In the summer of 2001 Ineke Hans set up a children’s collection, Black Beauties, thirteen products with some very traditional small items for boy (crash car) and girl (springtime).
All items are made of black recycled plastic: wind-, water-, salt-, acid-, UV-resistant. The material allows products like the bathroom step (Wetstep) and the swings (Swing King and Sing Swing) to go outdoor and into wet environments.
The Collection has been growing through the years, items are added on every now and than and the group is devided up in Black Beauties: furniture, activity and cars.
In the Activity group Happy Horse has been shown all over the world.
The decision to make the Black Beauties in black initially came when designing colourful work in years before, and confronted with the fact that most materials are available in white, natural and black an 'easy 'choice for the available black material was made giving the objects a quality of a 3d pictogram.
More importantly, the Black Beauties show that children do not only react to colours, but very often they respond to shapes, opportunities and ways of playing with things. In a way the project is closely connected to earlier projects like Seven Chairs in Seven Days and Under Cover Chairs, the designs being associative, clear as 3d pictograms and playing with functions.
happy horse, 2001
Horse with handles and back, for kids one year and older
collection: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
sing swing, 2001
Swing with barrier for kids sitting age and up
swing king, 2001
Swing with handles for kids sitting age and up
rock stock, 2001
collection: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
Two way rocking device for rocking, circus acts and play. Suitable for kids one and a half years and up.
double trouble, 2001
Extra difficult two way wobble object, suitable for brave kids, three years and up.
springtime, 2001
Skipping rope with man/woman handle.
collection: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam
showerplough, 2009
snowplough with sweeping rubber and stick to clean shower
for Lloyd hotel
production: INEKEHANS|collection
Runner Up Rotterdam Design Prize 2003