About

Thijs Smeets is an award-winning Dutch designer and engineer, known for creating smart, elegant solutions that stand the test of time. He founded Studio Smeets in Amsterdam in 2007, following formative years at design studios in both The Netherlands and New York.

His multidisciplinary approach spans furniture, consumer electronics, tableware, and wellness products, always in a way where form follows function.

From early on, his talent was recognised: as a student, he won his first design award for a pair of eyeglasses for MaxMara—still in production today. In 2010, his biodegradable tableware for Hampi Products received the Toon van Tuijl Award at the Dutch Design Awards.

Thijs’ designs have reached international acclaim. His reading light LiliLite became a viral success on Kickstarter, featured in hundreds of publications. His furniture collection for Gispen Today launched at Salone del Mobile in Milan and is now part of the collection of Amsterdams Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art. In 2015 he designed The Spot lounge chair series for Pode / Leolux, a timeless piece that has been a best seller for more than a decade now. More recently, his Elara lounge series for OFS swept all major awards at NeoCon 2023, incl. Best Lounge Overall. It has conquered the market from day one.

Thijs has collaborated with global companies such as MaxMara, Unilever, Sara Lee, Nokia, and leading furniture brands across the globe. His work has been exhibited from Seoul to Milan, and from Amsterdam to New York. Many millions of his products have found their way to its users.

Thijs continues to push the boundaries of smart solutions and refined simplicity —hallmarks of his timeless design language.