Who is Houbs?
Pronounced: HOO-bs
Over the years I've had many nicknames (Ri, Rietje, Rinus, Rita Bonita) but Houbs is the nickname given to me by my uni friends (shout-out to De Vriendjes 🙋♀️). We met studying industrial design and as archetypical design students we all love making things. For a costume party we dressed up as bananas in pyjamas and to celebrate our graduation we carved our faces into a totem pole.
So the name Houbs has come to represent the part of me that creates things. Houbs believes in the power of imagination and in making things just for the fun of it. She's a playful alter ego who uses design skills to bring silly ideas to life.
The why
I have made things for as long as I can remember. As a child I spent a lot of my time doodling and crafting. So when it was time to pick a uni course and a friend suggested industrial design because "you like maths and drawing" it seemed like a sensible choice. There I learned about production techniques and how to design things that other people will want to use.
Knowing all this changed the way I viewed making. On the one hand it became possible to make bigger ideas come to life. But it also made me look at objects through a very practical lens. Everything suddenly had to solve a problem or it would be a waste of materials. It made making art feel frivolous, not serious or helpful enough.
So it took me a while to allow myself to do this anyway. Not because I now have the perfect answer to what the point of it is, but because I've realised that nothing gives me a bigger sense of agency then turning a tiny seed of an idea into something real and tangible.
Let's talk
If you're up for a collaboration or have an idea for a custom piece (giant circular CECE in a hotel or office lobby anyone?) I'd love to hear from you.