If A. C. F. Beales is to be believed, Leopold George Christian Frederick is probably the only person ever to have walked out of the job of King.

Only to pick up an equal post some 2 months later.

In his article “The Irish king of Greece” (The Journal of Hellenic Studies, Vol. 51, 1931 Part 1 pp. 101-105) Beales argues that Leopold accepted the job as King of Greece in February 1830, but then changed his mind in May 1830 following disputes with Britain over loans to help Greece out of its financial crisis.

Greece? Financial crisis?

On July 21st 1830 Leopold George Christian Frederick became Leopold I, the first King of the Belgians.

Which is all a long way of saying Happy Belgium Day to all in Belgium!

While it is all too easy to mock a country that although itself incapable of forming a democratic Government insists it is the best location for many of the European Union’s most important institutions; furniture design, product design and architecture have a lot to be thankful to the Belgians for.

On the one hand there is Henry van de Velde who had the genial idea of suggesting Walter Gropius as his successor at the Grand-Ducal Saxon School of Arts and Crafts in Weimar – which of course became Bauhaus. And changed the world forever.

Van de Velde himself returned to Belgium and established the L’École de la Cambre which went on produce a string of notable Belgian architects and artists whose influence can still be felt today.

However the Belgian designer most of you will be familiar with is Maarten van Severen.

Born in Antwerp van Severen studied architecture in Ghent. He designed his first chair in 1986 – although “shadow of a chair” is perhaps a better way to describe the almost non-existent leather and steel Chair N° I. Over the next decade van Severen concentrated on architecture and interior design jobs – and an awful lot of table designs – before in 1996 he started a very fruitful co-operation with Vitra that only ended with Maarten van Severen’s untimely death in 2005.

One of Maarten van Severen’s key works is his 1998 Chair N° III – or .03 as it is better known.

Created in cooperation with Vitra the .03 contains all those elements of the man and his approach to product design that make him so interesting, important and, arguably, unique.

The Maarten van Severen Foundation recently organised an exhibition looking at the the birth of the Design Icon .03 – and below is a small trailer video from the exhibition that not only provides a wonderful introduction to the story of the the .03, but much more shows just how genuinely loved and appreciated Maarten van Severen was.

We particularly like the quote from Nick Top from Belgian producer Aiki – a man who worked closely with van Severen for many years and who produced many of his earlier pieces – who on first seeing van Severen’s work at Interieur in Kortrijk said “Who do you think you are? What a child would draw, a pictogram, you appropriate as your own design. You’ve got a lot of nerve”

Great stuff!

The video also includes interviews with Maarten van Severen’s widow Marij and Vitra CEO Rolf Fehlbaum

Enjoy!

And Happy Belgium Day!

Vitra Design Museum: The Essence of Things. Design and the Art of Reduction

The (smow)blog team outing to the cardboard furniture workshop was coupled with a visit to the current Vitra Design Museum Exhibition: The Essence of Things. Design and the Art of Reduction.

We must admit to finding it more than a little ironic that an exhibition on “Design and the Art of Reduction” should be taking place in a building designed by Frank Gehry, especially when Tadao Ando’s Conference Pavilion is only some 10m away.

And after the long journey to Weil am Rhein this thought honestly kept us amused for about 4 hours.

The exhibition itself is divided into 12 thematic sections each of which deals with a different aspect of “reduction”; be it elements that the end customer is aware of, for example, geometry or lightness or those that remain hidden from the customer, for example reduction in logistics.

Stephan Schulz: Concrete Bowl

Some 160 objects illustrate the various themes ranging from design classics such as Michael Thonet‘s Chair No. 14 or the Ant Chair by Arne Jacobsen for Fritz Hansen onto objects that are less well known – if every bit as interesting – such as Stephan Schulz‘s concrete bowl or Marcel Wanders‘ Knotted Chair for Capellini.

Good design needn’t be complicated, less but more, form follows function – the number of design theories that encapsulate the practice of “reduction” are as numerous as they are legendary: yet at design show after design show we are confronted with products that attempt to win us over through their complexity and extravagance.

