I started making closets when I still lived with my parents at the age of 12. They allowed me to furnish my own bedroom so I started to make my own closets in such a way that all my books fit in. I Also did make my first composition of colors on the walls so it looked bigger. I think that was my starting point of creating and designing my direct surroundings. Later as a student in Leiden I also designed my bedroom with a folding bed so I had more space for living and created a closet out of the already existing bed. So here I was already involved with creating Furniture although it was purely functional.
By this I understood that Furniture must always do what it is suposed to do; it should allow you to sit on, lay on , store your books properly or have dinner in a comfortable way.
There is many designed Furniture that only is made for it’s form but ergonomically a disaster. I don’t go for that. Either it is only to look at or it should work properly.
Identity in beauty
But only the fact that something is well designed does not mean that it surprises you or makes you smile. That ’s why I’m not planning to make a piece of Furniture but the piece of found material must inspire me to create Furniture out of it. And then I start searching for the story or the humor in it and rather make an object of it.
A chair in the public space is something that is very recognizable, something that everyone understands . I wonder when we can still speak of furniture? When does it become art? What is a seat anyway? Especially when you are not using it as a seat.
Why should a table always be horizontal? If it’s just a little slanting you might wonder if you can put a glass of wine on it without falling and by that it’s getting your attention.
If a piece of Furniture is not capable of making you smile then its only beautiful or functional, the combination of them all is my challenge.
Alexander ten Bruggencate 