17-19 serves as an exhibition space for wonderful products from all over the globe. Some objects you might be familiar with, some you probably never heard of. Some objects are industrialized mass-produced items, and some are the result of hundreds of steps made by hand, utilizing techniques refined over decades of experience and training. Objects are selected with the quest for inherent beauty: To be found in the choice of a material, texture, or color; in the process of creating the object, in a delightful experience when using it, a genius engineering execution, a formal-aesthetic expression or in a cultural value. At 17-19, we believe in everyday products that bring joy to people. Items that you want to take care of.
Dear reader,
A few loose points about 17-19:
Behind 17-19 stands Nathanael Boell, a product designer living in Switzerland. I aim to spark interest and an appreciation for everyday products and for the people and processes involved in their design and creation, whether mass-produced or handcrafted.
A product can be seen solely as a tool to help us in our daily operations. A tool to display the time, a tool to carry your belongings, a tool to capture your writing. But I believe that if we care about our products, it brings a lot of joy in our everyday lives. In order to do so, a product must not be frustrating to use but should spark joy in every aspect of our interactions with them; from feeling it in our hands, from the materials, from looking at it, from using it.
One Gedankenexperiment I like to conduct when choosing a product is to ask myself: "Is it a product that, once I don't not need it anymore, will still serve a purpose, or would it end up in a landfill?" It should be of such quality, durability and beauty that others would want to continue using it. Just imagine clearing out your grandparents' house and finding that every item is either still usable or can be given to others to fulfill its purpose. That would be a gratifying house clearance! Of course, this principle doesn't apply to all products; some have sentimental value tied to a specific person. But perhaps you get the idea of it.
Price isn't the sole criterion for selection. There are items in my collection that are pretty affordable. And then there are some that come with a hefty price tag. However, In those cases, I believe that the higher price reflects the craftsmanship, design process, build quality, or engineering mastery behind the product.
The displayed prices are a rough guideline. Depending on the currency and the country you are visiting from they can differ.
You may find some products in the collection that have quite niche uses, such as the audio recorder from Teenage Engineering. But some products are so well-engineered and designed that I want to shed light on them regardless.
Sponsorship for the inclusion of objects in the collection is not accepted.
However, I'm somehow emotionally attached to every product I choose, so please don't consider this an objective review site.
When I recently had a discussion with someone about the Porsche 911 GT3, I realized something about the ‚performance‘ aspect of the products in my collection. They often parallel the 911 GT3 in their respective categories. Let me elaborate: The current 911 GT3 is regarded to be the embodiment of the perfect everyday sports car (besides, in my opinion, being also the most beautiful). It isn't necessarily the fastest, lightest, most agile, nor most comfortable car out there. However, it consistently scores at least a nine out of ten in all those categories: it's incredibly fast, agile, comfortable, and offers decent storage space for a sports car. Opting for a 10 in one of those categories would typically result in a six or seven in another. This balance is what makes the 911 so compelling, and I've noticed that I subconsciously seek out a similar balance in the performance aspect of the products I curate. Take, for instance, the chef's knife: it may not be the absolute sharpest or require the lowest maintenance, but it strikes a perfect balance between both, scoring a nine in each. With this approach, I believe I can showcase a selection of products that represent a wonderful everyday option for many people. For those seeking only the most powerful sports car, they might not find what they're looking for here.
Disclaimer: This site is purely for personal artistic expression. 17-19 does not claim copyrights to photos that appear on https://17-19.com. In the event that there is still a problem or error with copyrighted material, the break of the copyright is unintentional and noncommercial, and the material will be removed immediately upon presented proof.
I'm always curious to learn, let me know if you have any thoughts – nathanael@17-19.com
Yours sincerely
Nathanael