Piet Houtenbos
RISD ’01 [Industrial Design]
Real, disarmed US Army surplus hand grenades become oil lamps at the hands of product designer Pieter Houtenbos, a born-and-bred New Yorker who’s inspired by the notion of, “turning garbage into something useful.” Whether the lamps are intended as a political statement or merely as attractive tabletop lights, he won’t say — but he’s correct in pointing out that as a conversation starter, the lamps, “will shatter even the thickest, weirdest ice.“ They’re refillable and burn for about 24 continuous hours (assuming you’re brave enough to light the wick). Houtenbos also creates furniture for Modernlink, including bamboo desks and tables influenced by modern Scandinavian design. His work has been featured in Architectural Digest, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, ID and many other magazines.