Born
in Victoria, Australia of Dutch parents
Formation
interior design at Sint-Lukas, the Institute for Architecture and Arts in Brussels
Career
Back in Australia, Venlet came together with Marc Newson and Tina Engelen to form Daffodil design. Venlet then started to attract international attention with large-scale interior projects such as the Burdekin hotel in Sydney, and Q-bar, an Australian chain of nightclubs. Specifically for these projects Venlet devised the Q-stool, Burdekin Table and Burdekin chair.
Following his cooperation with Neil Burley (1988) and Marc Newson (1998 to 1990) he eventually opened up his own studio, Venlet Interior Architecture, in 1991. His design projects range from private mansions, lofts, bars and restaurants all the way to showrooms and offices of large companies such as Timberland or Siemens. Recent examples are ‘The Lexington’ barand ‘The Music Room’ nightclub in the GPO in Melbourne, Australia.
‘The Lexington’ Grand in scale and rich in style, the Lexington is set to become the city's new ‘hotspot'. Taking full advantage of the stunning heritage architecture of the GPO, Lexington's grand archways, seven-metre high ceilings and huge period windows are beautifully highlighted by enormous custom-made Swarovski crystal chandeliers, draped private enclaves, art-deco furniture and a gigantic custom-designed fibreglass bar.
‘The Music Room’ is an inspired loft-style club located in a huge attic within GPO. Complete with five lit pod bars, vast ceilings, intelligent lighting and sound and rich styling, the Music Room features a mix of the hottest international and local DJs as well as live acts. Another unique feature is the giant air balloon in the middle of the room.
The interior projects and the furniture designs of Venlet are characterised by their contemporary international style. He says that the objects arise from an interaction between art, sculpture and function. These objects give a new description to the space in which they are placed - with respect, but also with relative humour. Venlet objects are discreet, but for this reason, no less obvious.
Venlet now teaches interior design at Sint-Lukas in Brussels. The DesignIcons from Flanders exhibition in October 2003 was held at the Flemish parliament, and the playful presentation was unmistakably Venlets. Large-scale projects such as the design of a UEFA exhibition, and the library for Dendermonde will also become part of his portfolio. In the meantime Venlet launched a couple of new products onto the market: the impressive D2V2 for the lighting company Dark, the floating sofa Dish for Naked with it’s coffee table, the Q stool, the playfull Shower and the in-and outdoor BendyBay sofa for Viteo Outdoors.
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