Dutch designer Maarten Baas stops through Sydney to announce the winner of the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award. We catch up with him…
November 19th, 2009
Is it possible to get your own way every time? It would seem so for Maarten Baas who laughingly describes himself as a “very spoilt kid”.
This is said in jest of course, and Baas has every right to get his own way following the skyrocketing success of his iconic ranges, Smoke, Clay, and Sculpt – to name just three.
Describing his working process Baas says: “I just do what I do…
“I never try to make something for the market. I get the urge to make something, and hopefully there are people who like it.”
In this way, Baas says, his target group or audience are more like soul mates than consumers.
‘Smoke’, which is one of his most famous ranges, was born on a whim – albeit a logical whim.
“I thought, of course you need to burn furniture, and I’m the guy to do it!”
A selection of furniture classics – some originals! – were chosen from a library of history books and a frenzy of phone calls.
These were then lined-up and torched to a crisp, making history in an entirely new way.
Baas describes the sacrificial ‘Smoke’ range as a very important move.
“Marcel [Wanders of moooi who now stocks the range] thought the smoke chair was great – he saw more in it than I myself expected of it,” Baas says.
“He said, we’ll make a design icon out of it” – and that he did.
Baas is in Sydney courtesy of the Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Awards. Find out who won this year, click here.
Maarten Baas
maartenbaas.com
Bombay Sapphire Design Discovery Award
bombaysapphire.com/designdiscoveryaward
Images below:
Maarten Baas Portraits
PHOTOGRAPHER: Sarah Jane www.sarahjane.nl
CLAY FURNITURE
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maarten van Houten, www.maartenvanhouten.nl
Studio Maarten Baas / Clay Furniture / 2006
FLATPACK FURNITURE
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maarten van Houten, www.maartenvanhouten.nl
Studio Maarten Baas / Flatpack Furniture / 2005
HEY, CHAIR, BE A BOOKSHELF!
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maarten van Houten, www.maartenvanhouten.nl
Studio Maarten Baas / Hey, chair, be a bookshelf / 2005
PLASTIC CHAIR IN WOOD
PHOTOGRAPHER: Courtesy of Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai
Studio Maarten Baas / ‘Chinese Objects Object’ & ‘Plastic Chair in Wood’ / Contrasts Gallery / Shanghai, China / 2008
REAL TIME
PHOTOGRAPHER: Ricardo sà da Costa
Studio Maarten Baas / Real Time / 2009
SCULPT
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maarten van Houten, www.maartenvanhouten.com
Studio Maarten Baas / Sculpt / 2007
TRANSFORMATION
PHOTOGRAPHER: Courtesy of Contrasts Gallery, Shanghai
Studio Maarten Baas / Transformation / Contrasts Gallery) / Shanghai, China / 2008
TREASURE FURNITURE’¨PHOTOGRAPHER: Maarten van Houten, www.maartenvanhouten.com
Studio Maarten Baas / Treasure Furniture / 2005
SMOKE
PHOTOGRAPHER: Maarten van Houten, www.maartenvanhouten.com
Studio Maarten Baas / Smoke / 2002
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
The Sub-Zero Wolf showrooms in Sydney and Melbourne provide a creative experience unlike any other. Now showcasing all-new product ranges, the showrooms present a unique perspective on the future of kitchens, homes and lifestyles.
Savage Design’s approach to understanding the relationship between design concepts and user experience, particularly with metalwork, transcends traditional boundaries, blending timeless craftsmanship with digital innovation to create enduring elegance in objects, furnishings, and door furniture.
Sub-Zero and Wolf’s prestigious Kitchen Design Contest (KDC) has celebrated the very best in kitchen innovation and aesthetics for three decades now. Recognising premier kitchen design professionals from around the globe, the KDC facilitates innovation, style and functionality that pushes boundaries.
The First International ‘Light Asia’ Festival was held in Paju, South Korea this year, bringing a wealth of innovation, technology and lighting design to a previously dim city.
Domayne introduces Zucchetti’s new line of highly sophisticated taps.
The idea behind ubiquitous inclusivity is undoubtedly an appealing one, which is why universal and accessible design principles have been gaining so much traction in recent years. Here, two renowned design experts weigh in on utilising these principles to create accessible bathrooms – and share the design thinking underpinning the process.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Wood Marsh’s 40-year legacy shines through landmark infrastructure projects. Recently completing stunning stations at Coburg and Moreland, their designs blend modernity with community needs.
As one of the many entries to The Social Space category at the 2024 INDE.Awards, this community centre is something out of the ordinary through its architectural design, that also provides a place for community and connection for many.