Furniture designer Maarten Baas doesn't subscribe to conformist notions of beauty and symmetry. He finds appeal in the character of aged patinas and wear from usage. As such, Baas doesn't seek to create furniture or decorative objects that are perfectly proportioned — for proof, look no further than to the unconventional cabinets of his Close Parity collection or the chairs with oddly shaped backrests he designed for Lensvelt.
Baas breaks unspoken rules, and his influential work is as much art as it is functional design — he’s garnered support from likeminded creatives in his field such as Phillippe Starck and Marcel Wanders, and explores how he might put unusual materials to work such as clay or charred wood in the construction of his chairs and table lamps.
Baas was born in Germany and grew up in the Netherlands. After graduating high school, he began his studies at the Design Academy in Eindhoven. Before he had even graduated, Baas made an impression on instructors and students alike with his graduation project.
Using pieces of secondhand furniture he had procured online — some of which was manufactured by IKEA — Baas scorched the wood all the way through with a blowtorch. He soon found a way to preserve the wood once it was burned through, and this led to his inaugural Smoke series. The chairs and a lighting fixture from this line were put into production by Moooi, a furniture brand Wanders cofounded with Revised’s Casper Vissers in 2001. Hospitality guru Ian Schrager got in touch, and a pool table from the collection was custom-made by Baas for the Gramercy Park Hotel.
Since Smoke, Baas has produced numerous pieces, with his best-known efforts involving the repurposing of existing furniture and modifying it to look the way he wants. Ever the innovator, Baas introduced a series of clock designs as part of an art installation that began to take shape in 2009 at the Salone Del Mobile in Milan.
The designer’s clocks see an incorporation of video and other technology. Each piece, such as the ten-foot tall model installed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in 2016, presents the illusion of human figures toiling to keep time behind its face by way of a 12-hour recorded performance.
Baas’s works are held in the collections of many notable museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
$29,355 / item
Contemporary Clay Floorfan by Maarten Baas
By Maarten Baas
Located in Warsaw, PL
These vibrant Floor fans are from Maarten Baas’s iconic ‘Clay’ collection launched in 2006. The idiosyncratic childishness of this collection is created through Baas’s individual han...
Metal
Clay Floorfan Medium Green by Maarten Baas
By Maarten Baas
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The spontaneous and naïve designs of Maarten Baas’ Clay series express artistic vulnerability. Each piece is handmade of industrial clay, covering a steel fr...
Clay
Clay Floorfan Medium White by Maarten Baas
By Maarten Baas
Located in Beverly Hills, CA
The spontaneous and naïve designs of Maarten Baas’ Clay series express artistic vulnerability. Each piece is handmade of industrial clay, covering a steel fr...
Clay
Clay Sink by Studio Loho
Located in Geneve, CH
Clay sink by Studio Loho Dimensions: D 40 x H 15 cm Materials: clay5 Available in 3 models: round sink, oval sink and sink on structure. Due to the production process every piece is unique in size and form. Studio LoHo is a Belgian design office located in Bruges, Belgium. Founded in the autumn of 2017 by Karel Loontiens and Jo Hoeven, the studio focused from the beginning on high-end bespoke interior projects which forms an ideal matrix for product - and material design that is both innovative and durable. In current times there’s no more room for influx of disposable products, it is our studio’s goal to strive for design that will last and will be cherished for multiple generations. The introduction of the first collection “clay series” fully articulated the DNA of the newborn Studio and led to their international breakthrough. The appreciation of materials reflects their unique view on interior design with a strong and recognizable signature. Soon after, the collection was expanded on request by other architects and designers with new sinks...
Clay
Clay Sink by Studio Loho
Located in Geneve, CH
Clay sink by Studio Loho Dimensions: D 40 x H 15 cm Materials: clay. Available in 3 models: round sink, oval sink and sink on structure. Due to the producti...
Clay
$1,600
H 14.57 in W 11.42 in D 6.3 in
Mexican Burnished Clay Romance Torso Heart Couple Statue Contemporary Oaxaca
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
Lovers Torso, a contemporary rustic Mexican sculpture by Manuel David Reyes. This soft piece is one-of-a-kind, made with clay and natural pigments from ...
Ceramic, Clay
$4,800Sale Price|4% Off
H 63 in W 19.69 in D 17.72 in
Mexican Hanging Ceramic Fucsia Corn Clay Decorative Rustic Piece Contemporary
By Omar Hernández
Located in Queretaro, Queretaro
This astonishing 160 cm tall corn assemblage is made up of authentic ceramic corn cob reproductions. These are dyed using grana cochineal ( a scale insect from which the natural dye carmine is derived -- usually growing on cactus plant). The corn cobs are united by a wire to hang down. Take tradition to evolve, transform, and innovate are all part of Omar Hernández...
Ceramic, Terracotta, Clay
Antique Asian Glazed Clay Elephant Garden Seat, Dark Green, 1970s
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
Very fine Asian Glazed Clay Elephant Garden seat. Background color is dark green with accents of gold, white, pink and light blue.
