Every other week, together with Sjiek / Het Belang Van Limburg, we present a Limburg design icon, or one that is well on its way to becoming one. This week it is Chaise Longue by Linde Hermans.

WHAT: The Chaise Longue is a graceful reclining chair made of pearl-blasted stainless steel and thick harness leather.

YEAR: 2000

Linde Hermans graduated in 1997 with great distinction as a Master in Product Design. She did internships with Dutch trend watcher Li Edelkoort in Paris, Jorge Pensi Diseño in Barcelona and in the studio of Piet Stockmans. She launched the Rode Schoentjes label and was honored as a Young Talent in 2008 with a prestigious Henry van de Velde Award.

The designer from Houthalen is in any case one of the figureheads of Limburg design and has an oeuvre that ranges widely, from jewelery to furniture and from handbags to textiles. “The design of the Chaise Longue dates from the late 90s and originated from the material. I was contacted by a metal processing company from Diest that wanted to collaborate. ”Inconcept, was the name of Nathalie Peeters and Yvan Corten. They had the ambition to bring different design products to the market and introduced Linde Hermans to the world of metal.

REMOVABLE

“Chaise Longue was created as a sketch on paper in one smooth movement: a reclining chair from a rolled metal plate, in which a sheet of harness leather with the same thickness is suspended. Different test models were needed for it to be exactly as I wanted it to be and the movement and tension were correct.” The whole forms one smooth wave that unfolds freely on the ground. The curved central point of contact on the floor makes it easy to turn the seat.

The Chaise Longue is not made from one plate, but is removable and made up of three parts in which the lying surface is clamped together. Sustainable and smart. The leather may be more beautiful with the years, and you can always replace it if necessary. “I have a version in my garden with outdoor textiles which also works perfectly,” she says. But the ultimate form of sustainability is mainly contained in the apparent simplicity of the design, making it a timeless object.

It feels strange to realize that the design is 20 years old, because it still fills me with pride. A total of twelve were made then and all of them were sold fairly quickly. Apart from three: I have two myself and the third is with my parents. Twelve years ago, one was auctioned off at the Pierre Bergé & Associés auction house at three times the estimated price. ”

The production company Inconcept has not existed for a long time and all these years Linde has cherished and protected the design too much. The Chaise Longue was already a very mature design, now as a designer she is much further afield to know exactly how production and commercialization should take place. The way she sees and saw it. To be continued.

Chaise Longue, price on request, www.lindehermans.be