Marie Michielssen
Marie Michielssen is a renowned Belgian designer, particularly known for her eclectic and imaginative home accessory designs. With a design career spanning over 20 years with the Belgian brand Serax, Michielssen draws inspiration from daily life, making ordinary, everyday elements beautiful and unique. Her designs often integrate discarded materials at Serax, which gives her a broad canvas for experimentation. Moreover, her fascination with paper, a recyclable and neutral material, is evident in her work, underlining her commitment to environmental sustainability and her skill in turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.
Marie Michielssen, an esteemed in-house designer at Serax with more than 20 years of experience, has an impressive portfolio that seamlessly blends functionality and aesthetics. Her designs embody an artful balance of purpose and beauty, resulting from her exclusive use of materials that possess a 'soul', which consistently delivers distinctive aesthetics in each of her works. Annually, she enriches the Serax brand with two new collections, a testament to her unwavering creativity and innovation.
Michielssen is known for her resourceful approach to design. Her 'prototypes', the earliest versions of her creations, are often made from discarded materials at Serax. This practice not only underscores her commitment to sustainability but also allows her to engage in extensive experimentation, manipulating these materials into a variety of forms and expressions. Her work's magic lies in her ability to give a new lease of life to otherwise overlooked materials, turning the mundane into extraordinary design pieces.
One of her key areas of expertise is her work with papier-mâché. Michielssen's papier-mâché designs, ranging from decorative objects to functional pieces like lamps and vases, showcase her aptitude for manipulating and transforming this versatile material. Her childhood fascination with paper has evolved into a professional passion, creating recyclable, eco-friendly designs that exhibit a refreshing simplicity and distinctive aesthetics.Marie Michielssen's designs encapsulate a fascinating journey from the mundane to the magical, illustrating the transformative power of design. Whether it is the use of discarded materials or her intricate papier-mâché creations, Michielssen consistently demonstrates her commitment to sustainability and her mastery over design, making her a pivotal figure in contemporary design.