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Maarten Baas Decorative Objects

Dutch, b. 1978

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. 

Find Maarten Baas seating, tables and lighting on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Maarten Baas
Maarten Baas, sweepers clock, signed& numbered, icon Dutch contemporary design
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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 coll...
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Clay Floorfan Medium White by Maarten Baas
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Contemporary Clay Floorfan by Maarten Baas
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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...
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21st Century and Contemporary Dutch Modern Maarten Baas Decorative Objects

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Metal

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21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Maarten Baas Decorative Objects

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By Maarten Baas
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Is a playground restoring bounce and primal spirit of male and female.  
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21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Maarten Baas Decorative Objects

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Steel, Brass

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Maarten Baas decorative objects for sale on 1stDibs.

Maarten Baas decorative objects are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of clay and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Maarten Baas decorative objects, although black editions of this piece are particularly popular. Many of the original decorative objects by Maarten Baas were created in the modern style in europe during the 21st century and contemporary. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider decorative objects by Alvaro Uribe, Jeff Zimmerman, and Christian Caudron. Prices for Maarten Baas decorative objects can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $23,030 and can go as high as $23,905, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $23,030.

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