Spaces for Well Being is a collective of designers, a psychologist & a sensorial curator. Our mission is to develop research-based spaces that contribute to individual health and happiness. Materials, installations, and various spatial elements that enrich your sensory experience with the intention to positively influence your mood. We are currently working on a research project at Elisabeth TweeSteden ziekenhuis in Tilburg.

The Secrid Talent Podium is a collaboration between Secrid and Dutch Design Foundation. Together, we believe in design as a force for good. With Secrid Talent Podium we provide a platform for talented designers and support them in developing products that contribute to a sustainable future. During Dutch Design Week, we showcase 7 talented designers who, with an innovative approach, are driving the evolution of their industry. In addition to this platform, Secrid offers each designer coaching and a financial grant of €7,777, a reference to their 7 design principles for holistic product design.

What if Lab is a platform to activate and facilitate collaboration between designers and clients (businesses, governments and institutions). A platform that deploys creative thinking power for the design of our common future. What if Lab offers a clear framework to discover how designers and design methods can support (long-term) organizations in developing and researching solutions for complex issues.

Justine Kontou - curator, art director, creative concepts and visualization of future scenarios. With her eye for colours, textures and shapes, she is able to create esthetic and eclectic experiences.Educated as a commercial economist (HEAO) and as a stylist at Academie Artemis in Amsterdam, Justine Kontou brings the perfect mix between creative and commercial. She knows how to put up strategies without losing the necessary creativity and skills to visualise these concepts. With her multidisciplinary approach and social skills, she brings people together in a way that feels natural to participators. An important quality mandatory to most projects. Due to her curiosity, imagination and open-minded view, she can easily ‘see’ important cultural and social developments and translate these into possible future scenario’s. With her eye for colours, textures and shapes, she is able to create esthetic and eclectic experiences (both 2D and 3D). Most of the time her work consists of combining disciplines like photography, art, design and installations. "My drive is to create, to be meaningful and to contribute to change. By creating multi-sensorial experiences to enhance the well-being in spaces, my goal is to create an environment that’s soothing and comfortable for it’s users. By letting them experience the positive effects of art and nature, they are stimulated to enter into their natural strength." Types of work: ° Creating spatial experiences to enhance the well-being in spaces° Curator and art director of artistic projects, like exhibitions, events and fairs ° Translating strategy and targets of clients into creative and visual concepts ° Trend forecasts, inspirational moodboards and visualization ° Project management for Art/ Design projects

Contemplation Spaces function as spots that allow you to disconnect yourself from your daily life and mind. In these spaces your senses will be stimulated by a fine selection of art, design, sound, tactility, and also by the use of scent, to immediately put you in a different mindstate.Due to distinct and unique features of selected objects and installations, you consider yourself in a world of its own. This one of a kind atmosphere is enhanced by water-themed installations, the usage of a variety of tactile materials, and matching fragrances and audio to create the best experience possible. To execute this concept, I collaborated with architect Lex Hildenbrant, psychologist Florijn Vriend, students of University of Amsterdam and a wide selection of twenty designers and experts. Research has been done on existing scientific studies that focus on the stress-reducing effects of art, light, sound and (references) to nature.The first edition will take place in The Student Hotel Eindhoven during Dutch Design Week, from 21 to 29 of October. Everyone is invited to experience Contemplation Spaces themselves. Visitors’ feedback will be collected and used for further development, to create permanent Contemplation Spaces. These permanent locations could be hotels, workspaces but also healthcare facilities or residential communities. The final goal is that as many people as possible can one day benefit from the stress reductive effects of art and design. To finance its experimental launch & research during DDW 2017, I started a crowdfunding campaign hosted by voordekunst.nl. Contemplation Spaces is the result of a deep collaboration between artists, designers, and scientists who believe in the importance of creating healthier, more peaceful spaces to balance out the stressors presented by modern living. As a work of passion, the project is unpaid, yet requires significant time and money to bring to fruition. Until 4 October you can find the campaign through the link below.

Talent scout and jury chairman for the Ruud van Berkel Award by Heembouw Architecten