Dom Hans van der Laan chairs by his apprentice Jan de Jong - 1980s

Bossche school, pair of chairs, jan de jong, dom hans van der laan, netherlands. They are made of pine wood and feature copper nails, giving these pieces an understated, rustic look. The pair is entirely painted grey, including the nails. This specific colour was carefully selected by whim van hoof to resemble the original shade as closely as possible. The main focus of van der laan’s design was functionality and rationality, which is reflected in the openings on the sides and on the backs serve the purpose of joining multiple pieces together, and lifting them. Van der laan was a leading figure in the traditionalist movement, the bossche school, that held these values as well. These characteristics make these chairs charming, while also being beautiful pieces of dutch design history. Although dom van der laan left a small body of work behind, his legacy is highly regarded in the world of architecture. The st. Benedictusberg abbey in vaals and its interior quickly became his masterpiece at the age of 53.