From a young age, Brussels born Filip Janssens was creative and inquisitive - spending much of his time drawing and putting things together. Design was seemingly in his make up, but he never believed he would be able to do it for a living. After a spell as a History and Latin teacher he decided to defy this theory and chanced his arm as a product and interior designer (self taught may we add)!
Transformed from antisocial to social in an instant...
Filip first started designing modular, made to measure furniture for his own home. Modularity had always fascinated him - like many of us, Filip shared a room with a sibling growing up so furniture that was versatile and adaptable to suit the ever changing daily dynamics of brothers would be ideal. Step forward ‘Glifo’ by Italian designer Enzo Mari which was a cabinet that served as a barrier between Filip’s domain, and his brothers. It wasn’t always an impenetrable structure though, ‘Glifo’ could be transformed from antisocial to social in an instant through tweaking the configuration of the plastic panels that belonged to the piece. Filip recalls the duo regularly creating voids for late night chit chat, and whose to say they weren’t discussing Filip’s future assault on the design industry!
Filip has forged such a recognisable identity and style that boasts class...
The big difference between ‘Glifo’ and Filip’s work is in the asymmetry. Filip works with wide, narrow, high and low modules that touch, intersect and fade. They are conceived through an organic shape, a cloud or croissant for example, that can be filled with cubes. Within his work Filip has forged such a recognisable identity and style that boasts class, elegance, composure and assurance.
Confidence in his own work though was something that took time to establish. Filip recalls a make or break moment when displaying his ‘jointed collection’ at the Biennale Interieur 2014.
...he wasn’t a trained designer and so insecurity was the overwhelming emotion...
Jointed was and is a self contained geometric shelving system that does not require functional use yet if desired can be used perfectly functionally. It made sense to him but what would others think of it? After all, he wasn’t a trained designer and so insecurity was the overwhelming emotion during this maiden design outing. Insecurity was to be replaced by relief though when producer Serax jumped on the idea, and this right of passage that Filip had conquered, paved the way for his own future in design.
Whilst Filip Janssens and exquisite luxury cabinetry are synonymous - he has also unleashed his creative nous on a whole host of other projects. He designed the Loop Light for Per/Use and more recently claimed the 2020 Henry Van De Velde Gong with his Lunair Light collection made from redundant scraps of wood, marble and travertine. The appeal of these materials were not only their sustainable characteristics but also the aesthetic qualities that these previously unloved parts bring to a finished design.
...the craters of varying sizes clashing and overlapping beautifully...
Materials continue to peak Filip’s curiosity and in a collaboration with Circular Matters, the material was in this case the starting point. Circular Matters had developed an organic biomaterial made from rescued beer grains and bran amongst other things. The material could be 3D shaped like plastics through the use of moulds and what better designer to help launch this brand spanking new material than Filip Janssens. The result was Booowls - no prizes for guessing what this entailed! And while you may be imagining your run of the mill, bog standard cereal or soup bowl, think again. A Filip Janssens design wouldn’t be without relationships between shapes and how they interact with one another - the craters of varying sizes clashing and overlapping beautifully. The ‘typo’ in the name referencing treble the options for where your foods of choice can reside. Mesmerising on its own, we imagine a family of Booowls set out for a buffet would look equally as impressive and the finish of this new material itself is nothing short of stunning. The speckles, grains and different hues adding character and personality to the already majestic product.
Having studied furniture and product design ourselves we have such an appreciation for designers like Filip, for not only his work but also his defiant attitude and determination to succeed doing the thing he loved. We know he will continue to inspire us and many others in whatever his future holds.
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