Fire and Clay - Maarten Baas

German born Maarten Baas grew up and studied in The Netherlands.  Baas graduated “in a blaze of glory” quite literally  when he graduated at the top of his year with a project simply named “Smoke”. The project was quite simply dedicated to furniture which was set ablaze to a certain point to create a charred look. I have to say I know a few people who may have cried at the Steinway going up in flames, but I do love the texture of the charcoal. You can see a video of the process  - just click here.

Steinway Piano – Smoke

Since entering the world of Design, in a way that many may choose to leave it, Baas has gone from strength to strength with his “out of the box” designs…. collecting prestigious prizes and having many of his works in the permanent collections of international museums, such as the V & A Museum in London and the Museum of Modern Art is San Francisco to name but a few.

The smoke technique has been commissioned for a number of projects such as pool tables in bars and wall panelling in hotels and restaurants.

pooltable for Gramercy Park Hotel, New York

Fabio Novembre’s livingroom with Smoke wall

Baas is certainly not a one trick pony, he has gone on to complete a number of projects since and has moved from fire to clay.

The individual Clay furniture is made of synthetic Clay, with a metal “skeleton” inside to reinforce the structure. All pieces are modeled by hand. No moulds are used in the production, making each piece unique.

So are you “smoke” or “clay”.. on with the colourful journey………