A new dining concept by Marie Michielssen for Serax | Jeanne

At the beginning of January I also visited the Serax showroom in Paris, where I was deeply impressed by ‘Jeanne’, Marie Michielssen’s new furniture line for Serax. In recent years she has focused more on designing furniture and objects with which she herself has a deep connection. Her furniture collection Jeanne and her first tableware line La Mère are good examples of this.

I especially found the story behind the furniture collection inspiring and recognizable. The collection drew inspiration from her own family life. Marie: “Now that the children are starting to stand on their own two feet and are flying out of the nest, we as a couple no longer need such a long dining table. But on the other hand, the children do come home regularly and bring partners, friends and maybe soon bring their own children along, so it is useful to be able to extend the table without too much effort.” Jeanne is a modular concept for all types of families, from blended families to singles.

 

Tables

The careful choice of shapes, materials and colors are extremely important to Marie. She prefers pure, natural materials. For the Jeanne family, the choice fell on solid FSC certified oak, stained in an ebony shade and finished with a matt varnish. The shape and placement of the narrow rectangular legs under the table top are also innovative: aesthetically pleasing and space-saving. Marie’s penchant for constructivism is expressed here.

In terms of shape, Jeanne is an archetypal rectangular table, inspired by the sober, robust monastery table of yesteryear. In addition to two rectangular tables – a long and a short version – Marie also provided a semi-circular table. It can be used as a console against the wall, but at the same time it transforms a rectangular table into an oval table in no time at all.

The addition of handy connecting pieces – which she lovingly calls ‘ponts d’amour’, a nod to the ponts d’amour in the bed world that connect two mattresses, can also be called innovative. This makes it possible to create a generous table that can be extended as desired.

 

 

Executed in one single colour, the warm dark brown Ebony, the oak benches and stool match perfectly with the Jeanne table, creating an interesting graphic interplay of lines. But they can also be used as a side table or bedside table.

Pictures ©vosgesparis / last four images by Serax