I only really found out about design and what it meant to be a designer
when I was a teenager. But from an early age I was very hands on, making
the things I wanted or dreamed of, experimenting or inventing things.
Originally I wanted to be an illustrator or cartoonist, but when I
discovered design I felt that perhaps I could use that interest
differently. At the age of 18 I embarked on a journey in the UK
to study design, graduating in 2003 from the MA Design products course at the Royal College of Art of London.

I would call it aligne Claire. This is a term used in Belgian
comic strips; basically a clear line, defining simple and graphic
characters and contours. TORCH light was the first product to clearly
apply this idea; a lamp defined by its archetypal form, like a shadow.
BRACKETS INCLUDED was also a style setter; an idea reduced to its
absolute essential, defined by refined and gentle details. I like the
idea to design friendly, approachable objects with a classic and elegant
touch. I don’t like sharp angles and corners
 which I find more
agressive and I would not want to live with. I like to play with
archetypes, and turn these into gentle and welcoming shapes. I like to
give my furniture a sort of dejà-vu feeling, a sort of familiarity
combined with elements of newness, which I believe makes a long-lasting
and mass appealing design. Other typical and recent products that carry
this approach are the BODY, UPON and BAANI chairs amongst others.
HOMERUN literally refers to cartoonish details. And CEPE is a
reinterpretation of the typical mushroom. TOTEM barstool’s sculptural
form is surprising and its graphic silhouette reveals my passion for
illustration, transcending the function of a seat to become a decorative
object.

As a designer I am naturally curious about many things; materials,
production, how things are made. But working as a designer also means
listening to your client, the market needs, or the audience. Therefor it
is very important for me to have a good relationship and communication
with my clients. We should share the same values, same objectives and
also contribute towards each other in a positive
and friendly way.
Each collaboration and every process is different of course… but there
needs to be some kind of good synergy to start with. If there is a clear
need to start from, we can find a clear answer. It is all about
identifying where we want to go, what we want to achieve. Then it
becomes an equation, and we try to resolve it. The goals is to design a
functional and beautiful object; with my style yet which fits the
client’s portfolio as well; with a certain intelligence and story, about
for instance its material, its process or its reference. If we manage
to put all these things together, then generally we have a good design
that is there to last.

My office is very small; it’s my assistant and myself, and sometimes an
extra person. I want to keep it small because I believe that if you are
well focused and have good energy you can be very effective. Clearly I
cannot do everything on my own, so I need people to help. Being a
designer is about multi-tasking and multi-thinking. You need to be able
to have ideas, find solutions, communicate, have administrative skills,
react to unexpected situations, take decisions and much more.
All
that whilst keeping a life… and in my case, running an online shop and
orders as well. So, it’s important to have a clear mind.

Yes, that’s right… I also have a small ceramic workshop at home where I
can experiment. I also love craft and making things. A few years ago I
took a very special ceramic workshop in the wild. I wanted to continue
so I set up a small workshop in my garage at home. This enables me to
sometimes switch from millimeters and the computer, and do things with
my hands very freely. So I developed a small artworks side activity.
It’s only visible on@sylvainwillenz-artworkson Instagram.
What’s great is that my artworks have directly been influenced by my
design work, and that now some my artworks lead to products. So one area
feeds the other. I developed a pattern inspired by my RAZZLE DAZZLE
textile, which I apply to my ceramics. And now we’ve designed some wall
tiles with this spun-off texture for ATELIER FRANSSENS. And that tile
let to other tiles, notably for NORMANDY CERAMICS.This interest for clay
and texture has also led me to design the COUPLE coffee-tables for
MUUTO, which was a very interesting process of rationalizing clay to
industrial standards. One thing always leads to another.

Hmmm… difficult question, no I don’t think I can just be one or the
other. I’m definitely a designer and actually I cannot consider myself
an artist. For the moment I am making artefacts… but these are far from
being works of art. For now, I have an artistic approach to my craft.
But I could definitely become a craftsman.

I think TAMO is very special and unique. It speaks to me in the sense
that it isn’t restricted to a sole direction. It feels eclectic in terms
of aesthetics, materials, and styles… yet all feels coherent. The
designs have a slight experimental dimension, whilst they are also
rational. The general image is classic, elegant and conveys a pleasant
and warm dynamic. As much as I like to design very pragmatic things, I
also enjoy to occasionally elaborate more expressive and slightly
experimental pieces of furniture.
I think TAMO is a great place for
that as they are capable of making those more unusual pieces exist in
the real world, in an accessible way via the online medium, and at an
affordable price.

The CITRUS table is the first collection I designed for TAMO. When asked
to think about a table collection I noticed TAMO did not have a central
foot dining table. I am personally fond of central feet tables as they
are less visually noisy, and one is not bothered by table legs when
sitting. But more importantly, designing such a table for TAMO was the
opportunity to design a central foot table with a sculptural dimension. I
enjoyed the idea of the central foot as of a voluptuous form with a
certain lightness. As I was rationalizing the possible way of
constructing and assembling this shape, I came up with this idea of
splitting the foot
into several fins. It was obvious that making
these in 2 smaller versions, for side- and coffee-table would come as
great additions.

I believe CITRUS offers a great solution for TAMO’s clients; the tables
are generous, sculptural, yet functional pieces. Their aesthetic is
elegant and unique without being too overwhelming. As from a practical
point of view, the tables come flat-pack and are easily assembled which
is a great optimization between design and the realities of logistics.
Overall, I believe the CITRUS is a beautiful answer to a complex design
equation.