Hanging Lamp n°2

Although most design lovers know Muller Van Severen for their furniture, the story of the Belgian design couple actually began with the creation of their Hanging Lamps. The idea was born out of necessity. As Hannes explains: “We were working in our new home, an old house, and there was no ceiling socket above the table to plug in a light source. So we designed a lamp that could hang from the wall.”

The first prototypes were shown during Muller Van Severen’s debut solo exhibition in 2011. For that show, Fien and Hannes filled the Valerie Traan Gallery of Veerle Wenes with designs that appeared as if someone had taken a set of crayons and started drawing in the air. This is precisely how the Hanging Lamps should be understood: seemingly naive drawings brought to life. Like all of Muller Van Severen’s work, the lamps combine sobriety with playfulness, adding a subtle yet colorful line to the interior. At the end of that line hangs a simple lightbulb with a lampshade they initially found at a flea market – a perfectly neutral finishing touch to a timeless design.