Published 30 October 2025

Authors

8 min read

With the theme Past, Present, Possible, Dutch Design Week (October 18-26, Eindhoven) reflected on its legacy while envisioning the future of design, showcasing work from 2,500 designers to 350,000 visitors. Central to this vision was design’s ingenuity in transforming overlooked everyday materials and crafting empathetic products that enrich the human experience – something no algorithm can truly replicate.

Materials, Revalued

Design for Self-Expression

Empathetic Design: Made by Humans, not AI

Making & Manufacture

Building on the week’s legacy as a catalyst for material innovation, designers reimagined overlooked everyday materials and revealed transformative processes that unlock new applications and commercially viable second lives. The prefix ‘re-’ dominated in designs aimed to repeat, remake or renew what already exists.

Summary

Materials, Revalued	Building on the week’s legacy as a catalyst for material innovation, designers reimagined overlooked everyday materials and revealed transformative processes that unlock new applications and commercially viable second lives. The prefix ‘re-’ dominated in designs aimed to repeat, remake or renew what already exists.
Design for Self-Expression	Injecting joy and beauty into the everyday, mesmerising embellishments and exhilarating interactions elevated ordinary objects. Collectable design made its debut at Dutch Design Week with a new headline show focusing on visionary furniture.
Empathetic Design: Made by Humans, not AI	As artificial intelligence (AI) advances, designers are increasingly turning to human emotion and empathy – qualities still elusive to algorithms – to create designs that elevate experience. With projects ranging from poetic to playful and multisensory, wellbeing was a strong underlying theme.
Making & Manufacture	Designers shone a spotlight on the making process, inviting users to play their part with modular constructions, adopting AI models and 3D printing as collaborative tools and safeguarding craft techniques for the future.

Dutch Design Week 2025

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