We also don’t know why that should be, but we suspect it has a lot to do with a saturated market and the associated increasing role that the internet plays in ensuring that your – probably completely superfluous – work is seen.

Which design blog is going to feature Jasper Morrison‘s Ply-Chair when they have photo of a bookcase that looks like to two paradise birds engaging in a mating ritual atop Carmen Miranda?

Ok we would. But not many others.

For us the true art of reduction in design is when the designer reduces the volume of the product down to the absolute minimum – be it through the use of a new material, innovative joining of the individual elements or through reducing the exterior measurements.

.03 by Maarten Van Severen

One particular example that occurs to us being Maarten van Severen’s’ .03 with its integrated compound spring supports that give the chair its comfort and stability without unduly adding to the weight, volume or outer dimensions.

However as the exhibition “The Essence of Things. Design and the Art of Reduction” ably demonstrates  reduction can involve other processes.

Joe Colombo’s No 281 lamp, Wilhelm Wagenfeld’s tea service or Donald Judd’s Chair 84 proving nice examples of what can be achieved with the necessary talent and motivation.

On the negative side we must add that for our taste the exhibition highlighted the work of Charles and Ray Eames a little too heavily – specifically the dedication of the complete section “development” to their work looks suspiciously like a bit of editorial shoe-horning on the curators part.

That aside, for all interested in the design process, and especially where the difference between “designer” furniture – i.e. those furniture pieces where a targeted design process occurs- and cheaper, generic products lies, the Vitra Design Museum exhibition “The Essence of Things. Design and the Art of Reduction.” is definitely worth the trip.
The Essence of Things. Design and the Art of Reduction at the Vitra Design Museum runs until September 19th 2010. More details can be found at http://www.design-museum.de

Although this encounter was never going to be as extravagant as the opening  match, Fritz Haller and Maarten Van Severen fought a tense, minimalist battle in Durban.

Fritz Haller’s style has changed little since he broke onto the international design scene in the 1960s and his trademark mini, midi, maxi  approach ensured a typically solid Fritz Haller performance. Maarten Van Severen’s occasional forays were always very well considered  and perfectly executed; yet, despite .03 or .04 excellent attempts for Vitra Maarten Van Severen was unable to break Fritz Haller’s solid defence and the match ended 0:0

The Group A table and all Group A results can be found here.

There is little doubt as to who the most popular furniture producers with the exhibitors here in Köln are…. Vitra and Kartell.

Two producers whom the Messe Köln sadly can’t attract to the show in their own right.
And that despite the fact that all the snack bars here in Köln Messe use Maarten van Severen‘s genial .03

On the stands here however we’ve seen, for example, Panton Chairs being used to augment otherwise tasteless bedroom suites and the classic Vitra DSR by Charles and Ray Eames standing at more than one table. Across the Rhein at designers open meanwhile, the somewhat less well earning young designers are more modestly kitted out interror.be, for example, with his Elephant Stool by Sori Yanagi.
Many of the more garish room set ups, meanwhile, use Kartell lighting as accessories.

The curious thing is – it works.

That however may just be due to the number of ironic bad taste hotel, spa and casino ensembles that Philippe Starck has organised of late. And not just lamps, Kartell seating pops ups up fairly frequently as well.  Sadly we’ve not seen as many from the Starck “Ghost” range as we like, however, we have seen some excellent ero|s| usage.
And as if all that wasn’t enough, the stands on which visitors fill out their registration forms are finest USM Haller.
But that USM Haller aren’t here is less of a surprise… they don’t do trade fairs.

And so despite our concerns over the aesthetics standards of some of the exhibitors here; it’s comforting to know that at least someone in the organisation can appreciate quality designer furniture.

.03 by Maarten van Severen from Vitra

Vitra DSR by Charles and Ray Eames

System USM Haller at IMM in Cologne

Ero|s| by Philippe Starck from Kartell

One of the joys of being involved in the designer furniture industry is that every now and again one is allowed to share ones enthusiasm and passion with others.

We believe that in more vulgar industries such is known as selling.
And so it came to pass that last week the boys and girls from uniturm.de visited smow.com to test out a few chairs.

