‘Studio Job’ Presents Furniture Inspired by Famed Architectural Works at Design Miami

The exquisite furniture pieces by Dutch-Belgian design team Studio Job will be featured in a solo exhibition presented by Carpenters Workshop Gallery at Design Miami/2014.

Inspired by the world’s most iconic buildings, Studio Job’s collection is called “Aftermath,” a reference to the era in which they were created—the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The beautiful ornate works are simultaneously tributary and subversive.

A highlight of the collection is “Chartres,” an immense cabinet modeled after the medieval Chartres Cathedral in France. While the front is covered with opulent gold leaf and the sides reproduce the church’s entrance, there are two spiky steeples made of blackened bronze which jut out from the back, giving the piece a dark, gothic undertone.

Studio founder Job Smeets commented on the Carpenters Workshop Gallery, “Consciously and carefully, we are positioning decorative arts in the twenty-first century. Is that design? Whatever. Is that art? Whatever.”

The “Eiffel Tower” lamp—intricately sculptured from hand-patinated bronze—gracefully curves over at the top of the “tower” from which the fixture’s gilded beacon glows.

Visitors to the exhibit will get to see the duo’s cool interpretation of the Taj Mahal of India, with the famed structure turned upside down and transformed into a table, the base of the building becoming its top.

Photos and details courtesy of Carpenters Workshop Gallery and Curbed