Amko Leenarts, Ford of Europe: My life in design in five objects

This list was exceptionally difficult to narrow down and required a long period of contemplation. However, I enjoyed the process as it made me consider some of the important elements of my design career and reflect on what really matters. There are many more examples I could highlight, but all of the objects that made this list are long lasting and are meaningful in their relationship with me.

1. Painting of Groningen

A painting made by Gerrit Korteweg, a friend and mentor who passed away, that reminds me to stay creative, always draw things and to paint when you can. It reminds me as well how important mentorship is, as well as unconstrained love and respect for other creatives. He was like a father – chosen family, if you will.

He is also an example of multi-creativity. For me, my interest in design is not just about cars but also architecture: I started as an architect in his office, which is shown on the painting. He stimulated me, always believing in myself. The city on the painting is my city of birth, Groningen, where my roots lay and where I did my bachelor studies at the Academy of Arts.

2. “Tracy” – my Volvo P1800es

This was the first car I tried to re-design for a modern world back in 1988: I was 15 when entering a car design competition organised by Volvo. Ten years later, I joined Volvo Design as an intern in the Netherlands and, believe it or not, the assignment was to re-design the original P1800es again! Tracy was born in 1971, the same year that I was. It’s the only classic car I will ever need because it means so much to me, marking two of the most important moments in my creative development.

Visually, the P1800es is the most beautiful car; it looks like a Ferrari 250 GT SWB Berlinetta from the front. It turns so many heads and I feel like royalty with how often I wave back at happy people. It’s a true shooting-brake, with three doors but loads of space like a wagon. There are so many details that I love about this car: the line on the bodyside connecting to the B-pillar makes the nose even longer; the body to glass ratio; the low glass hatch on the rear; the simple steel wheels; the thin yet giant steering wheel and the overdrive ‘5th gear’ on the stalk.

3. Le Creuset cooking pan

This pan has been with me for 30 years and is the one I cook the best meals in. There was a moment in my life where I had to choose between becoming a cook or a car designer when I was 21. Cooking for me comes the closest to designing: looking for good ingredients, finding ways to combine them in a new way, making a great dish.

My mum made her own cooking scrap books and taught me to cook and bake, and living in France gave me another level of appreciation for food and how it’s made. Giving food is a way to express love. Almost every weekend there’s one of my five children with us at home and I enjoy the togetherness; I lure them in with my cooking… My pan is my fortune!

4. My passport

It stands for all the travel my creative path has offered me as well as living in four countries so far. I have moved 24 times in 35 years and I love the curiosity for the new: how languages, cultures and art connect.

5. House by Dutch architect Egbert Reitsma from 1934

My home and garden are my life. This house represents the architecture I love, the scale in which to live and providing the flexibility that life offers. The object itself – the building – is from 1934 and was designed by a famous Amsterdamse School movement architect named Egbert Reitsma. It’s a protected monument building and I’m fortunate enough to be able to maintain it as a custodian for future generations.