The Dutch company Moooi is famous for its passion to outstanding design. Its creative director is Marcel Wanders, who is able to amaze anybody with his furniture and lighting fixtures. Therefore it isn’t strange that he managed to discern the potential at the diploma work of Maarten Baas, the newcomer designer. According to the young designer, he had been approaching to the work in a baking technique for several years. He was attracted by the very idea of a creative destruction of classic-styled furniture. He carried out various experiments with the furniture, thrown it down the height and soaked, and eventually discovered that the wood material can be made old best by the fire. As a result he invented a simple technology of art-furniture production. Ready-made wooden basis of a baroque chair is burned with the help of blazing lamp. The wood material smoulder and even becomes burnt through.

Smoke chair by Maarten Baas

© Erwin Olaf

It is not necessary to wait until the material would be fully burnt, the fire should be suppressed. The part, which was so ornamentally burnt, should be fastened with the help of molted synthetic resin.

Smoke Dining Armchair by Maarten Baas© Moooi

Every chair, produced according to the described technology, is unique, as it is impossible to predict, which place would be heavily burnt each time.

Smoke Dining Chair by Maarten Baas© Moooi

The basic model has upholstery of black leather, yet is available in colour style as well.

This chair was immediately included into the brand`s main collection in 2002. Later on the chair was supplemented with a burnt Bergere armchair in black skin.

Chandelier Smoke is the third element of this collection, produced by Moooi company.

The rest of burnt furniture and interior items are made at the designer`s Dutch studio named Baas & den Herder studio. Since 2004 this set is exposed at Moos Gallery in New York as a part of “Where There’s Smoke…” project. Especially for this project Maarten Baas has used his specific technology and burnt famous items of XX century, made by well-known designers (Eames, Gaudi, Rietveld), which are still manufactured by respectable armchairs producers.

Original – Gerrit T. Rietveld’s 1918 Red and Blue chair:

Gerrit T Rietvelds 1918 Red and Blue chair

Original – The Campana Brother’s 2003 Favela Chair, produced in lots by Edra trademark:

The Campana Brothers 2003 Favela Chair produced in lots by Edra trademark

Original – Ettore Sottsass’s 1981 Carlton room divider, created by Memphis Milano:

Ettore Sottsass 1981 Carlton room divider created by Memphis Milano

 

Original – Charles R. Mackintosh’s 1902 Hill House 1 chair, manufacturing rights belong to the factory Cassina:

Charles R Mackintosh 1902 Hill House 1 Chair

 

Original – Antoni Gaudi’s 1902 Calvet armchair, manufacturing rights belong to the factory B.D Barcelona Design:

Antoni Gaudi 1902 Calvet armchair

Original – Gerrit T. Rietveld’s 1934 Zig Zag chair, is still manufactured by Vitra armchairs producers (in Europe) and Hermann Miller (in the USA):

Gerrit T. Rietveld 1934 Zig Zag Chair

 

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