FURNITURE DESIGNER

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Casimir (furniture designer)

Casimir, full name Casimir Reynders (born in Koersel, Belgium in 1966) is an international well known Belgian furniture designer. He studied industrial design at the SHIVKV in Genk (now Media & Design Academy) and since then he's been an independent designer. His work got many international recognition.
Many international exhibitions and publications give evidence of that. For his work and/or his oeuvre he has got different important prices, such as:

the culture price of the province Limburg (1994)
the Henry van de Velde-price conferred by Design Flanders (2000);
and the price of the Flemish Community for architecture and design (Flemish Culture prices) (2004)

Casimir meubelen

'Casimir meubelen' is the brand of the first collection designed by Casimir. Ever since his studies he designs furniture which are being admitted in all kinds of exhibitions because of their formal qualities . Through those exhibitions and publications soon the question arose for small productions/series. This is how, in 1995, the collection 'Casimir meubelen' came into being.

Philosophy

His designs are characterised by his use of warm, rich varieties of wood. Although his comfortable, sturdy pieces of furniture wouldn't have been unfamiliar to Breughel, Casimir's use of surrealism, through some clever optical illusions and semiotic, adds a new dimension.

His style strips his furniture to the essence, to what they were originally designed for; he retreats into the “archetype”. Semiotics, the language of signs and symbols, plays an important role; language as the basis of a culture.
His furniture is characterised as heavy, solid and in his view typically Flemish, Burgundian and Gallic.
The use of durable and genuine materials and constructions allows time a chance to exercise its influence on the designs. Such materials, in combination with their proportions and dimensions, guarantee their utility. Casimir’s furniture designs are and will remain items of use, working appliances.

Casimir’s style is also a concept that is for ever in motion, constantly questioning itself:
to what extent are archetypes legible: when should one call six planks at a certain attitude to each other a chest and when do these same six planks become a cupboard?
To what extent do dimensions influence the semiotics/legibility of a piece of furniture?
To what extent can one disconnect image from function: can a chair fitted with a shelf get away as a bedside table?
To what extent can one deviate from the traditional use of a piece of furniture: sleeping behind instead of beside each other, or using a cupboard to open a cupboard rather than using a door?
To what extent does the material tell the story? Can tough/rustic and refined both be emphasised together at the same time?
Such questions ensure constant tension in Casimir’s designs, ensuring that they will continue to grab the beholder’s attention for ever.

Vlaemsch()

In 2004 the idea arose to start with a more commercial collection called Vlaemsch(). It's comparable to the fashion where 'haute-couture' and 'prêt-à-porter' go hand in hand.

Casimir works together with a team of international designers. Despite this divergence of nationalities, they all share Casimir's sense of humour, and his determination to break away from general, traditional styles. Although Casimir's own-label designs are traditionally manufactured by craftsmen, all Vlaemsch() designs are made industrially.
According to Casimir, Vlaemsch() stands for Flemisch traditions, humour, design, simplicity, sensible, the surreal, no-nensense, quality and solidity. Vlaemsch() aspires to combine creativity with the highest level of quality : quality of design and quality of product.