Starry Night
Renaissance of a bed
Magnitude lets the bed be reborn with ‘Starry Night’. The iconic image of the antique French cast iron bed awakens in haute couture design, with a starring role for the unique craft of the master upholsterers.
DESIGN ROEL VANDEBEEK
IN COLLAB WITH MAGNITUDE
FOR MAGNITUDE
YEAR 2022
MUSE DESIGN AWARD
Roel Vandebeek found the inspiration for Starry Night during a visit to the Magnitude studios. “What struck me most was how great their passion and expertise is in the field of upholstery and stitching. In my design I wanted to translate this craft into an archetypal image of the past: the antique French cast-iron bed. This image is in the collective memory, which immediately evokes a sense of recognition and memory. And if you can actualize such an archetype and let it be reborn with contemporary techniques, you have the best of both worlds: the sense of security of the past intertwined with the luxury and comfort of today.’
By ‘projecting’ the image of the French bed onto a tightly upholstered foot and headboard, ‘then’ and ‘now’ are brought together. With the right choice of fabric and filling, elegant lines are created thanks to the shadow play with the stitching seam. The signature of the Magnitude craft becomes, as it were, a means of communication between bed and person.
Great ideas often form in good places. For designer and artist Roel Vandebeek (°1970) it was the studios of Magnitude. When he walked around and saw the care with which the beds are made, he was inspired and the idea for Starry Night was born. This wonderful bed fits into Magnitude's tradition of inviting designers for a special design edition. After Jean-François d'Or and Alain Gilles, among others, the honor now fell to compatriot Roel Vandebeek. With his design, Roel evokes the image of a cast-iron bed from days gone by. His contemporary interpretation was given a sleek, pared-down look and a luxurious execution with subtle details. With the name Starry Night, Roel transports you to a French attic room, ready for a fairytale night of stargazing. On the webpage you can enjoy a film in which Roel Vandebeek explains more about the breeding ground of his designs.
Starry Night is available in two types of fabric both of which add an extra dimension to the design. The Lainosa Fabric has the sophisticated look of a wool felt fabric made from 100% polyester. Lainosa was selected in a total of six shades, from neutral beige, warm brown, stylish anthracite, inspiring midnight blue to a bright orange. The Eternal Velvet Fabric creates extra depth thanks to the velour with mohair look. This fabric also comes in six shades: neutral ecru, chic anthracite, bronzy gold, absinthe green, warm orange and dreamy azure. With the darker colours, the play between presence and absence is more exciting. The lighter colours, on the other hand, more quickly evoke the secure feeling of nostalgic memory.