At the home of Studio Simple

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"We are probably not typical designers: we create functionals, often to meet our own needs. At the same time, we assemble pieces from existing, often old, objects, as a practical and aesthetic answer to a need that we feel at that particular moment. Our aim at Studio Simple is to create logical, practical, insightful and simple objects, which serve particular needs while respecting nature. This approach stems from our personal conviction that you should try to work consciously with these elements: our aim is to create and preserve only those things that are essential, which is why we insist on working with high-quality local materials, tried and tested techniques  of craftsmanship and an unpretentious visual language.

Starting from this perspective, we want to shape the world around us – in particular our own interior – in a certain manner. We aren’t used to owning a lot of things; we in fact enjoy the feeling of freedom we get when we load up our van with our two children and a few basics and set off on a trip. For us, life is a permanent exercise in letting go. Nothing has to exist for ever. We have moved house four times in the past few years – we now live in Ghent in a house dating from the 1950s which is characterised by a lot of open interior space. It is next door to our studios.  Even when we live in one place, we regularly change the interior to fit our needs at a particular moment. What matters is the present, which is why we are also not interested in creating timeless objects, unless by ‘timeless’ you mean a pure form of whatever it is that you are seeking.

In our project Day Sign, we went on to develop our conviction that we should only create something that is necessary now: over the course of one month, we created a single simple everyday object each day. We received a lot of positive reactions when we exhibited the results at an exhibition in Galerie Valerie Traan in Antwerp. But what is most important for us is our own learning process and the challenge that such a project presents to us – we don’t see any need to propagate our ideas or set ourselves up as people with a mission to make the world a better place. 

As well as our design studio, Studio Simple, we also run Studio Andersom: this is the banner under which we carry out projects on behalf of clients, such as interior design and advice on presentation. Our work in this area involves a lot of colour, as well as extensive use of objets trouvés, to confer an authenticity and dynamic to the spaces. The work we do as Studio Simple is not separate from our work as Studio Andersom: one area influences the other. In each case, we try to base our work in a social context: we create within the whole context, which leads to depth and awareness. Our work, just like the design of our house, shows how we try to achieve a balance between practicality, simplicity and beauty, material and colour."