Michiel van der Kley became fascinated by furniture while studying history. For one of the projects for his studies, he immersed himself in the art history of the period 1910 to 1930. Designs by the likes of Mackintosh, the Wiener Werkstatte, Joseph Hoffman and Bauhaus sparked an interest in furniture. Michiel started making and selling furniture in his own workshop while still studying. After a few years, he decided to focus exclusively on design, building his oeuvre by working with Artifort (NL), Spectrum (NL), van Esch (NL), Gispen (NL), Leerdam Glas (NL), Arco (NL) and Softline (DK), among others.

In 2013, Michiel headed in a different direction. He took a year off, immersed himself in new parametric software, became increasingly interested in 3D printing and eventually came up with his project, EGG. It marked the start of a new career.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To this day, Michiel is still involved in researching what you can do with 3D printing and especially what you can’t do with any other technique. A concrete 3D printed bridge in Nijmegen by his hand is one of the results.

The i-condesk occupies a special place in Michiel’s oeuvre. Not only is it a beautiful desk, but it also has a real history. He had it made as a prototype himself it was shown at a trade fair, after which Arco’s Wim van Ast included it in his collection. It went on to be produced by Carlo and Jan Willem. Michiel: ‘‘For me, the Icon is a bit like an old song. You can’t imagine a time without it.’

The Icon desk is aptly named, I think. It’s the perfect example of how I like to design furniture, and epitomizes my approach: you just have to make beautiful things.

It’s a strong, almost graphic design, with a two-dimensional quality. The legs give you the sense of the third dimension as you walk around it. The gentle curve in the Solid Surface material where the drawer begins makes the desk so distinctive.

Michiel lives in an old water tower in the middle of the Netherlands. The renovation and furnishing still requires a lot of time and energy but it’s an inspiring place to live and work. Michiel has a design studio on the first floor, his living quarters on the second and a space for working on prototypes on the third.

Michiel:’ The tranquility here has a soothing effect on me. I can work very well in this environment, although at times I do miss Antwerp, where I used to live. A combination is perhaps the very best.