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Muller van Severen for valerie_objects

About the brand

Muller Van Severen is a collaboration between Belgian photographer Fien Muller and her partner-sculptor Hannes Van Severen. Founded in 2011, they entered the world of furniture almost by accident. At that time, Muller and Van Severen were renovating their charming country house and needed a light above their kitchen table. One of their first ideas was to design a table with the table leg extending into a cantilever lamp. Their design language evolved quickly and today, Muller Van Severen is one of Europe’s most image-defining creative teams, balancing somewhere between art and design. The duo is known for their versatile, colourful and sculpturally interesting furniture objects. Muller Van Severen-designs have a lot of transparency which turns their objects into a kind of ‘frame’ to be filled in, inviting customers to add their own personalities. Muller Van Severen's creations range from seats, chairs and sofas to tables, lighting and various other objects which style private homes and public spaces around the world.

Muller and Van Severen’s objects convey a sensibility for architectural spaces and a deep appreciation of carefully sourced materials. High-quality leather, brass, polyethylene, steel, marble and enamel are often the starting point of their design journey. Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen continually search for new ways to showcase the natural beauty of their materials. They strive to let the materials speak for themselves, without concealing anything. The techniques they use, the way materials age over time, and the tactile experience Muller and Van Severen create, are all deliberate choices on their part.

When it comes to colour, the design duo prefers using integrally coloured materials so the colour penetrates to the very core of the object. Paints are applied in textured layers, lending every design a natural radiance. All the internally produced Muller Van Severen pieces are handmade by small-scale manufacturers with honesty to the rawness and irregularity of the chosen material. Having passed through the hands of many skilled artisans before arriving at the Muller Van Severen studio, all objects are simply beautifully made. The duo then inspects every object and carefully provides the finishing touches, before the piece makes its way to the customer. One of the Muller Van Severen mantras is that design has to be well done, otherwise it loses its aesthetic purity.

Although careful research and craftsmanship are essential for Fien Muller and Hannes Van Severen, their objects are often so minimalistic, effortless and simple - naive even - that you could easily think they were sketched up completely intuitively. This is of course Muller Van Severen’s great power. The Belgian design duo won countless awards and collaborated with prestigious museums, brands and galleries - from Vitra Museum and Centre Pompidou to Hay, Wallpaper, KASSL editions and Hermès. Today, Muller and Van Severen present a part of their work in the Valerie Traan Gallery in Antwerp under the name ‘Valerie objects’. The duo loves to share information with gallery visitors about their choice of materials and how to take care of their designs. Talking with fans and customers is a vital part of the Muller and Van Severen philosophy. You can of course meet this inspiring Belgian couple also by browsing our online Muller Van Severen collection or by visiting our Graanmarkt 13 store in Antwerp. Experiencing Muller Van Severen design objects in person is of course the best way to feel the vibe.