Be Magazine 2021 EN

BE#16
Tailor-made
BRUSSELS FURNITURE FAIR
Odysseedesign transforms every table into
an artwork. On some occasions the design is
subdued, on others exuberantly colourful. One
tabletop is solid epoxy, another is combined
with natural materials and objects. “The reaction
of epoxy to colour and other materials can
result in some fascinating side-effects.” Would
you like to incorporate the inner mechanism of
a clock, the seeds from your loaves, the components
of a mattress or armchair? Anything
is an art object
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Out of Love: forMY HOUSE
Out of Love: for MY HOUSE
is possible. This process lends itself to implementing
projects by interior architects. For
every table is made piece by piece using traditional
methods. 3D printing might be an option
in future, but this is some way off yet.
“An epoxy table
like this is more
than just a piece
of furniture, it
that can define
the space.”
ODYSSEEDESIGN – HOUSE-JEWEL
ODYSSEEDESIGN
Odysseedesign: artful epoxy tables
A start-up is premiering now: Odysseedesign
has existed since August 2021. In the workshop
you can see epoxy tables being created.
Each tabletop is unique: the product of traditional
craftsmanship, weeks of superhuman
patience, the creative spirit and the meticulous
eye of a former optician.
The name ‘Odysseedesign’ alludes to the long,
hard road that must be travelled in order to realise
a dream. It is unsurprising that the switch from
spectacle frames to epoxy tabletops would have
its ups-and-downs. Wouter Schmitz witnessed
the disappearance of craftsmanship from the
optician’s field, and with it the challenge of working
on frames. The time to make a change was
now or never. During this period of reflection, he
discovered epoxy. The tradition and authenticity
of the process proved to be decisive. He began
experimenting to his heart’s content with the
artificial resin, the chemical reactions, the environmental
factors, the curing temperatures and
times, dyes, and so on. He has now developed
into a self-made epoxy artist.
Every tabletop is carefully built up layer by layer,
with the necessary hardening time in between.
This can often take from between 7 to 10 days
per layer. Although the high pressure chamber
is incredibly sterile, Wouter still spends between
3 and 4 hours with a magnifying glass and toothpick
removing tiny pieces of dust that have settled.
In this you recognise the eye of the skilled
optician, the precision work down to one hundredth
of a millimetre. This means that casting
an epoxy tabletop is a process that takes weeks!