Jo,Alex, Jule and Dirk from uniturm.de Happy and friendly folks.

The smow.com testing lounge may not be as luxurious as those on offer in the two (smow)shops in Leipzig and Chemnitz but it does offer a pleasant and relaxing testing location.
And of course your (smow)blog team was also present to record the occasion.

The uniturm.de team left a chair for holidaying co-founder Peter Biermann

As Germany’s largest online student knowledge exchange platform, the team behind uniturm.de spend a lot of their time sitting at their computers.

Obviously.

However, as all who specialise in helping students with the preparation for exams know, a little relaxation is also important.

And so for uniturm.de a selection of chairs was arranged that could fit their varied needs: a Vegetal by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, a Eames DSR by Charles and Ray Eames,  a .07 and .03 by Maarten Van Severen,  a Panton Chair from Verner Panton and a Headline Management Chair by Mario & Claudio Bellini.

Dirk Ehrlich from uniturm.de virtual testing...

The undoubted star attraction of the afternoon was the Headline Management Chair from Vitra – hardly surprising given it’s ingenious ergonomics and for all the fact that even in a reclined position your line of vision remains horizontal and so optimal for viewing your monitor.

If you dont’ believe us, look at your monitor, lean back in your chair – without moving your head – and tell us how your ceiling looks. The effort and strain required to move your head so that you can look at your monitor is a badly negelected area of office chair design; something the Headline corrects to the benefit of your neck and shoulders.

Just as with the users of their online exchange portal, the uniturm.de team spent most of the session exchanging notes and discussing the topics raised by the session.

Alexander Reschke from uniturm.de tests a Vegetal from Vitra

Another chair that found a definite positive resonance was the Bouroullec brothers Vegetal – and for all the realisation that is a lot more comfortable, and for all not so hard, as it looks. Similarly the .03 by Maarten Van Seeveren for Vitra was also positively rated on account of its comfort and tactual charms.

In addition to the chairs uniturm.de also had the chance to test a Metal Side Table by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra. It may not be as large as the uniturm.de uniturms in Berlin, Frankfurt, Cologne or Munich; however, thanks to the harmony of the dimensions and the attractive formal contrast between slender table tops and voluminous, socle-like legs, it makes an attractive addition to any room, and as such is perfect for exchanging lecture notes or discussing upcoming exam topics.

Following a sociable round of coffee and cake the test sitting was ended and while the team from uniturm.de returned to their office we remained and spent a satifysing hour photographing the Panton Chair.

As we say, it’s passion this designer furniture business.

In trying to put his feet on the table the boss sets a bad example.

uniturm.de and the search for the perfect designer furniture

.03 by Maarten Van Severen for Vitra

It’s probably fair the say that Maarten Van Severen isn’t a particular favourite of the (smow)IT department. Not that they dislike Van Severen’s effortless aesthetic, but rather with his .03, .04, etc… Antwerp’s finest artisan of designer furniture is the proverbial fly in the ointent of the new (smow)live search.

Developed using technology originating from the NASA Mars Programme, the (smow)live search is amongst the most user friendly and responsive search features ever developed. Simply type in a minimum of three letters and you will be shown what you are looking for.

Just it has problems finding .03 by Maarten Van Severen.
Which is a shame because the .03 is among the most inventive and well-conceived chairs at smow, as well as being among the best sellers.

... The .03 internal structure - robust and responsve...

Although outwardly a wonderful minimalist product that passes effortlessly in numerous locations the real beauty of .03 lies within.

The back support is constructed from three metal bars placed over one another – leaf springs is the official term – which in combination with the flexible integral polyurethane foam shell means that the .03 has one of the most reactive and responsive backrests among the “general usage” chairs on the market today

Furthermore, that the integral polyurethane foam is comparable with the material used for steering wheels and so the .03 offers an extremely high level of sitting comfort.

Available in stacking or a non-stacking version, and seven colours the .03 can be used in number of locations and for a wide range of purposes.

More details on the .03 and the complete Maarten Van Severen Collection from Vitra can be found at smow.com

... practical for small or large scale use