The eleventh edition of Design September was kicked off on Thursday, September 8. Until the end of the month over one hundred design events are held in Brussels, the Belgian capital. Master Meubel cherry-picked three treats for you.

Philipp Thonet

When? Friday September 16, 6pm
Where? Pro Materia Gallery, Rue Franz Merjay 142

In 1819 Michael Thonet started working as a self-employed cabinetmaker in the German town Boppart. His iconic chairs Nr. 14, which is still being produced today, and 209, which Le Corbusier adored, ensured that Thonet became known for high-quality, innovative and elegant furniture. That tradition continued throughout the tubular steel Bauhaus period up until today.

Michael Thonets great great grandson Philipp Thonet has been working for the family business since 1984. As a sales manager for the United States he explains where Thonet stands for today. He will no doubt pay attention to the 2000 bentwood lounge collection, the new 1025 side table by Belgian designer James Van Vossel and the custom solutions Thonet can offer to their clients.

Xavier Lust

When? Friday September 16 until Sunday September 18
Where? Design studio Elixir, Avenue Emile de Béco 75

To add some extra cachet to Design September’s tenth anniversary, Xavier Lust had the honor of having a solo exhibition last year at the Le Botanique concert venue. Lust has studied in Brussels, where he has his own studio since 1992.

In 2000, he was the first outsider to see one of his designs realized by MDF Italia. It was the beginning of an international conquest, with collaborations with De Padova, Driade, Fiam, Kristalia and Extremis among others. The designs of the ‘Bruxellois’ is characterized by the visible tension and the graceful curves, inspired by his fascination for folding metal.

With his own design studio, Xavier Lust is active in four fields, spanning from interior design for individuals to work tailored to art galleries and industrial design. You can take an exclusive look behind the scenes of his studio during one Design September weekend.

 

Gaetano Pesce

When? Wednesday September 28, 8:15pm
Where? Flagey, Place Sainte-Croix

In his career, spanning fifty years, Italian-born Gaetano Pesce has worked as an architect, interior designer and furniture designer among others. His buildings include the Maison des Enfants in the Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, the Organic Building in Osaka, Japan and the gallery Mourmans in Knokke-Le-Zoute, Belgium. His drawings are held in the permanent collection of over thirty museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Vitra Design Museum in Weil am Rhein.

As a furniture designer, Pesce is known for his collaborations with B&B Italia (the Up series among others), Vitra (Greene Street Chair) and Cassina (Feltri armchair). He sticks to his guiding principle that modernism is less a style than a method for interpreting the present and hinting at the future in which individuality is preserved and celebrated.

Besides Gaetano Pesce, Swedisch architect Mårten Claesson, Spanish artist Eugeni Quittlet and Lebanese designer Carlo Massoud will also hold conferences at Flagey. Entrance to one lecture is 7 euro’s but there’s a more profitable price of 23 euro’s for all four.

 

Design September’s complete program can be found on the website.