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.
$4,184 / item
Contemporary Plain Clay Desk Light by Maarten Baas
By Maarten Baas
Located in Warsaw, PL
This desk light comes from Maarten Baas’s Plain Clay collection. This collection was originally developed for the Mendini restaurant in the Groninger Museum. Unlike the Clay Serie...
Metal
$1,650
H 36.5 in W 5.5 in D 3 in
Contemporary Mini Metti Floor Lamp in White Paper Clay by Bailey Fontaine
By Bailey Fontaine
Located in New York, NY
Mini Metti lamp by Bailey Fontaine 2022 Paper Clay White W 5.5" (dome) x H 36.5" x D 3" (base) This lamp is a sculpture as lighting, inspired by the works of Alberto Giacometti. The...
Clay
$3,900
H 17 in W 17 in D 17 in
Knoll Clay Michie Swing Arm Saucer Desk Lamp, 1950s Mid Century Atomic MCM Light
By Clay Michie
Located in Peoria, AZ
CLAY MICHIE FOR KNOLL ARTICULATING SAUCER DESK LAMP NO. 8 RARE W/ BULB DIFFUSER DIMENSIONS: Approximately 17" Tall Base: 8" Shade Diameter: 11" Here is the large, iconic, mid cent...
Metal, Chrome
Twin Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Twin Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 15 x W 15 x H 60.5 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal, brass, glass. Available in white or black base. All ...
Metal, Brass
Chemoki Clay Lamp by Ia Kutateladze
By IAAI Studio- Ia Kutateladze
Located in Geneve, CH
Chemoki clay lamp by Ia Kutateladze Dimensions: W 26 x H 27 cm Materials: Raw black clay “Playground For Salvation” was created entirely during quarantine, in my Berlin studio. ...
Clay
Alouette Slanted Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Alouette Slated Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 22 x W 46 x H 40 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, or color versions. Also available with bras...
Metal
Alouette Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Alouette Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 22 x W 22 x H 45 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, or color versions. Also available with white refle...
Metal
Alouette Slanted Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Alouette Slated Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 22 x W 46 x H 40 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, or color versions. Also available with whit...
Metal
Red Profiles Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Red Profiles Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 16 x H 40.5 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in other colors. Please contact us. All our lamps can be wired acco...
Metal
Dendri Clay Lamp by Ia Kutateladze
By IAAI Studio- Ia Kutateladze
Located in Geneve, CH
Unique Erythro Clay chair by Ia Kutateladze Unique piece Dimensions: W 38 x H 30 cm Materials: Raw Black Clay “Playground For Salvation” was created entirely during quarantine,...
Clay
Alouette Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Alouette Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 22 x W 22 x H 45 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, or color versions. Also available with brass refle...
Metal
Alouette Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Alouette Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 22 x W 22 x H 45 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, or color versions. Also available with brass refle...
Metal
Alouette Slanted Desk Light by Atelier Areti
Located in Geneve, CH
Alouette Slated Desk Light by Atelier Areti Dimensions: D 22 x W 46 x H 40 cm. Materials: Powder-coated metal. Available in black, white, or color versions. Also available with bras...
Metal