Market Insight: The Dutch Approach to Interior Design

The Netherlands has long been recognized as a center of clarity-driven design.
From residential interiors to commercial showrooms, Dutch design philosophy favors simplicity, balance, and intention.

In this context, every object placed within a space must justify its presence.
Function is respected — but visual logic comes first.

For interior designers and showroom planners in the Netherlands, restraint is not a limitation; it is a design choice.

When Function Disrupts Visual Order

In minimalist environments, functional electronic devices can quickly introduce disruption:

• Visible cables interrupt clean lines

• Screens compete with materials and textures

• Power requirements dictate layout decisions

• Reflections alter carefully planned lighting

Even when turned off, real devices carry visual noise that contradicts the core principles of Dutch minimalism.

Why Non-Functional Display Devices Are Preferred

To maintain visual clarity, many Dutch designers deliberately choose non-functional display electronics — simulated TVs, laptops, tablets, and phones used exclusively as spatial elements.

These objects are treated not as technology, but as forms:

• Defined proportions

• Neutral surfaces

• Controlled reflections

• No operational dependency

In minimalist design, removing function often allows form to speak more clearly.

A Minimalist Showroom Scenario

Picture a showroom in Amsterdam or Eindhoven:

A wall-mounted screen aligns precisely with a floating cabinet.
A laptop rests open on a desk, its presence subtle and unassuming.
A tablet sits on a side table, suggesting use without demanding attention.

Nothing lights up.
Nothing distracts.

The space remains calm, balanced, and intentional — allowing materials, light, and proportion to take center stage.

What Dutch Designers Value Most

In conversations around Dutch showroom design, several priorities consistently emerge:

• Visual silence

• Material harmony

• Precision in scale

• Objects that support, rather than dominate, the space

Non-functional display devices exist comfortably within this philosophy, contributing without asserting themselves.

Design Through Subtraction

In the Netherlands, good design is often defined by what is removed rather than what is added.

By choosing non-functional electronics, designers preserve control over the environment and protect the integrity of their vision.

In minimalist showrooms, silence is not emptiness —
It is intentional clarity.