Improvisation, like in jazz, is a conversation between human and tool. Belgian designer Nick Valentijn understands this concept well, displaying Solo Show at Antwerp gallery, St Vincents. Created completely by hand, Valentijn holds materiality in high regard – allowing the form itself to be the subject, elements emerging into how they would like to be shaped, whatever that might be. Organic in a way that almost anthropomorphizes, these 12 pieces of sculptural furniture show the unpredictability of creating in metal, visible marks of joinery and solder on display, proudly announcing their arrival into the world. Working primarily with metal and wood, Valentijn crafts familiar objects – cabinets, seating, and more – that stretch beyond conventional definitions. His approach is rooted in immediacy: a continuous process from quick, gestural sketches to the final weld, free from measured plans or digital modeling. “I start with quick, one-line sketches. No top, no side, no measurements. Just enough to hold an idea,” Valentijn says. “If it sticks with me, then I know I have to make it.”
For Valentijn, making is a kind of conversation with his materials. His early engagement with clay sharpened his ability to respond to the moment, a quality he now applies to wood and especially metal. Rather than bending the material entirely to his will, he allows it to influence the outcome – the shifting of steel under heat, the emergence of unexpected textures, the slight misalignments that become integral to the final form. Traces of the process remain visible, from deliberate seams to softened distortions, embodying a practice that values honesty and responsiveness over perfection.
Distinctly heavy forms, each with a distinct personality on its own, yet cohesive in concert, these pieces occupy a quiet moment alone, some reflective in more literal ways, some symbolic. The pieces nod to recognizable forms – a cabinet, a sofa, a candle holder – yet their identities aren’t anchored in their utility. By deliberately loosening the hold of function, he allows each work to drift into a more ambiguous territory where form takes precedence. Through this approach, Valentijn tests the threshold where an object ceases to fulfill its role and begins to exist on its own terms.
Chunky drawers and large, almost cartoonish hinges dot the pieces. Using solder to add delightful details, each space seemingly for important and precious objects.
Merging traditional craftsmanship with modern design, Nick Valentijn, born 1999, is a designer based in the Netherlands in Maastricht. With a background in ceramics and metalwork, he explores how humor and functionality can coalesce, creating original furniture and accessories that embrace the messiness of creation. Raw edges meet sloping, solid forms, intentionally heavy in the sense of how the pieces are created, and perhaps the weight to which we instill meaning. Referring to his work as (un)practical, Valentijn’s work is a ray of sunshine in the dour seriousness that sometimes seems to plague the design world.
Nick Valentijn \ Photo: Nicha Rodboon
To learn more about Nick Valentijn’s Solo Show, which is on view until September 20, 2025, please visit stvincents.co.
Photography by Alexander Popelier.