Maarten Baas was born in Arnsberg, Germany in 1978, but moved to The Netherlands as a child. He studied at the renowned Design Academy Eindhoven and became widely recognized for Smoke, his 2002 graduation project, in which he used fire to “re-sculpt” a series of Victorian furniture pieces until they became charred. The school project evolved into a highly successful collection titled Where There’s Smoke, which museums, critics, and collectors swiftly deemed to be an important icon of 21st-century design.
Since Smoke, Baas has regularly launched new collections, always introducing imaginative approaches to forms, materials, and processes. Limited-edition collections include Sculpt, Clay, Real Time, and Haphazard Harmony. Baas has also created a number of special commissions for museums and private collectors.