Daan Haanappel’s life unfolds in two different worlds: making art and competing in volleyball at the highest level in the Netherlands. In both volleyball and making art, he is driven by the desire to push boundaries, embrace challenges and discover what he is capable of.

Daan has a background in Industrial Product Design. For years, he felt he was working against his ADHD, trying to fit the way his mind works into standard practices. Eventually, he began to wonder: what would happen if I embrace the way my mind naturally works instead? He discovered that making art gave him the freedom to explore his curiosity and creativity. Therefore, that question became the starting point of Daanappel Designs.

As an artist, Daan works primarily with nails and tread. Working from his studio in Huizen, he transforms thousands of nails and kilometres of thread into portraits and abstract compositions. Up close, you see individual lines and nails. Step back, and a whole picture comes together. An idea rarely remains just an idea for too long with Daan. He wants to experiment with it, develop a new technique and create new artworks!