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About Maarten Van Severen
Maarten Van Severen (1956 - 2005) was a celebrated Belgian furniture designer and interior architect. Hailing from an artistic family background, with his father, abstract painter Dan Van Severen, and his brother, designer Fabiaan Van Severen, he began his architectural studies in Ghent before delving into furniture design in 1986. Beyond furniture design, Van Severen's interests extended to the interaction between furniture and architectural environments. This led to collaborations with Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, resulting in notable projects like the Villa Dall'Ava in Paris, the Seattle Public Library and the Casa da Música in Porto. He also contributed to the public spaces of the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven and completed his first and final full architectural project, a kitchen pavilion for the Boxy twins' catering business in Deurle. Van Severen's designs radiate effortless elegance, with meticulous attention to detail.
The strength of his designs lies in the tension between their archetypal forms and the intensity with which he crafted them, initially by hand and later employing semi-industrial and industrial methods. The artisanal crafting process placed significant emphasis on the natural and tactile qualities of the material. The anachronistic poetry of this approach resonated deeply: the slowness, the physical contact with raw materials, the honesty, simplicity... Wood was treated only with soap, devoid of protective varnish or coloring. Its origin remains recognizable, allowing the product to bear the traces of human use. Users are encouraged to leave scratches and stains on the furniture; these human imprints enrich the object, adding a unique character, a soul. His work is celebrated worldwide and is featured in the permanent collections of prestigious institutions such as the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.