The son of an abstract painter,Maarten Van Severen chose to study architecture at Ghent art school; he completed three years before going to work in various agencies on interior design and furniture projects, then in 1986 started to make furniture. The first piece, a long and slender steel table, has since been recreated as an aluminium model, which has been further refined over the years. In 1989 he produced his first wooden table; long, slim and pure in form. In 1990 he turned his attention to chairs.His work, handproduced in his workshop in Ghent Belgium, reflects his quest for perfection in form, detail and fabrication. Maarten works in a variety of different materials: aluminium and ply to bakelite andpolyester. Van Severen is also frequently commissioned as a decorator and furniture designer for private residence projects, teamed with Rem Koolhaas. They worked together on the Villa dall’Ava in 1990, then again in Bordeaux in 1996 (Maison à Floirac, OMA). He has also created imposing exhibition stands of steel shelving for use at shows and trade fairs. Since 1997 he is involved in industrial productions for Target Lighting (U-Line lamp), Obumex (kitchen), Vitra (chair n°03), Edra (Blue Bench) ,BULO (Schraag).

Vitra produced the first industrially chair by Maarten Van Severen, the .03. This chair was novel in its combination of visually austere form with high-level seating comfort.

What makes this possible is that the seemingly rigid polyurethane shell gives and responds to movements in the seat and to an even greater degree in the back. Based on the same concept, a swivel chair, .04, and the MVS Chaise have now been produced. The polyurethane is selectively attached to the inner construction to provide a controlled degree of give in those areas where we want shaping. The MVS Chaise first comes across as a sculptural object. It is only after sitting in the chair that the user experiences the comfort enabled by the elastic give of the material. It goes in offices, studios, ateliers or at home – wherever you want to restore your energy with a short nap. Sleep researchers have proven that a brief rest of up to 30 minutes (so-called power sleep) during the day is an excellent way to prevent a drop-off in performance. Vitra sees this possibility as becoming something for all employees, not just the executive classes. Graphically austere in its appearance, the new .04 swivel chair differs significantly from swivel chairs for the institutional office. The chair gives no outward indication of its functionality yet this object, whose primary appeal first seems to lie in its form, proves comfortable and well suited for sitting over many hours. This can be attributed to two invisible factors: the flexibility of the shell (as familiar from the .03) and the tilt mechanism set into the aluminium bridge