Kikkerland

Kikkerland began in New York in 1992, the creation of Dutch expat Jan van der Lande, who started out reselling clever designs from friends back in Amsterdam — running the business from a houseboat on the Hudson. The name says where it came from: "Kikkerland" is an affectionate Dutch nickname for the Netherlands, literally "land of frogs."

What started as importing Dutch design grew into something bigger: a company built on finding and championing independent designers from all over the world, paired with an in-house team that turns out new ideas at a remarkable pace. The thread running through all of it is a simple belief — that an everyday object can do its job and make you smile at the same time.

Today Kikkerland's gadgets and gifts turn up everywhere, from museum shops to specialty stores around the world: clever, well-made, often funny little things that combine form, function and delight in equal measure. It's design that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is all the better for it.