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a gentle curve that characterises the design. It’s as

if ‘the material participated in the process’, says Lust.

‘An induced movement determined the final shape.’

He considers the self-standing bench, called ‘Le Banc’,

a ‘perfect project’ in its ‘economy and functionality’.

‘The shape is natural,’ he says. ‘It’s close to vegetal

shapes and body shapes.’ The bench was presented

at the third edition of Milan’s Salone Satellite in 2000,

where MDF Italia picked it up. At the show, Lust

was introduced to other major Italian brands,

such as Boffi, De Padova and Cappellini, which saw

the young designer’s potential. He also met Terence

Conran, whom he discovered lying on the floor,

inspecting his aluminium bench’s underside.

Seventeen years on, Lust is self-producing small

editions but also creating industrial design on

a larger scale, experimenting with economical ways

of producing. ‘I like to operate within different scales

of work and between different typologies,’ he says.

‘I don’t like to repeat myself. When a piece materialises

and you stand in front of it, it’s always a surprise.

Even if you know what it will look like – the emotion

of seeing this new object’s soul is extraordinary.’

Lust’s designs have a particular rhythm to them,

a charm that has helped them make their way into

galleries such as Ralph Pucci in New York, Nilufar

in Milan and Galerie du Passage in Paris. In Brussels,

his home/gallery covers all of his output to date: ‘It’s

a luxury to have these different atmospheres in which

to show my work’, he beams. ‘From the industrial

style of the office, right up to the atmosphere of my

own home. It’s great to see my furniture being used.’ ∂

xavierlust.com

to the different challenges of industrial design. ‘I like

the outlook on design as formulated by Raymond

Loewy in his book Never Leave Well Enough Alone,’ L u s t

says. ‘For me, design is the result of an equation that

takes into account four parameters: functionality,

beauty, technology and culture. Design is about making

life better, more beautiful. It’s one of the elements of an

interesting life.’ Lust was soon tagged ‘Starckino’ – not

because of any similarities in aesthetic with Philippe

Starck, but rather for his remarkable career trajectory.

Still, Lust is keen to emphasise that what has

inspired his sculptural, organic forms most is constant

play and experimentation with materials. ‘In 1998

and 1999, I was self-producing models of furniture

in an old house that had a café on the ground floor,’

he recalls. ‘I had the time to go back to purely creating,

and I had the idea of folding a metal sheet three-

dimensionally.’ In collaboration with a company in

Antwerp, Lust put this to the test and loved the result.

Seeing that it had worked, he continued to produce

chairs using the technique. But when he went about

making a bench in the same way, a deformity occurred,

LEFT, A JOSEF ALBERS PRINT

HANGS BEHIND LUST’S LIMITED-

EDITION ‘GOLD GRAPH’ DESK

AND BLACK ‘CONE’ CHAIR FOR

A LOT OF BRASIL

BELOW, THE ROOF TERRACE,

WITH LUST’S ‘FLOW’ SOFAS

FOR INDERA, AND A ‘TAVOLERO

TRAVERTINO’ SIDE TABLE

In Residence

078 ∑