inner circle by
maarten baas
After creating a quirky set of cutlery
and an iconic pepper mill, valerie_ objects adds an entire set of tableware objects, from plate to water can, called Inner Circle.
Maarten Baas is considered to be one of the most influential Dutch contemporary designers. He is often described as an “author designer,” of which his works lie on the boundaries between art and design. His work is known as rebellious, playful, intellectual, theatrical and artistic. Baas’ designs contain a huge amount of spontaneity and naivety. He translates the human touch into a mechanically produced design objects. “In a quick sketch, beauty is often found”, he says. “But those spontaneous lines are often lost in an industrial process.” And so, Baas adds organic forms and wobbly lines to an otherwise very straight- lined design world. His work has been collected by leading museums such as MoMa (New York), Victoria and Albert Museum (London), Les Arts Décoratifs (Paris), Stedelijk Museum and Rijksmuseum Amsterdam) and other prestigious galleries worldwide.
What’s in a name? Two things. On the one hand, Inner
Circle refers to the group of people you share the private dining table with, on the other hand the name describes Baas’ leitmotiv. ‘I discovered that all tableware items consist of circles within circles’, Baas explains. ‘At the same time, the circle is considered the most perfect symmetric shape. I played with that notion and drew spontaneous, far-from-perfect circles with a pencil’. These drawings were literally translated into tableware. The items are the materialization of imperfect, concentric circles. Inner Circle contrives that typical human and playful Maarten Baas feel. Due to the irregular shapes, no matter how you set the table, it always looks good. ‘It’s just like in nature, where organic forms are randomly thrown together and yet always create a beautiful image’, the designer says. Although the shapes appear playful and naive, the finishing is stunning. ‘If you create a loose shape, it is necessary to put extra effort in the detailing’, Baas states. ‘If not, your design will look scruffy and will lose its appeal’. Baas also contrasted the organic shapes with a toned-down colour palette. ‘I wanted to keep it stylish. When a chef does the plating of a dish, he does it with great care but avoids perfect geometry. There has to be a certain schwung to it. I created Inner Circle in the same way’.
— picture by Kenton Thatcher
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