Belgian designers Fien Muller and Hannes van Severen of Evergem-based studio have been announced as the Designer(s) of the Year 2023 at the ongoing Maison&Objet—the celebrated bi-annual interior design fair held in Paris from September 7-11, 2023. The honour follows an exhibition by the studio in the form of a landscape of domesticity dotted by pieces that exist as "small autonomous architectural entities." Combining a home, workplace, and a garden, visitors will get a peek into a composition of three islands housing different furniture collections by the duo.

Maison&Objet recognises Muller and Van Severen’s practice for rendering "a decade of innovation that shook up the codes of interior design". Established in 2011, the studio creates objects that sit on the cusp of art and design; its artist-founders ensure every piece evokes a sculptural quality and is born from careful material research and artisanal precision.

Within the Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Centre where the design event is hosted, Muller Van Severen has created an immersive setting combining space, objects, and materials. Featuring works include collections resulting from the studio's collaborations with HAY, valerie_objects, and Bitossi Ceramiche. “It [exhibition] will be a mirror of our interior but also our mind,” says the studio.

The exhibition comprises past and new works by Muller Van Severen. Together with Danish brand HAY, the studio is presenting Arcs Trolley and Arcs Mirror featuring a scalloped silhouette of the namesake collection. The products, simple in materiality and multi-functional in usage, follow the collection’s previously launched items: Arcs Vase and Arcs Candleholder. The Arcs Trolley is available in two sizes, and it can be used for kitchen and office storage, or a side table between seats, or any other space in the house. The mirror comes in round and rectangular configurations, and it can be placed above a sink in a bathroom, in a room or in a hallway. Vibrant colours and chic decoration imparted by a decorative scalloped border create a striking aesthetic for the pieces.

For Antwerp-based design label valerie_objects, Muller Van Severen has conceived two new pieces—the Standing Lamp Marble and Round Trivets—that are also on display at the fair. The former is a continuation of the brand’s iconic hanging lamp design that resulted from a serendipitous encounter years ago. While working on a home, the designers found that the socket in the ceiling above a table was missing to plug in a light source. Taking the challenge as a design opportunity, the duo conceived a lamp that hung from the wall. Drawing cues from that piece, the Standing Lamp Marble was born with a metal arm and a marble foot. The playful and sleek form of the handing lamp evokes the image of crayon drawings in the air, it turns out that the naivety of form is the most important aspect of the project. “Though sober and stylised, the lamp adds a romantic feeling to the room, reminding us of the light under a street lantern,” adds Muller and Van Severen.

Taking the studio’s ethos of using the bare minimum one step ahead, the trivets designed for valerie_objects are both functional and artistic pieces of work. A thin steel outline (6mm thick) and a multitude of shapes create an abstract work of coloured lines—the composition can be both placed on a table for keeping hot objects or hung on a wall in a set to create 'an Escher-like work of abstract art.' The product comprises five round lacquered steel coasters in five different sizes.   

The spatial presentation titled Oasis gives a closer peek into the Belgian studio’s journey so far. An intimate composition, illustrated by a domestic narrative, gives the showcase a more personal appeal. Located at the entrance of hall 07 inside France’s largest exhibition centre, visitors will closely get to know the sculptor-photographer-turned-designer duo and discover what is NEXT for them.