Every other week, we propose a Limburg design icon together with Sjiek / Het Belang Van Limburg, or one that is well on its way to becoming one. This week it is Flow by Xavier Lust for Indera.

WHAT: in / outdoor armchair in high-quality powder-coated aluminum, folded from one sheet.

YEAR: 2008

In 2000 Xavier Lust (° 1969) introduced “Le Banc”. The minimalist bench was the result of a technique he had developed together with a workshop form Liège (Belgium). In addition, they were able to fold thin metal plates in volumes without using (expensive) molds. The aluminum bench was released by the renowned design label MDF Italia and marked Lust’s international breakthrough.

Two years later, the designer from Bruges confirmed his world status entirely with La Grande Table, actually an enlargement of Le Banc. “It must be in the corridors of the annual design fairs that I challenged Xavier to think about a sofa. A seat in which he pushes his innovative technology even further to the forefront, ”says Carl Meers, who started the Indera design label in 2006 as part of the Dilsen furniture group Mecam.

TIPPING POINT

“At first he didn’t immediately see a way to bend the plate folding technique to a sofa model, nor to make it comfortable. But if you tilt Le Banc on its side, you already see a seat back with side arms in it. At least that’s what I thought. And the argument of “making it comfortable” was something we could look into with out company, Indera, “continues Carl Meers. In 2008 everything was packed together in the “Flow”: an archetype of a seat with a cool carcass of powder-coated aluminum and a soft interior.

Immediately it send out an iconic attraction and force. Fortunately, it is more than a mediagenic statement, ”confesses the ever-sober Indera CEO. “In our collection it is and remains an outsider.” He is not so much referring to the international success as outdoor furniture, but rather to the difficulty of keeping everything in the right balance.

DIVISION / DISTINCT

“Flow is a precious piece. Just like Lust’s bench and table, the carcass is still made in the Liège workshop. The advantage is: you can get it in different sizes, even up to a 4-seater. The club seat and the 3-seat are actually the most sold. ” And although you will most often find “Flow” in white, all colors are possible. They like to make use of this, especially in the project market. For example, Indera has already had to produce gold copies.

In any case, the Flow will always have a golden sheen for Carl Meers, because on its debut the sofa immediately received a Henry Van de Velde label: in our country a highly appreciated label of good design and an important recognition for the then young company. Since then, Indera has mainly maintained a down-to-earth and consistent line by focusing on comfortable and high-quality, modular design sofas and not on statement furniture such as the “Flow”. In 2012 Indera was even awarded with a Henry van de Velde award as design company of the year. In fact, it has been – or thanks to – the “feast for the eyes” that Indera is modestly and thoughtfully really in the right flow.

Flow is available in different sizes. Price on request. www.indera.be I www.xavierlust.com