• Maarten Van Severen Leather Lounge Chair 04
  • Maarten Van Severen Leather Lounge Chair 04
  • Maarten Van Severen Leather Lounge Chair 04
  • Maarten Van Severen Leather Lounge Chair 04
Leather Lounge Chair 04's lines are just what one would expect from Maarten Van Severen and Pastoe: refined, pure and honest. From the side, the profile looks almost graphic, but takes a surprising turn when viewed straight on, with the mounted armrest on one side extending like a wing from the seat.

To emphasize the line, less bulky materials were chosen. The seat portion is built on a thin stainless steel frame, upon which a leather cover is stretched. The cover, in natural leather, consists of a crosspiece of stitched-together panels, and is connected by screws to the frame. In choosing pared-down assembly techniques, such as a simple crosspiece and screws, the image of the seat portion fits in perfectly with the chair's clear graphic lines.

The seat is supported by four legs. The sleek, minimal line of the tubular stainless steel legs makes the seat appear to float. The armrest and comfortable seat  from the leather's natural suppleness and the pleasant curve of the seat back  give the Leather Lounge Chair 04 the ease of an armchair, though the form evokes more of a chaise longue. Either way, the Leather Lounge Chair 04 is a surprising look.

The Leather Lounge Chair 04 is the result of four years hard work. The project began in 2002 at a kitchen table, with discussions between Maarten Van Severen and Harm Scheltens, former director of Pastoe. Several sketches and a prototype later, the project took a decisive turn in late 2004.

Maarten was already quite ill at that point, says Scheltens, but he was fully prepared to give this project the necessary push. He saw it as a legacy. Together with the Van Severen family and Fabian Schwaerzler Van Severen's former assistant  work on the project continued after Van Severen's death.

The completed design is not only very close to the original sketches, but also, importantly, to the prototype Maarten Van Severen himself made. For years Maarten dreamed of a simple and comfortable Lounge Chair with one armrest, says Schwaerzler. He would without a doubt be very happy with this result. In the final version we have stayed as faithful as possible to Maarten's way of thinking - it's about technical and aesthetic renewal, with the bar being raised higher and higher, and form serving the function of beauty.

The Leather Lounge Chair 04 ultimately became a chair emphasizing the high quality standards we have come to expect from Van Severen and Pastoe. Finally, we have a product that's 100% Van Severn, but also 100% Pastoe, says Remco van der Voort, director of Pastoe, and they complement one another. It is the perfect embodiment of how we view design: pared-down, contemporary, and durable.

Design:
Maarten Van Severen

Year:
2006

Manufacturer:
Pastoe