Clay
Contemporary Clay Hooded Female Head Sculpture
Located in Sheffield, MA
The contemporary sculpture in clay represents a female head swathed in fabric for a hooded effect. The figure is hollow. The head sits on a stand with the engraved name of Eli Nuoro.
Bronze
Large High Clay Bathtub by Studio Loho
Located in Geneve, CH
Large High clay bathtub by Studio Loho Dimensions: D 90 x W 160 x H 53 cm Materials: Clay Other colors and raw or smooth exteriors available. Available in 4 sizes: W 160 x H 42(Large), W 160 x H 53(Large High), W 180 x H 42(X-Large), W 190 x H 53(X-Large High) The baths are entirely made of clay and are available in a wide range of colors or can be produced bespoke. The exterior of the clay can be raw or smooth according to preference, the interior of the baths is finished with a layer of smooth, silky lime plaster for maximum comfort. Due to the production process every piece is unique in size and form. Studio LoHo is a Belgian design office located in Bruges, Belgium. Founded in the autumn of 2017 by Karel Loontiens and Jo Hoeven, the studio focused from the beginning on high-end bespoke interior projects which forms an ideal matrix for product - and material design that is both innovative and durable. In current times there’s no more room for influx of disposable products, it is our studio’s goal to strive for design that will last and will be cherished for multiple generations. The introduction of the first collection “clay series” fully articulated the DNA of the newborn Studio and led to their international breakthrough. The appreciation of materials reflects their unique view on interior design with a strong and recognizable signature. Soon after, the collection was expanded on request by other architects and designers with new sinks...
Clay
Unavailable|$988
H 12.21 in W 3.55 in D 3.55 in
Contemporary Abstract Clay Sculpture by Marisha Falkovich
Located in Paris, FR
Marisha Falkovich grew up in Moscow, Russia and lives and works in New York. She primarily works with ceramics and animation – her ceramic pieces are...
Clay
$26,542
H 21.66 in W 16.54 in D 15.75 in
Sakura TRP23005, a large abstract sculptural glass vessel by Maarten Vrolijk
By Maarten Vrolijk
Located in London, GB
'Sakura TRP23005' is a unique sculptural glass vase covered in an organic adornment of glass shards by the Dutch artist, Maarten Vrolijk. Maarten Vrolijk is an Amsterdam-based artis...
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Copper Clay Disc S1 by Onno Adriaanse
Located in Geneve, CH
Copper Clay Disc S1 by Onno Adriaanse. Hand-sculpted, 2022. Edition: limited edition of 8 for every metal finish. Dimensions: Ø 60 cm x 4 cm Materials: oak wood and polished copp...
Copper
Extra Large Clay Bathtub by Studio Loho
Located in Geneve, CH
Extra large clay bathtub by Studio Loho Dimensions: D 90 x W 180-185 x H 42 cm Materials: Clay Other colors and raw or smooth exterior available. Available in 4 sizes: W 160 x H 42(Large), W 160 x H 53(Large High), W 180 x H 42(X-Large), W 190 x H 53(X-Large High). The baths are entirely made of clay and are available in a wide range of colours or can be produced bespoke. The exterior of the clay can be raw or smooth according to preference, the interior of the baths is finished with a layer of smooth, silky lime plaster for maximum comfort. Due to the production process every piece is unique in size and form. Studio LoHo is a Belgian design office located in Bruges, Belgium. Founded in the autumn of 2017 by Karel Loontiens and Jo Hoeven, the studio focused from the beginning on high-end bespoke interior projects which forms an ideal matrix for product - and material design that is both innovative and durable. In current times there’s no more room for influx of disposable products, it is our studio’s goal to strive for design that will last and will be cherished for multiple generations. The introduction of the first collection “clay series” fully articulated the DNA of the newborn Studio and led to their international breakthrough. The appreciation of materials reflects their unique view on interior design with a strong and recognizable signature. Soon after, the collection was expanded on request by other architects and designers with new sinks...
Clay
Belgian Clay Sculpture By Yolande Ide
Located in Houston, TX
Belgian Clay Sculpture By Yolande Ide. Offered is a Belgian sculpture of a male torso by Yolande Ide. This well executed sculpture was created in the 1960’s.
Clay
Sold
H 0.4 in W 3.94 in D 3.94 in
Maarten Baas, sweepers clock, signed& numbered, icon Dutch contemporary design
By Maarten Baas
Located in AMSTERDAM, NL
Sweepers Clock by Maarten Baas, original signed and numbered CD of one the most iconic pieces of 21st century dutch design. 2023 was a great year for Baas. First a mind-blowing collaboration with G-star during Salone Del Mobile in April and in summer opened his soloshow It’s About Time in museum Voorlinden. In 2002 Baas graduaded form Design Academy Eindhoven in 2002 with his Where there’s Smoke Collection. To this end, he modified design classics such as the Rietveld chair with a gas burner. He became world famous with his blackened furniture. His work is included in the collections of the MoMA in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Many travelers know his Schiphol clock, the three-meter high clock that has been installed at Schiphol Airport since 2016. The Millen House...
Other