Minimalism vs maximalism.
Those who love the essence of design love the designs of Maarten Van Severen: masterful combinations of pure beauty & sleek efficiency.
The wooden table T88W is an example of this, here the shape of a table has been reduced to a minimum.
Maarten Van Severen designed the table to be used. The table is a place to meet friends, eat with your family, work, create...
This table is in authentic condition and has always been preserved by a private collector. This table is a preliminary study and prototype made by Maarten in his own studio in Ghent.
This early generation is made of birch wood.
From the start of the creative process in the early 1980s, each piece of Van Severen's work was made, assembled and finished manually in his studio. A time-consuming activity. The solution came in 1999 when production of the entire collection was transferred to TM in Proven, a sister company of Top Mouton, now called Aiki. This production has also stopped.
His designs are simple, clear and well thought out. They reflect his quest for perfection in form, detail and execution.
Maarten Van Severen was a Belgian furniture designer and interior architect. He is considered one of the few Belgian designers who managed to reach the international design top.
Maarten Van Severen is without a doubt the most important Belgian designer of the past two decades. His furniture designs with their typical clear line are known all over the world.
In the late eighties he started making furniture in his own studio in Ghent. The designs are simple, clear and well thought out. They reflect his search for perfection in design, detail and realization. He prefers to call himself a maximalist – someone who tirelessly uses all his energy, knowledge and resources to achieve the desired end result, even if that ultimately seems minimalistic.
His aim was that a piece of furniture should look 'as if it has always been there'.
Van Severen passed away at the age of 48.
