Lensvelt Maarten Baas 101 Upholstered Kvadrat NITTO 0857 + Booklet

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.

Lensvelt is a dedicated, Amsterdam based furniture label. The Lensvelt consumers value a green planet and like to contribute to a healthy, fair and sustainable society. They are culture enthusiasts; with a strong affinity to art, architecture and design. The Lensvelt customer utilizes our products in both a professional as well as personal setting. This philosophy exemplifies their worldly perspectives and their impeccable taste of design. We provide both architects and interior designers with the right tools to create the best possible interiors. That is why our products are designed by the most forward thinking and innovative designers, architects and artists. We work and collaborate with renowned names such as Marcel Wanders, Atelier Van Lieshout (AVL), Piet Hein Eek, Richard Hutten, Studio Job, Luc Binst, Maarten Baas, Fabio Novembre, Maarten Van Severen, Baranowitz + Kronenberg, Space Encounters, i29 and OMA. Artists who all like to challenge the status quo in their own way. We are professional, genuine, social and very passionate. Our products are innovative, authentic and ergonomic. Often embedded with a humoristic twist. They are durable, comfortable and most importantly well designed. For us this means: sober, functional, logical and timeless. We are good team players and believe actions speak louder than words. For us a deal is a deal, we deliver. The Lensvelt Team