Sydney-based Kiwi adman, design aficionado and father of three Ralph van Dijk – who spoke about radio at TRB seminars in Auckland and Wellington recently – today shares some of his favourite objects and artwork with M+AD readers, courtesy of a thoughtful reader’s take on an Urbis magazine profile.
“Working in advertising, Ralph van Dijk knows how to create twists on everyday ideas,” says Urbis writer Rebecca Gross. “And the same can also be said of his collection of furniture, objects and artworks, which includes mid-century and contemporary classics as well as images and pieces with intriguing spins or stories.
“Ralph and his wife, Kate, and their three teenaged children, Sylvie, Coco and the fast-rising music star Ruel, live in Balgowlah Heights in Sydney. Born to Dutch parents, van Dijk grew up in Christchurch. He lived in London for 18 years – where he met Kate – and moved to Sydney in 2006, opening a new office of Eardrum, his advertising agency specialising in audio and radio.
“The family lives in an A-frame house designed by Sydney architect Graeme Over in the late 1950s; it looks across the water to Manly, backs onto national park and is a short walk to a secluded harbour beach. But the house itself rivals the location; Graeme was inspired by Hawaiian and Tahitian architecture and believed the A-frame was well suited to the Sydney climate and location.”
His work has been recognised at Cannes, New York Festivals and London International Awards, and he continues to find innovative ways for sound and radio to reach consumers and affect their behaviour.
You can see the images – great photos, fully enlargable – in Urbis magazine (scroll down for the link). Here’s a few of his favourite objects …
“It’s an eclectic collection,” writes Gross. “He loves ideas and stories that spark conversation and each of his pieces has a strong concept behind it. In some cases, it’s as it was designed; in other cases, it’s how Ralph has transformed it …”
“He loves ideas that spark conversation and each piece has a strong concept behind it. In some cases, it’s as it was designed; in others, it’s how Ralph transformed it …”
- Macaw by Darwin Sinke & van Tongeren. “Ferry van Tongeren is a good friend and his taxidermy is next level. I’m glad I got in early because British artist Damien Hirst bought up their entire first collection,” he said.
- Dining table by Lowe. “A round dining table is convivial and works well in this square space. It’s big and inviting.”
- His house: “It has a north-east aspect, wraparound deck, internal gardens, one of the first infinity pools in Australia and a different view from almost every window. I had bought the house emotionally within about 10 seconds,” he says. “We didn’t want to build something that was cookie-cutter and predictable. Everything has been thought through to encourage you to be curious and to make the eye work.”
Rebecca Gross: “This sums up van Dijk’s eclectic collection too. He loves ideas and stories that spark conversation and each of his pieces has a strong concept behind it. In some cases, it’s as it was designed; in other cases, it’s how he has transformed it.”
- A replica of Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. “I like these twists that are curious and playful: making something mundane more interesting. The painting, like many other pieces, also captures the way that Ralph’s heritage has influenced his collection, as it includes many objects and artworks from New Zealand and the Netherlands.”
- Thorens turntable. “I bought this when I was I asked for the cheapest version of the best make – Swiss-brand Thorens. Now the kids are jumping on the vinyl bandwagon, I’ve never gone through so many needles.”
- Dark-green Eames chairs sit around the dining table (“that colour was produced only once in the 1970s”).
- A papier mâché ornate frame is paired with a Gauguin print found in a dusty corner of a second-hand shop in Motueka (“it’s genetic – my Mum was great at spotting hidden gems and, last week, Sylvie came home with a stunning dusty oil painting from a Bowral junk shop”).
- Three Moooi pendants have been rescued from a soon-to-be-demolished office (“I convinced the foreman to let me take them off his hands”).
Rebecca Gross observed: “Amongst Ralph’s unique and distinctive pieces are items that are highly functional and long-lasting, and that remind him, Kate and their children to slow down.
“The ceremony of making a coffee, listening to a live-concert album or lighting a fire and watching the flames are rituals that encourage them to take their time and smell the roses.
“Indeed, it is much like the house and location (“It makes us feel like we’re on holiday,” says van Dijk.
CREDITS
Words: Rebecca Gross
Images: Alana Dimou
Urbis Magazine: February 2018 (Issue 102)
- Read the full Urbis piece, and view the images, here
- Listen to a long-ish teaser from Don’t Judge Me in Podcasts
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