the origins and journey of pip studio Wow ! Who could have imagined we would come this far after only 10 years, thanks to all the hard work and passion we have put into the studio? This was certainly not my intention when I started the studio back in 2007. Our success has often caught me by surprise, since I was just doing what I like to do. What we are today is the result of the dedication of the people around me, carefully selected partners, the fellowship and shared mindset of my team but, first and foremost, the result of all our fans who buy our products and inspire me enormously to keep creating. It is a custom in my family to celebrate every little occasion, so the launching of our first collection ten years ago is definitely a good excuse to organise a get-together. Although the celebration is our anniversary, deep down I know it is all about sharing friendship and celebrating a love of life. Some of my fans may already be familiar with my story, but to those who don’t, I would like to explain how it all came to be. The youngest in the family, I was raised in a little village by the sea with three older brothers whom I love dearly, but who always challenged me to do all those things they didn’t dare to do. Most of the time I went ahead and did these things, not because they pushed me, but to prove to myself that I could. Without realising it, this helped me tremendously later on in life. Once I set a goal for myself, I do not rest until I have accomplished it. My real name is Catharina, but since Pip was the first word I ever uttered, my brothers decided to refer to me by this nickname. Before long, everyone thought that my real name was Pip. There is another special member of our family who is important to me and that is my love bird Tommy. I am so fond of him that he has become part of my logo. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts, I established my studio in Amsterdam. One day, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw an old ramshackle house with peeling paint. It was love at first sight. I was especially fond of the bright northern light, particularly in the attic, so it was only logical that this would become my studio. This light reminded me of my little seaside village where I enjoyed such a happy childhood. I sometimes ask myself what my friends would say about me if asked, about what kind of person I am. I’d like to think they would say something along the lines of: ‘cheerful, honest, energetic and authentic, with so much on her mind that she sometimes forgets the time. Pip cannot stand unfairness - it drives her completely insane - and when she explodes, you better run while you can. But Pip loves life and, even though she is easy-going, she goes to extremes in her creations, and sometimes even a little further. She knows exactly what she wants. While Pip listens to the opinions of those she respects, she ultimately always follows her own intuition and does what her heart inspires her to do.’ The other things people say about me are that I am a treasure hunter, a passionate collector. I must admit this is true. I just love to browse around the flea market around the corner at dusk or in some faraway country, looking for that one little treasure to add to my already extensive collection. I collect just about everything you can imagine that may someday spark ideas for a new collection. Although I am not very fond of describing a style that ‘sort of comes to me naturally’, I will give it a shot. First and foremost, my style is very personal. It reflects who I am as a person, the better half of me. I have an eye for the tiniest details, special finishes and the best materials available. I usually become inspired to create a product that is not done properly. In other words, if I cannot find the product I like, I do it myself, making it more contemporary and always with a colourful, yet balanced colour palette. My designs are not flat; I like to work in layers, so there is always something going on that you do not see at first glance. My favourite concept, if I had to choose just one, is probably ‘mix and match’ because it allows you to combine items from former collections with items from more recent ranges. To make it even more special, you could use other favourite items from your own personal stuff. So my designs are never standalone and always belong to a larger family. My motto covers it pretty well: ‘Happy products for Happy People’. Looking back on our achievements over the past ten years, I must say that we have introduced a wide array of collections, including: stationery, bags, wallpaper, curtains, tiles, bed & bath, porcelain with matching table linen & glassware, cushions, scarfs, home & beachwear and bathroom accessories. Of course, I cannot do all this work alone. I fully realise that without all the carefully selected partners in my network and passionate and skilful creators in my studio, we would never be where we are today. So the credit is not all mine. We accomplished this together in friendship and harmony. And we plan to continue doing so as long as we possibly can. I would like to thank all of our fans for their wonderful support. I am so grateful to have served you. Enough said for now. Let’s celebrate!
Hugs and kisses from Pip
bed bath homewear ‘All of my bed & bath products and homewear are designed to make you feel comfortable while looking great at the same time’
wallpaper ‘Some people cover only one wall with stunning wallpaper. In my house, I use it ever ywhere, but that’s just me I guess…’
bags ‘In my humble opinion, a great bag is the perfect way to express your personality and make you stand out during any occasion’
porcelain & home deco ‘I have been fond of porcelain for as long as I can remember. I am a passionate ‘collectioneur’. When I had the chance to create my own porcelain collection, it was a dream come true’
stationery ‘I always get so excited when designing our stationer y, as it offers so many opportunities in terms of materials, colours and techniques. I just can’t stop creating!’
tiles ‘The magic of the tiles we have designed is the result of the challenge to combine new designs with an old technique’
GORDIJNSTOFFEN
fairs ‘Always exciting to show new products to the outside world!’
eijffinger We aim to make your world more beautiful with outspoken and colourful designs for wallpaper and fabrics. This has been our goal at Eijffinger for over 140 years. Over all these years, our curiosity, creativity and desire for innovation have remained unchanged. We are always interested in the latest decorating trends, the latest colours, designs and material innovations. Because of this, we are very proud to be a wallpaper and fabric par tner of Pip Studio - a natural match!
de tegel bv De Tegel BV was established in 1991 and specialises in developing and distributing eco-friendly and handmade tile products. Our main focus is on cement tiles and Moroccan Zelliges. As an official license holder for the Pip Studio tile range, we were amazed at what Pip Studio did with our products. They taught us that the sky is absolutely the limit. It is a delight, challenge and inspiration for us to develop these tiles for Pip Studio, which are of another league all together. Delivering these high-quality products also helps our company stand out among the crowd.
essenza home ESSENZA HOME makes you feel right at home. Bed linens, terrycloth, plaids, pillows, homewear... all of our products are made to give you the ultimate ‘at home’ feel. ESSENZA HOME carries a number of its own brands, as well as licensed brands. Since the very star t of Pip Studio, we have been Pip’s par tner in bed & bath linens and home & beachwear - and proud of it! Together we develop several collections each year - with attention to detail, people, product and the environment. Our Pip Studio products bring joy to consumers around the world.
new edition home New Edition Home is the license par tner of Pip Studio for the product categories tableware, glassware, kitchen & table textiles, home textiles, home & bathroom accessories and cosmetic bags. New Edition Home specialises in sourcing, product development and the marketing & sales of home products, ranging from the creation of one innovative product to a complete Pip Studio lifestyle. Pip Studio home products are available in over 40 countries, making New Edition Home an internationally operating organisation in the home segment. We are more than grateful for the cooperation and relationship we have with all of our national and international par tners. Without their dedication to Pip Studio products and their hard work and effor ts, we would never ever have achieved such success!
new edition stationery New Edition Stationery is one of Europe’s leading publishing companies in back-to-school and gift stationery. We began 20 years ago working with creative interesting brands from around the world in order to make the best stationery collections under license. We focus on lifestyle, fashion, sports, gaming and magazines. Finding the right brands for the right target groups is a continuous process, so we are very happy to be a Pip Studio partner. We love stationery products and are proud that we can launch a complete new back-to-school and gift stationery program every year. Focusing on the customer of the future with our school collections and being able to make fabulous gift products related to stationery gives us much pleasure. We try to incorporate the motto of ‘happy products for happy people’ in everything we do.