Fien Muller

The Woman Behind Muller Van Severen Isn’t Interested in Trends

By Bonnie Langedijk

Fien Muller never set out to become a designer. The Belgian artist and designer worked in photography and video for years before pivoting to the industry she’s now so widely celebrated by. In 2011 Fien Muller and her partner – in both business and life – Hannes Van Severen founded Muller Van Severen, a creative collaboration that led to a range of furniture series and objects. The Belgian duo’s initial vocation as artists naturally seeps into their current work, creating a collection that blurs the lines between design and art. Through their designs, Muller Van Severen raises questions and reconsiders design concepts that are often left unchanged. 

Continuously exploring the balance between form and function. Over the years, Muller en Severen have become distinguished voices in the international design community. The duo has collaborated with renowned museums, galleries and brands across creative fields including Hay, Centre Pompidou, Hermès and Galerie Kreo. Through their distinctive style, Muller Van Severen’s pieces have become the new icons of contemporary design. But we’ll let Fien do the talking.

Bonnie: You grew up in quite a creative household, right?

Fien: Yes, absolutely. My dad was an artist and art collector. I come from a family of people who dealt in antiques. My grandmother was collecting art in Flanders in the 60s up until the 90s. I’m actually in my family home right now. I grew up surrounded by art. 

Bonnie: Do you think that had an influence on you growing up?

Fien: The realization that my upbringing was special or different didn’t come until later. As a child it’s this evident thing because you’re born into it. I also feel that the older I get, the more I resemble my parents. I would say the limitless way in which I work with color and shapes was cultivated during my childhood. 

“Living and working together as a COUPLE allows you to be more critical and make quicker decisions.”

Bonnie: Skipping forward a bit, how did you and Hannes meet?

Fien: I first studied photography in Gent. After that I did my Masters degree in Sculpture, that’s where I met Hannes. After graduating we went our separate ways. I mostly worked in video and photography and Hannes made three dimensional pieces. Only after 10 years did we start working on projects together. 

Bonnie: What was that like in the beginning? Creatives often have a strong vision of their own. 

Fien: We had always wanted to work together, but we didn’t know what medium to turn to. Through living together we discovered that we shared a similar vision. Living and working together as a couple allows you to be more critical and make quicker decisions. Our constant dialogue about life seeped through into our work, and our work became an extension of it all. Our collaboration has always felt spontaneous and instinctive. It’s been freeing to be able to have that dialogue with someone and to continuously add to each other's ideas. 

Bonnie: Sometimes you need that too. I think it’s easier to get stuck when you work alone.

Fien: There’s this trust too. We don’t always agree, but whenever one of us is critical of an element of the project or object, the other person takes it seriously and listens. We rarely talk about form, color or what something is supposed to look like. Our disagreements are usually about strategy or logistical issues but never the thing itself. Often people ask: so what do you do and what does Hannes do? But that’s not how we work. One of us will start off with a drawing or a small idea and usually that’s enough for the other person to expand on. Naturally there are projects that are more my design or Hannes’s, but it’s always a combination of the two of us. Often there’s one idea or one design for a piece of furniture that leads us to the next. All those design families and series join together.

Bonnie: Does your approach to design change when you’re creating something for your own studio versus when you’re working with a museum or a brand?

Fien: Not really. Our starting point is always the same, whether it’s a candlestick or a cupboard. Every object and project begins with a small sketch that we quickly develop into a 3D shape. Since we both trained as sculptors, it’s important to us to see how something translates spatially.

Bonnie: When l look at your work, it seems like you're influenced by people and how people live with the objects you create. 

Fien: You’re right. To us it’s important that we create something that the end-user can make their own. The ‘Wire Cabinets’ are the best example of that thinking. Their transparency allows you to see their collection of tableware, what that person enjoys wearing or the specific colors that person likes. It’s wonderful to see how the objects we create adjust to the space they’re in. Gradually we’ve also started to develop objects that you can’t really do anything with. It’s closer to sculpture I would say. 

Bonnie: I guess it questions what’s design, what’s art? Everything is so fluid now, that it’s become almost impossible to just be one.

