itthon.

Useful information

Team members: Adrienn Király Bálint Szalai
Country: Hungary
Keywords: Design for Social Good Responsible Design Meet Your Maker Locally Made

Short Description

itthon. aims to strengthen the local craftsmen community in Vojvodina with the help of design.

Detailed Description

Many people leave Vojvodina, the homeland of Bálint and its effects are being felt on economical and social levels. Still the possibility is given to bring positive changes by strengthening local values. With itthon. we intend to broaden the possibilities of craftsmen living there, while relying on the know-how of small-scale industries. We address low-technology workshops with huge expertise, to create objects together. Our first collection is a series of handmade homewares made of natural materials. The collection is inspired by the moderate common sense of peasants’ culture and the colours of the land. The objects combine local values and know-how with the tools of contemporary design, which creates new market opportunities for the community. But more importantly we aim to form a community of object makers and to motivate them to use their artisanal heritage. We want to highlight their opportunities to turn this know-how for their advantage, prospering in a more sustainable future.

Project Details

Does your design take social and cultural challenges and human wellbeing into consideration?

Empovering the local craftsmen community

The evaluation in Vojvodina, the homeland of Bálint very much defines the general public mood, and its effects are also being felt on economical level. Still we believe that there is great potential in the infrastructure and know-how left from the Yugoslav era.
With itthon. we intend to broaden the possibilities of craftsmen living there, while relying on the traditions and know-how of small-scale industries. We address low-technology workshops that have accumulated huge experience and expertise.
The products are long-lasting, small-series everyday objects - made from local base, natural materials - which react to the emotional and functional needs of a home with sustainable tools. Given that one of the project objectives is to establish contact between local makers, the creation of a single product may consciously call for the joint work of various workshops, due to the choice of materials.
The collection combines local values and know-how with the tools of contemporary design, which creates new market opportunities for the community. The project aims to form a community of object makers in addition to generating economic profit.
Throughout our project we aim to motivate the maker community to use their artisanal heritage, turning it for their advantage, prospering in a more sustainable future.

Does your design support sustainable production, embodying circular or regenerative design practices?: The collection contains small series of handmade home goods made from local base natural materials. Like wood that was cut out in the neighbourhood, homegrown cane and clay that’s been the material of pots and cookware for centuries.

Does your design promote awareness of responsible design and consumption?: Honest and transparent communication is a fundamental aspect of the project. Our initial goal is not only to show the origins of the production and the materials but very much to highlight and introduce the makers behind the collection. Through their personal stories the customers can relate even more closely to the objects which is a key element of the items longevity.
Our most important message is that these objects are not coming from the other side of the world from an unknown and hardly trackable origin but from a recognisable place and person, as a result of careful and accurate handcrafting process.