In 2015 it began with a simple question: how do you crack the shell of a nut without damaging the nut itself? The answer became The Ore Nutcracker, and the beginning of Ore Design. Designers and makers Mannie Klijn Velderman and Frans Kortenhorst are building a Dutch studio from Salland that moves between design and applied art. Objects for everyday life that are not only functional, but capable of transforming a space, a ritual or a moment.
A nutcracker that travelled the world
The Ore Nutcracker was more than a first product. It was a deliberate test. “We believed strongly in the design from the very beginning,” says Mannie. “So we decided: if the nutcracker can convince a test group, we will actually make it and bring it to market.” That conviction proved well-founded. At Meesterlijk Design en Ambacht at the Amsterdamse Westergasfabriek, a well-known museum shop from Apeldoorn bought the nutcrackers. Shortly afterwards, the design was discovered online by a company that included it in a comparative test with international design brands.
The outcome was both surprising and affirming. The test panel chose The Ore Nutcracker as a corporate gift, as many other nutcrackers were not structurally strong enough. That experience led to a collaboration with a specialist design agency, through which the nutcracker was sent as a luxury corporate gift to around 400 clients across the world; from the Netherlands and the United States to Japan.
Rooted in Salland soil
The name Ore is no coincidence. The studio is located in Salland, Overijssel, where the soil has historically contained iron ore. “Ore – iron ore – that is our name. And at our entrance stands a beautiful lump of ore on a plinth: chunks of sand with iron particles that catch the light.” That connection to place is not a marketing story, but a philosophy that runs through every design.
Ore Design works with local oak from sixty-year-old trees in the surrounding area and with metal. “We work with local craftspeople from our neighbourhood because we believe in short supply chains, in seeing where things come from. Some of them are neighbours, as it happens. It feels as though we live in a micro-local makers’ hub, with everyone running their own workshop. It works and feels completely natural.”
Designing for the long term
For Ore Design, sustainability means something different from what most companies intend by it. “We do not design for the moment. We look for forms that can stand the test of time – not only technically, but also aesthetically and in terms of meaning.” The aim is objects that not only last, but can be passed on to the next generation.
Sculptural in form, intuitive in use, meaningful in everyday life.
That design philosophy can be summed up in three phrases that run as a thread through the work: sculptural in form, intuitive in use and meaningful in everyday life. “For us a design does begin with function, but it does not end there. Form, function and awareness or meaning come together. An object may be practical, but it should also inspire wonder, change a space or open up new possibilities for use.”
Ten years after the nutcracker, The Ore Lunar – a sculptural reading lamp and side table from 2025 – once again shows what Ore Design stands for. An object that is difficult to place in a single category, combining functionality with a distinctive form.
Making and being visible
A major challenge for Mannie and Frans lies in the balance between the creative process and the outside world. “We want to remain visible throughout the year while also keeping enough space for the creative process.” Now that the collection is established, Ore Design is increasingly focused on photography, text and presentation. Because an object never stands entirely on its own. “The way you photograph it, the story you tell alongside it and the context in which you show it all influence how someone experiences it.”
Connection through Locally Made
Being part of Locally Made means more to Ore Design than visibility. “It is primarily about connection, collaboration and local craftsmanship. About supporting one another, sharing knowledge and showing together how much is being designed and made in the Netherlands.” At the tenth anniversary of Locally Made, The Ore Lunar was literally on the stage. “Moments like that are valuable to us, because you can see directly how different makers and disciplines can strengthen one another.”
Space for the imagination
Ore Design does not prescribe how an object should be experienced. The design and the story are an invitation – the meaning is created by the person who brings the object into their life. “Perhaps an object becomes part of a daily ritual, finds a special place in the home, or grows into something that carries memories and stories with it.”
Want to know more about Ore Design? Visit the website.
