Inside Valentin Loellmann’s Visionary Design Studio and Practice

“It was a gamble, but I wanted to do something big,” shares artist and designer Valentin Loellmann, seated in front of an expansive window in his studio in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Beyond, a magnificent park with a swirling pond forms a scenic backdrop. “I wanted to create a large-scale work that is not just furniture but opens up new directions. At the same time, I wanted to create a new environment for myself to work freely, where I can basically do whatever I want.”

This ambition is characteristic of the highly imaginative and visionary Loellmann, whose practice transcends traditional boundaries between furniture, sculpture, and now, architecture. Nature plays a central role in both his work and his working environment. His first studio, housed in a former hat factory, famously incorporated an indoor garden with blooming trees. “I need nature to feel comfortable; it’s my main inspiration,” he explains. “I don’t copy it directly but reinterpret nature. If you look closely at the work, you’ll often see the same lines that you could see in natural forms.”

In 2020, Loellmann bought the former gas factory located just outside of Maastricht’s historic city center and has since transformed the colossal, coral-red estate into a massive Gesamtkunstwerk. Originally designed in 1912 by the early modernist architect Jan Gerko Wiebenga, the 2,500-square-meter premises now houses Studio Valentin Loellmann and incorporates studios, workshops, and a restaurant. With their round corners and concave edges, several purpose-built staircases are reminiscent of skateboard ramps (an earlier passion and inspiration of Loellmann).

“From day one, I’ve looked at this building as a project — just like a piece of furniture, only with a much longer timeline,” explains Loellmann. “Its scale is not easy, but I approach it through creative play. That’s its whole energy, and it really works. I profit from it as inspiration — I think my work comes across as unique and authentic because it has this space as its influence. Basically, I built my own inspiration.”

With a penchant for dark velvety walnut, natural stones, clay, and patinated brass, Loellmann’s elaborate designs sit between functional objects and sculptural forms. Behind them lies a meticulous process and sensitivity to surface. “When you look at it deeply, you see these layers; and ideally, the piece translates my intricate process,” he shares. He describes his artistic expression as simple and timeless: “It’s not crazy, funny, wild, or conceptual — it’s just there. And because the works can simply exist, they have a certain beauty. It’s elegant in an understated way, sensitive, and warm to touch. There is some kind of energy to the objects that connects to those around them. In a way, it’s very close to art.”

Core to Loellmann’s philosophy is working exclusively with full materials, like solid wood and stone, metal, and clay. “I like to work with living material, even if it’s a risk since they’re unpredictable — for example, metal moves when it gets warm. But I need that sort of risk to it,” he admits. “Also, we work extensively on the surfaces with patinas, different techniques, and polishing. What you often don’t immediately see is the touch: there are a lot of small details that make a smooth wooden surface very sensual.”

A recurring element in Loellmann’s artistry is his unexpected use of materials, often paired with a contrasting material — as in the main staircase in the studio, which is made of brass and mahogany. Experiments may end in failure, but for Loellmann this is part of the process. “Often, past failures have turned into something very interesting. I have a talent to turn everything into reason, so it’s never a real failure,” Loellmann says confidently.

Described as lyrical and ghostly, the designer’s graduation project Past Memories (2009) gained him significant attention among international design aficionados. This suite of furniture, consisting of assembled furniture pieces wrapped in white vinyl, reflects the designer’s urban exploration in his twenties. Though visually distinct from his later designs, one can detect the beginning of his typical minimalistic yet sensitive aesthetic — an essential element of Loellmann’s expression and practice.

Most recently, the studio has worked on several custom interior projects for private collectors in Asia. Loellmann describes the daily rhythm of his studio as very intuitive: “There are not really normal days; there is no system. It’s me and usually ten assistants, and there is no hierarchy; we work mainly on trust, and we build an atmosphere around it.”

Situated at the heart of the building, the studio is part of a much larger vision. Big developments are still to come, among them a craft foundation and a residency program. And this means that Loellmann’s own studio will gradually become smaller. “The process shows that times move quite fast, and the future for this project is about exchange. My work benefits a lot from this environment, and at the same time, my work finances it. Without my collectors, none of it would have been possible. But this place will be something that will remain for next generations. It doesn’t fit into a purely capitalistic system of buying and selling art and design. I’m building all of this to show that it goes beyond furniture, that I’m doing something bigger.”

Ultimately, Loellmann’s plan for this utopian space is to transform it into a foundation or a school — one with a completely different approach than traditional programs: “It will be based on inspiration, motivation, and trust. What I want to support is exchange; it’s something that is really important to me and brings people together.”

Valentin Loellmann  is represented by TEFAF exhibitor David Gill Gallery.