In the early 1990s, re-using existing materials was popular in the Netherlands. Before graduating in 1991, Tejo Remy had already developed designs that have now become Dutch design icons like a chest of drawers that was made by manufacturing wooden frames for a collection of found drawers, which Remy then bundled together loosely to produce a chest. 'You can’t lay down your memory', the name that Remy chose for the chest of drawers, is a line from the song 'Knockin’ On Joe' by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds from 1985. Remy attaches enormous significance to the storage of personal possessions. For him, the chest is a metaphor for the (sometimes chaotic) workings of memory. Naturally, it is easiest to remember which drawer an item is in if the drawers are all different. This is also a key aspect of the design. Remy seeks out drawers in second hand shops, receives them as gifts from friends, and buyers can even add their own drawers. Maximum customisation is possible, even permitted, for instance, the inclusion of a TV in the design. The jute strap that holds the drawers together allows for variations in their position, although Remy make his own suggestion for the configuration. After the Droog design group was founded, the model was distributed as part of the Droog collection. The chest of drawers for Droog was limited to 200 copies. A smaller variant, the XS, was introduced in 2007.
Text: Ingeborg de Roode
