Karres en Brands is a purpose-driven design studio based in the Netherlands and Germany, driven by ambition, curiosity and craft. We operate from the conviction that spatial design plays a key role in addressing the urgent transitions of our time: from climate adaptation to mobility, and from demographic change to social inclusion. We believe that the solutions to these challenges lie in improving everyday life and we strive to make the ‘Extraordinary the new Normal’.
Our work begins with the landscape. By understanding water, soil, and ecological processes as structuring forces, we create resilient and adaptable spatial frameworks. This ‘Nature First’ approach ensures that our plans are not only robust, but also capable of evolving over time and supporting both natural dynamics and human use. It reflects a radical focus on the quality of meaningful places for everyday life: environments that perform ecologically while remaining intuitive, accessible and generous in use.
We see design as a social act. Projects emerge through dialogue, shaped in close collaboration with clients, stakeholders, and users. Rather than imposing fixed solutions, we develop strategies that balance direction and participation. In this way, design becomes a collective endeavor embedded in the ‘Middle of Society’, where spatial quality generates shared value and enriches lived experience.
Building on this, our work is rooted in the belief that design is not an end in itself but rather a tool for creating meaningful change. With a focus on strong spatial concepts and careful detailing, we use design to reveal the hidden qualities of a place – its landscape, history and structure). In doing so, projects gain a layered, lasting identity, with transformation growingfrom what is already there. The ‘Beyond Aesthetics’ mindset views design as an instrument for change, capable of turning vision into reality. Today’s challenges demand more than refinement; they require a fundamental rethinking of how and what we build. Material choices, construction logic and visual expression are inseparable from ecological realities -we approach this as a creative opportunity. By designing with these conditions, new aesthetics emerge naturally.
A successful plan is never static. We do not focus on a fixed image but rather design the trajectory: the way a place unfolds, matures, and transforms across days, seasons, and decades. We approach projects as open systems that can grow, adapt and be reinterpreted over time as conditions change. By working with the existing qualities and layered history of a place, we set processes in motion that are both rooted and forward-looking. This process of ‘Gardening Change’ allows places to develop gradually, with design acting as a framework for long-term evolution rather than a fixed end state.
As a cross-disciplinary network organization, we collaborate with ecologists, engineers, sociologists and artists. Our iterative approach, through research, design and reflection, brings together analytical clarity, intuition and creativity. By connecting disciplines and perspectives, we create integrated solutions that respond to the complexity of contemporary spatial challenges. In this way, we position design as collective intelligence: a means to shape resilient landscapes, inclusive cities and meaningful environments for everyday life.
Landezine visited Karres en Brands in November 2018. Here is a peak behind the scenes.
Published on April 14, 2026
