Contemporan

Born in Brussels in 1978. Sylvain Willenz has lived consecutively in the US, Belgium and in the UK. He studied Design Products at the Royal College of Art in London graduating in 2003. In 2004, Sylvain opened his studio, based in Brussels. Sylvain’s works deal with projects from lighting to product design and furniture. His approach to design is characterized by a clear love for materials and processes. The work-spirit is straightforward and uncomplicated. Whilst remaining simple, design solutions are relevant, innovative and powerful. Projects celebrate design, archetypes, products and the industry.

SylvainWillenzDesignStudio works internationally with clients such as Established & Sons (UK), Freecom (NL/DE), Vlaemsch (BE), Thorsten van Elten (UK), IDEA International (JP). Recently, his works have been granted several awards including an iF Award and a Red Dot Award “Best of the Best” in Product Design in 2009. The Torch light series has also been nominated best in Lighting and Product of the Year at the UK Grand Designs Awards.

Excerpt

Since setting up his studio in 2004, Sylvain Willenz has given birth to a handful of remarkable designs. A small, yet an early and consistent collection of design objects in which the signature of the young designer is precise and distinct: An experimental approach of materials, but a liking for clear and simple forms, an eye for detail and attention to the finished and manufactured product. Sylvain gets his kick out of trying out and experimenting things, sourcing his inspiration in the most common and unexpected everyday objects and materials. And although some early projects can have an experimental character, Sylvain never forgets the production value and the feasibility involved with real products. These elements taken into account, it is worth calling Sylvain a contemporary designer. Indeed, his first creations haven’t passed unnoticed. In 2002 he was the successful candidate of the international design competition Design for Europe at the Interieur Biennale in Kortrijk, in Belgium. in 2005, he was elected as the most promising designer of the year on the DesignBrussels fair. And since then his work has taken on with international and reputable collaborations. Thanks to his innovative, simple and fair approach to design, and some dry humor, Sylvain is unmistakably an important Belgian talent.