Marina Bautier follows a discreet but very human approach to her design process.
For her, the richness of life does not immediately mean luxury or ostentatious forms. She gives priority to simple structures and easily manufactured materials, but she also attaches great care and detail to the appearance and the manufacturing of each product.
Though sober by design, her products have been characterised by their generosity in shape and size—such as the Lap shelving which has a simple profile offering more space for the contents. Marina Bautier starts from the observation of ordinary daily activities to develop her products to fit better in to our lives, to be comfortable and useful.
Speaking to CoffeeKlatch, Marina said "As I child I made wooden objects and wood is simply my favorite material. It’s accessible, easy to manipulate and warm. And because of the nature of wood, no two wooden objects are the same. Wood is sustainable, and I realize people do care a lot about the objects they surrounded themselves with at home.
"In my designs, I go for simplicity and try to minimise the production process as much as possible. I want to get the best out of my material and give each object a warm feeling. Simplicity and serenity are back in demand, in which nature plays a more important role, especially in the life of city dwellers.
"I find it fascinating to see how people live and how they create a certain atmosphere in their homes. Next to that, my daily life often serves as a starting point, for example when a specific piece is missing in my interior. When I’m designing, I love observing antique furniture, which often leads to progress in the construction of my designs."
Cruiser Chair, 2009
Taking little space when folded away, Cruiser keeps nevertheless the comfort of a standard lounge chair. Its language is voluntary the one of an indoor seat, thanks to the choice of material, the generous proportions and the padded seat.
Who is Marina Bautier?
Away from technological rhetoric, Marina Bautier emphasizes the beauty and the modernity of familiar materials, and especially of wood. Spotted as ‘the names we’re watching’ by Elle Decoration UK in 2007, she has recently been awarded ‘Best use of Material: wood’ by Wallpaper Magazine.
Timeline
2010 - Cruiser lounge chair for Swedese, Sweden
2010 - Lap shelving launched with Case Furniture
2012 - Stilt collection for IDEE, Japan
2012 - Unit shelf for Stattmann Neue Moebel
Fact Sheet
Full name - Marina Bautier
Born - March 1980
Nationality - Belgian
Education - Buckinghamshire New University
"In my designs, I go for simplicity and try to minimise the production process as much as possible."