About

BRUTALIST FURNITURE

STRYD (IPA: “strɛid”; Dutch: “strijd”) is a Brussels-based design and furniture brand, with a creative ethos based on a defining essay on Brutalism. In The New Brutalism (1955), Reyner Banham attempts to codify the then-emerging architectural movement under the following principles:

1. Memorability as an image
2. Clear exhibition of structure
3. Valuation of materials ‘as found’

All objects by STRYD are designed according to a reinterpretation of Banham’s principles in an endeavour to provide answers to issues in today’s furniture industry.

BELGIAN DESIGN

STRYD aims to fundamentally embody Belgian design, while engaging in a dialogue with the history of Modernism. Key influences are local architectural movements and individuals of the early 20th century, exemplified by Henry Van de Velde, whose historical impact on Functionalism cannot be understated.

Movements that followed such as the Bauhaus and De Stijl are considered in their significance to Belgian design and architecture. Furthermore, the subsequent development of Brutalism in Belgium provides a specific context for my work.

By referring to our regional heritage, there is a potential to engage consciously with our history and to translate universal values into a unique visual identity.

INDO-EUROPEAN MODERNISM

My design process is rooted in a critical approach to the history of Modernism. As the dominant historical narrative generally underwrites the central role of non-Western influences, local instances of Modernism in Asia, Latin-America and Africa are typically considered as copies of their Western counterpart.

A case in point is the Chandigarh chair, commonly attributed to Pierre Jeanneret, but originally designed by Eulie Chowdury, the only woman involved in le Corbusier’s architectural project during the 1950s in Chandigarh, India.

Thus, Bertrand, with its block-like hardwood triangular shapes, was first inspired by the Chandigarh chair. Although Bertrand’s ergonomics fundamentally differ from the latter, its reference to Chowdury’s design marks a critical stance against Modernism as a concept prophesied by the West.

A SOCIO-POLITICAL APPROACH

This initial inspiration was followed by a series of practical considerations regarding Bertrand’s dimensions. Whereas Chowdury designed her chair for relatively smaller, potentially female individuals in Northen India, Bertrand had to meet the average physionomic standards of a taller audience in the Benelux.

One of several inspirations to attain this objective, was Sedia 1 by Enzo Mari. In addition to its dimensions, Sedia 1 was designed according to a socio-political approach, intended to form an intuitive connection between object and subject. This idea is reflected in the formal emphasis on structural and ergonomic elements, but also in the possibility to build the chair during Mari’s exhibitions, as a means to invite the audience to understand the object for what it is. Under the same philosophy, visitors at the STRYD exhibition during Dutch Design Week in 2024, were invited to build a simplified version of Bertrand themselves.

BIO

Marnix Aditeya
Mantrimayum
Van Strydonck
Born in Mumbai
Atelier in Brussels

After majoring in both Art History and Management, I worked as a deputy director in the arts at the Flemish Communal Commission in Brussels. While pursuing a career in academia, I enrolled in a carpentry course and eventually started working full-time as an apprentice. After two years of acquiring experience in furniture making and timber framing, I founded STRYD with the ambition to challenge the way we understand furniture.