Mlle Jo, sincere and authentic design !
Mlle Jo, a Belgian stylist who embarks on the creation of objects and furniture! When it comes to local and authentic design that smells of the carpentry workshop.
You have moved from the world of styling to the design of objects and furniture. How did this transition come about? What was the driving force behind this change?
A stylist by training at La Cambre, I worked for 25 years to create trends, colors and fabrics for the world of lingerie. The details and finishes, the harmony of the different materials were my strength and I also use this way of approaching things to create objects. In the creative process, things are not siled. Architecture has always been my passion and through this, object design naturally imposed itself on me.

What is the universe of "Miss Jo"?
Mlle Jo offers a line of objects and furniture delicately interweaving heritage and technology. Fascinated by the material and driven by the desire to offer something beautiful and different, I revisit marquetry by imagining objects and furniture making use of traditional materials and innovative technologies. The first TOUPY, ASSY and YOUMY collections mix wood, steel, brass and leather, my favorite materials. Stained ash is used for the graphic beauty of its veins, brass for its luxurious appearance but not flashy, metal for all its technical possibilities, leather for its nobility and patina. Small series allow you to have control over each piece, a hand finishing for turned wood and inlaid brass, thus highlighting a sometimes forgotten know-how. The singular and poetic objects created by Mlle Jo are versatile, intended to last and to be transmitted.


Local design seems to be important to you. Can you tell us more? How do you manage to position yourself in relation to publishers of objects that make more production more cheaply?
We work in short circuit and intervene ourselves for the finishes (brass, leather). We try to have as few middlemen as possible in order to get the fairest price. the craftsmen with whom we work are motivated by the fact of putting their know-how in new proposals and objects that are sometimes quite different from what they are used to making on a daily basis. This requires a very large investment in time and research in order to be able to offer an affordable price despite production in Belgium.


Are there any brands or canvases that inspire you in the world of design?
In general, it is the evolution of the times that inspires me. We must find the added value that corresponds to the spirit of the times. Visiting workshops and factories inspires me enormously. I like to turn things around, I never start from a blank page, sitting behind my desk. A stair railing bend inspired me for the POPY lamp, for example. I would love to work with a material that is recycled or already used, but I have not yet been able to complete this research. It's difficult to define a brand that inspires me because everything dazzles me and delights me when it's done with excellence.
What are your favorite places in Belgium?
I really like to stroll in Antwerp on the Waalse and Vlaamse kaai, in the Nationale straat and the Steenhouwersveststraat. I am a fan of the renovation of the Musée de la Bovrie in Liège, I like to stroll through the antique shops and galleries of the Marolles district to the Sablon in Brussels.