Valentin Loellmann

Nature helped Valentin develop a keen eye at an early age, and his finely tuned sense of detail allows him to capture the energy of his environment. In 2010, after graduating from the Maastricht Academy of Fine Arts & Design he opened a studio and created his first pieces of furniture. For over ten years, Valentin has been developing a lexicon of organic forms that he brings to life by using contrasting materials.

Guided by a keen sensory awareness, the relevance of his in-situ work is brought to life in his former studio: curved walls, quietly minimalist windows, inhabited perspectives… In this former hat factory dating from the early twentieth century, which for many years was a painter’s studio, the designer’s world is expressed in shades of black, white and brown. “It’s the trees that truly inhabit this space.” This indoor garden, made up exclusively of tropical trees, plays an active part in the transience that Valentin seeks.

In the main part of the building, the ceilings were completely transformed to let the light in. Platforms, benches and chairs are arranged in layers, the kitchen, which is in a greenhouse, takes pride of place. “This room is the heart of the house,” says Valentin. Valentin’s two-storey home reveals a fluid flow of movement punctuated by multiple islands of tables and seating: invitations to an all-round art of living in which each of the designer’s rooms is part of an ecosystem.