He is not into ‘the sauces’, as he says himself. Lars Snellaars prefers to immerse himself in his customer, and their needs. The Roaring Twenties Chair’ came about especially for Brasserie Royal in Drunen and has been included in the Satelliet Originals collection.
Text: Nathalie Schalke
The best products are created in practice, he believes. ‘If you design from a concrete question and context, there is always an urgency in such a chair or piece of furniture’. Lars Snellaars graduated from the renowned Design Academy Eindhoven in 2006. After a few years working as a junior designer at agencies, he took the step to start his own business. He certainly calls himself entrepreneurial: creative and commercial. But not too businesslike. He likes to leave that to his clients, with whom he often works intensively and for long periods of time.
The design of ‘The Roaring Twenties Chair’ is typical Snellaars: with a clear story. ‘Roaring Twenties refers to that high-spirited period a century ago, after the Spanish Flu and the First World War. Especially after Covid, people needed to enjoy themselves, to party. No tight, angular shapes but soft and round, low in intimate seating and high at the bar, and comfortable enough to sit on for an evening. The chair swivels, so sitting at the bar you can enjoy watching everyone come in. The design is striking, Art Deco-style with a cross in the back. The upholstery is nice and soft, and then those fringes lol. You don’t need them, but they make everything more fun. This chair is just in the mood for joy.’
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And so is Snellaars himself. ‘I see myself as a bit of a late bloomer, I’m getting better and better.’ He does not feel related to the generation of Dutch designers; he saw more of an example in Jan des Bouvrie. ‘I am an aesthetic artist; I learned a lot from Jan. Just working conceptually and then appearing in magazines with ‘limited offs’ is not for me. Designs must be functional and find their way into restaurants, residential homes; places where people can use them.’
From his studio in Spain, where he lives within walking distance of beach and sea with his family, he works on designs for private individuals. His working method is intensive and thorough; there is room for one new manufacturer at most every year. The best part is when commissioned designs eventually find wider existence. As happened with ‘The Roaring Twenties Chair’, which he offered at Satelliet hospitality furniture. The swivel chair has since been included as ‘ReUnited’ in the Satelliet Originals collection. ‘Surely that is heartening. I look forward to seeing how other designers will apply this theatrical eye-catcher.’
