Born in 1966 in The Netherlands, Jan Melis graduated from the Design Academy in Eindhoven in the department of Man and Living. Since then, Jan Melis has worked for different commissioners as a product and interior designer, where exhibition and interior projects occupied mainly his early freelance work. In the mid-nineties Jan Melis focused on product design. This slight, but important change of direction gave birth to some of his most acclaimed works, such as the Waterfall shower, included in the Droog Design collection in 1997 and the lights Jan Melis designed for Moma retail in New York. The fruitfull MNO collaboration with Ben Oostrum resulted in several nominations and awards, amongst others a Red Dot award for the Crosslight. In 2003 Karim Rashid selected the Crosslight, the Pill and the Donut for the International Design Yearbook.
At present, Jan Melis is expanding his field of work, due to his increased experience and acquired know-how. Jan Melis latest inclination falls on creative design solutions, working closely with organizations, architects and artists tackling challenging issues in the sphere of product, interior and exterior design. Since the beginning of his career, Jan Melis has constantly been seeking new opportunities and always trusted his intuition. Jan Melis flexibility and adaptive nature allow him to stay in tune with our speedy ever-changing world and give him the opportunity to apply his knowledge and be useful in a wide variety of circumstances.
Jan Melis works have been widely exhibited at home and abroad, including Milan, New York, London, Tokyo, etc. Nowadays Jan Melis works for various companies and commissioners in the field of product and interior design. Jan Melis also appears as a teacher at the Design Academy in Eindhoven and the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. Within this wide range of expertise, Jan Melis is determined to explore and engage in creative discussions and practices concerning design problems, providing efficient and innovative solutions.
