This book is published to coincide with the exhibition of the same name in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam (20 June – 13 September 2015), staged in collaboration with Design museum Gent.

So what exactly is a ‘Design Derby’ between the Netherlands and Belgium from 1815 to 2015? Is there a typical Dutch or Belgian identity in design? And how much do they know about one another’s history? The United Kingdom of the Netherlands was established exactly two hundred years ago in 1815. For fifteen years the Netherlands and Belgium were forced by the great European states to become one entity under the inspiring leadership of King William I.
Through many unusual objects this lavishly illustrated publication explores what influenced design in the two countries over the course of two hundred years. Ranging from furniture, ceramics, glass, fabric, graphic design and fashion to household appliances, it tells the story of how domestic culture, the economy and politics continually shape the character of design.

The book is divided into twenty-one themes, each accompanied by an infographic and two typical examples from the Netherlands and Belgium. Four Flemish specialists – Werner Adriaenssens, Marc Dubois, Fredie Floré and Frank Huygens – and four Dutch specialists – Paul Rem, Mienke Simon Thomas, Jeroen van den Eijnde and Frederike Huygen – tell the story of two centuries of design history in the Netherlands and Belgium in eight absorbing essays. There is a friendly contest here, too, as each essay is followed by a short response by an author from the neighbouring country: Wim Nys, Claire Leblanc, Daniela N. Prina and Johan Valcke on the Belgian side and Ellinoor Bergvelt and Helen Elands, Timo de Rijk, André Koch and Ed van Hinte on the Dutch side.