Jan des Bouvrie (3 August 1942 – 4 October 2020) was a Dutch architect, interior and product designer, best known for his 1969 "kubusbank sofa", now considered a design classic. Des Bouvrie was active as a distinguished lecturer at various design academies. The design college ''Jan des Bouvrie Academy'', in Deventer is named in his honor.

Life and work

Des Bouvrie was born 3 August 1942 in

Naarden Naarden () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and former List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Gooi region in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of North Holland, Netherlands. It has been part ...

. After he finished high school, he went to the

Rietveld Academy The Gerrit Rietveld Academie, also known as Rietveld School of Art & Design and Rietveld Academy, is an art academy in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The academy was founded in 1924 and offers programs in fine arts and design. History In 1924, the I ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

at the age of sixteen. He later started his own interior design shop in Naarden, and hosted the TV show TV Woonmagazine. He designed the rooms in the Floris Suite Hotel in "Dutch colonial style with Caribbean temperament". His own vision on design was developed at the

in Amsterdam, where he started his professional career. With his unique and progressive ideas the young Des Bouvrie made an impact on the design world. His vision was further developed by working with several manufacturers, including Linteloo, Dutch Originals, and Gelderland. The latter, in 1969, was the first to produce a design of Des Bouvrie's; the kubusbank sofa, which is now recognised as a design classic. In 1993 Des Bouvrie moved his design studio to the former

arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

of fortress Naarden. Together with his partner, Monique, he transformed the iconic 'Het Arsenaal' building into a showroom for his designs. Over the years, Jan des Bouvrie's designs have won many awards and distinctions, including the Culture Prize of 1974, the Style Prize in 1990, and the Furniture Prize in 1999. Des Bouvrie's vision is also clearly reflected in the numerous interior design books he published. In 2009 Des Bouvrie was named Knight in the Order of the Netherlands Lion for his achievements in the field of art and design.

Personal life

Des Bouvrie was married to interior designer Monique des Bouvrie, with whom he had two children. He had two older children from a previous marriage, and several grandchildren. Des Bouvrie died in Naarden on 4 October 2020, aged 78.

Ancestry and extended family

In the course of an episode of the Dutch television show ''Verborgen Verleden'', which is similar to the British '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', Jan des Bouvrie found that his family was descended from Jehan de le Bouvrie (born about 1480), of

Sainghin-en-Mélantois Sainghin-en-Mélantois (; nl, Singem) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Heraldry Economy Part of the Lesquin Regional Transport Center is located in the municipality, ...

, where his widow, Jeanne de la Motte, inherited a farm with four cows and two horses in 1543. A grandson of Jehan, the merchant Lawrence de Bouverie, born in Sainghin, migrated to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, where his descendant

William des Bouverie Sir William des Bouverie, 1st Baronet (26 September 1656 – 19 May 1717), was a merchant in London and a baronet in the Baronetage of Great Britain. He was the eldest of the seven sons of London Levant Company, Turkey merchant Sir Edward des Bouv ...

became the ancestor of the Earls of Radnor, of

Longford Castle Longford Castle stands on the banks of the River Avon south of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. It is the seat of the Earl of Radnor, and an example of the Elizabethan prodigy house. History In 1573 Thomas Gorges acquired the manor (at the ti ...

. Jan des Bouvrie hoped to meet the present-day William Pleydell-Bouverie, 9th Earl of Radnor, but was unsuccessful, as Lord Radnor would not agree to meet him.

Selected publications

* Jan des Bouvrie, ''Interieur, Jan des Bouvrie,'' 1990. * Jan des Bouvrie, ''Jan des Bouvrie: art & design,'' 2012. * Jan des Bouvrie, ''Doen!: het verhaal van de man die Nederland leerde wonen,'' 2016.

References

External links