MATHIAS STEEN RASMUSSEN
Mathias Steen Rasmussen is a Danish designer with a seasoned and rigorous approach to furniture design. Born in 1990, he has a background in art and cabinetmaking, completing his apprenticeship in 2019 with the highest honors.
When working on his own designs, his philosophy is ‘honesty in construction’. This means keeping the design process open to what an object consists of and how it is constructed, often showcasing the naked grain of the wood and visible joints.
AESTHETICS WITH PURPOSE
Rasmussen enrolled at the Jutland Art Academy in 2012, seeking a way to express himself aesthetically. He soon realized that his purpose lay in woodwork and creating objects for a specific use rather than in abstract experimentation. This led him to furniture design, which put his sense of craftsmanship and functionalist aesthetics to better use while providing his artistic endeavor with a well-defined purpose.
MINIMALIST WOOD ARTISAN
As a trained cabinetmaker, Rasmussen usually takes wood as his point of departure. He often brings in other natural materials such as glass, stone, and rope as textural contrasts, resulting in an aesthetic dialogue between colors, techniques, and surfaces. With an earnest respect for his materials and a keen sense of balance in form and function, his work nods to midcentury Danish design.
Other sources of inspiration include the complexity of Japanese culture as well as the minimalist movement – in particular, artist Donald Judd’s ability to identify the essential. These influences have a close kinship with Rasmussen’s extended process of simplifying and refining an idea before settling on its final form.
CRAFTSMAN OF REFINEMENT
A keen practitioner of meditation, Rasmussen finds many of his ideas when he clears his mind of mental chatter and creates space. Starting with lines and curves that create a subtle geometry, he corrals them into a functional relationship, constantly iterating and optimizing the design in every way. Finally, he resolves the construction of each element, always striving to achieve aesthetic harmony and keeping in mind the visual and practical possibilities of his materials.
CONTEMPORARY AND CONSCIOUS
With his passion for durable, accessible, and detail oriented design, Rasmussen is a natural match for GUBI. His work gently balances a rooted sense of craftsmanship with a contemporary demand for versatility and sustainability. In this sense he represents his generation: addressing environmental concerns with a tradition-conscious approach.