Fien: Once we finish an object we don’t really think about whether it’s an artwork or furniture. Needless to say one work might be more sculpture while another is more functional but I enjoy blurring those lines. It’s not really up to us to decide what’s what.

Bonnie: The media and consumers often have their own ways of describing a designer’s work. How would you describe the Muller van Severen aesthetic and take on design to someone who has never seen your work?

Fien: In my opinion, you constantly have to innovate. Start from a blank slate and try to come up with something new. I’m not saying it always works, but putting that consideration into the work is important. The concept of a chair is the same to most of us, how can we reassess it?

Bonnie: Absolutely. That’s how we keep things interesting.

Fien: Color is one of the key elements we consider when we start designing. Every color has its own characteristics that add to the final design.It’s important to me that there’s always some sort of contrast in the work. I would say our work is cool and technical and poetic, warm and romantic all at once. Our work also radiates a certain honesty. With most of the objects we create, you can see how it’s put together and that gives it a directness.

Bonnie: Color is definitely one of the elements that stand out to me when thinking about Muller van Severen

Fien: In the beginning we made a lot of line drawings. The ‘Ceiling Lamp’ and ‘Standing Lamp’ were actual drawings we then converted into a three dimensional object. The ‘Table + Lamp’ and ‘Seat + Lamp’ followed. The first exhibition of those lamps were pivotal for us. It’s funny, because we’re seeing a real interest in them now while they’ve been around for quite some time. 

Bonnie: Yes, it’s a testament to the quality of the design that those objects are still relevant now. I started my career in fashion, and the product cycles in that industry are extremely short. To me, it feels like we're slowly starting to see the pace of the design industry pick up too.

Fien: Yes I feel that too, and I’m pushing back on it as I'm not interested in moving at a faster pace. It feels like the change is related to social media and the digital world. We’ve made a lot so far, but we’ve never created this need of providing newness. There’s something beautiful about slowness.

Bonnie: I agree. You’ve created objects for public places and private residences. Do you have a preference? I can imagine that as the way the object is used changes, the way you design it changes too. 

Fien: I prefer designing an object that stands by itself. Sometimes it’s fun to design something for a space, but I wouldn’t consider myself to be an interior architect. I think that’s the result of working with many different brands. Hannes and I have our own dialogue while we’re designing, but when you work with brands they become part of that process. And each brand has their own questions and issues. It’s been interesting to work with brands of varying scales. Hay is big, but when we’re creating an exhibition for Galerie Kreo you work with small editions. 

Definitely. Through your collaboration with Hay you’re able to create more affordable products, but that doesn’t take away from the smaller, more special projects you work on.

Fien: It’s key to create products that people can afford, because let’s be honest most of our work isn’t cheap. To be able to create something that’s more affordable, but the same quality and that we give as much attention to as our other designs is really important to me. 

Since you started working in design, what would you say has changed the most?

Fien: I’m not sure whether it’s the design world that’s changed much. We ended up in the industry 12 years ago, and we knew nothing about it. We were thrown in the deep end and things moved really fast. In the beginning we did everything ourselves from developing the products, to building the exhibitions. After doing that for a few years we were exhausted. In those 12 years, we’ve changed. We’re much more aware of who to work with and how to work. I wasn’t very aware of what was happening in the wider industry. I was mostly focused on the amount we had to process and learn. Only now I feel like I’m slowly starting to understand it all.  

It goes back to what you said earlier about continuing to innovate. I believe that it’s key to always keep developing and learning. 

Fien: I was just thinking about what you said earlier about the pace of the industry. I’ve noticed that there’s such a focus on trends and this year the key color is green. I find it so boring. As a designer you try to detach from that narrative. 

Completely. Your home is such an intimate space, and it seems like people are growing more afraid of making their own choices. I think social media plays a big part in it. Style as a wider concept is increasingly becoming this copy-paste exercise. It’s such a shame when every space ends up looking the same.

Fien: And that’s happening more and more due to the rate at which imagery is circulated. The copying process is speeding up. It has a lot to do with the digital world. But that digital world has also brought positives. It allows us to pick up on the distinct and unique things in the world.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.  

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