brown lip, black lip raw, white kabibe cracked and coloured, tagnipis shell, black tab shell cracked, brown lip polished, shell crack violet oyster, paua purple. Silverleaf: platinum coloured inlay with mother of pearl, silverleaf pink coloured and red coloured. Leather finish: stingray scarlet, stingray coffee, parchment cerise. Coconut shell, and dark bark. Decoration ornament: black tab shell, black tab crack shell, ebony, stainless steel and snake skin.

Project:

Hyatt | D端sseldorf, designed by FG Stijl.

Wall covering: coconut finish.

Table: petrified wood. Vase: lacquer.

Coconut & Wood finishes Coconut shell has been used for generations. The palm nuts are organically grown by local farmers in Indonesia as well as Central and South America. What is not harvested for cooking oil is used to make jewellery. The artists with whom we work have carved this organic jewellery for over 50 years. In that time they have perfected the art to bring you the best quality in coconut interior products. The four types of coconuts used in the production are collectively known as palm nuts.

The Pati (pah-chee), the Dende (den-day), the Piasava (pee-ah-sava), and the Tagua palm nuts are grown mostly for their fibres, leaves and are often pressed to produce oil. When tumbled and polished these types of coconuts reveal the beautiful colours that lay hidden beneath their raw outer surface. The different shades of brown, beige, orange and black are the natural earth-tones of the palm nuts we use in our production. No dyes or alternative colouring is needed and none are added. We simply tumble, sand and then polish the coconuts before as well as after they are cut.

Bark is a left over material from the pine tree. Semani wood is the first layer of the teak wood tree and is the left over material. A very soft wood which feels like cork. The second layer has a tree structure and is also being used as a finish for interior products and wall applications.

These cultivated trees grow on plantations. Materials are very green products to work with. Rosewood has the character of ebony but is a fast growing tree. Cinnamon sticks, cut in pieces and polished after inlay.

For the woodworking craftsman, creative improvisation and innovation is required in combination with a trained eye and skilled hands. To work and shape a living material, wood, into an enduring and frequently functional form. 3D Patterns can be crafted, to be used as wall and ceiling applications.

In addition to custom-made objects, we create luxury furniture, lightning and accessories in limited editions  

Cabinet:

Custom made product DK Home for Tony Chi. Technical drawing, 3D visual and product detail picture.

Used materials: stingray tabac, parchment and ebony.

Left page a selection of natural materials:

Seashell: raw mother of pearl, yellow mother of pearl crack, capize, young penn shell, multicolour shell mix, paua beige crack.

Silverleaf: champagne coloured, silverleaf pink coloured and copper coloured.

Leather finish: stingray golden glow, stingray tangerine, parchment tangerine, parchment olive green. Coconut shell, ebony, petrified wood, brushed copper, brass wire and eggshell. Doorhandle: brown lip, paua beige crack.

Project:

Private house Lago di Como | Italy, designed by Ethnic Chic Amsterdam.

Table: stingray antique, parchment grey and a border of bone.

Stingray & Parchment Stingrays evolved from sharks more than 200 million years ago. The word ‘shagreen’ originates from the French chagrin, originally defined as ‘rough and granular skin employed to rub, polish, file’.

The first use of the word ‘shagreen’ referenced the roughened, untanned skin. By the turn of the 17th century, the term was applied to shark and stingray skin. Both species have closely set calcified scales, which, when dried, ground and polished, become the naturally textured skin known as shagreen and is among the finest material used in the decorative arts.

A master leatherworker in the court of Louis XV, by the name of Jean-Claude Galuchat, first popularized the use of stingray leather, using it as veneer on a variety of items including sheaths, wig cases, perfume flacons, sewing and snuff boxes. In France the material was named after him, Galuchat. But it was the English artisan John Paul Cooper who, in the late 1800s early 1900s elevated this exotic leather to the status of luxury material. Cooper designed and produced hundreds of unique artifacts.

Of shagreen the artisan John Paul Cooper wrote, ‘It is a material possessing some of the qualities of both mother of pearl and leather. Its little nodules of concentric rings gives one the feeling of looking deep down into a pool of sea green water.’ The qualities for which this fine leather is valued are also what makes it so difficult to work with.

Its combination of extreme hardness and supple softness requires great patience and skill during each of the painstaking steps necessary to produce a flawless end product.

The tanning process makes the skin soft and pliable without compromising its incredible durability. Once polished, shagreen’s unique surface texture captures and plays with light.

Consider, Choose, Customize 

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Restaurant Dorset | The Netherlands, designed by Marcel Wolterinck.

Mirrors: anthracite wire.

Right page a selection of natural materials:

Seashell: raw mother of pearl, black lip shell, black tab shell and mother of pearl with black lacquer. Silverleaf: platinum coloured, silverleaf green coloured and blue coloured. Leather finish: stingray emerald, stingray jungle green, stingray antique, parchment jungle green and parchment emerald. Eggshell: polished with green/yellow lacquer. Natural petrified wood, coconut shell and chrome wire. Doorhandle: paua blue with stainless steel.

LPL Creative group | Shanghai.

3D Visuals LPL, custom made design DK Home.

Right page:

Showroom DK Home | The Netherlands.

Custom design for Lio | Ibiza, designed by Davide Alayetto.

Lamps: anthracite wire with mirror.

Culinary theater DK Home, designed by FG Stijl 

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DK HOME

Your Connection with Natural Materials and Handycraft DK HOME.COM