Belgian designers Middernacht & Alexander, Linde Freya Tangelder and Tim Vranken join forces during Salone del Mobile in Milan
STRATA, from 7 to 13 April in Via Rutilia 10/9, Milan
During the Salone del Mobile in Milan, from April 7 to 13, Belgian designers Tim Vranken, Middernacht & Alexander, and Linde Freya Tangelder (Destroyers/Builders) will present STRATA, a collaborative exhibition showcasing new and existing works from the three design studios.
The exhibition, exploring material, meaning, and collaboration, will take place in a spacious venue for industrial recovery located in the Fondazione Prada district. This space, built in 1949 and recently renovated, features large south-facing windows overlooking a lush veranda and private garden.
STRATA brings the three designers together under one overarching roof, allowing them to present their unique practices within a unified scenography. This approach emphasizes the layering of their work while providing room for individual expression, as they explore both the overlaps and differences that define their personal approaches.
While their meeting in Milan may appear coincidental, it is the result of a distinct energy within each of their practices—different in outcome yet connected in intention. The exhibition places them in a setting that embraces both freedom and tension, where their works exist in dialogue with one another and with the space itself.
A sense of openness is central to their practice. The exhibition unfolds in a cohesive scenography that plays with the concept of layering—not only through material and form but also in the spaces between the works, the contrasts and affinities that emerge, and the interplay between individual expression and collective presence.
Texture is a key element in all three designers’ work. While their material choices vary, there is a clear resonance and harmony in how they shape and define surfaces. The purity of their single-material compositions creates a sense of strength, leaving a lasting impact on viewers. Their approaches to texture are distinctive, but the contrast in materials adds depth to their shared affinity for craftsmanship.
STRATA
by Tim Vranken, Middernacht & Alexander and Linde Freya Tangelder
From 7 to 13 April 2025
Via Rutilia 10/9, Milan
Press contact
Albane Paret
Club Paradis
albane@clubparadis.be
+32 (0)476 57 37 82
About Tim Vranken
Tim Vranken is a Belgian furniture designer who focuses on solid, handmade furniture. Throughout his designs the use of pure materials and honest natural processes are paramount. The result is an unconcealed interplay of lines and shapes, without the slightest frills.
With a deep appreciation for wood’s raw beauty, Vranken embraces its natural imperfections rather than concealing them. Wood grain patterns shape his designs, always taking precedence. His aim as a designer is to create a refined piece of furniture that does not need anything other than itself to create harmony. To make sure the furniture meets up to all of his ideas, Tim Vranken builds every piece himself.
About Middernacht & Alexander
With a keen interest in the uncomfortable relationship between intimacy and voyeurism, Sofie Middernacht (1985, BE) and Maarten Alexander (1990, NL) thrive on investigating the psychological aspects of everyday life. Perception is a major theme, as are time, conservation and the human condition.
The culmination of these themes is apparent in their choice of materials, which seem straightforward but are actually rather ambiguous. Middernacht & Alexander often look for materials that have fleeting characteristics, that oxidize or decay if left untreated, and try to stop them. In doing so, tensions arise, which in turn tie in with what they experience as human beings.
About Linde Freya Tangelder - Destroyers/Builders
Linde Freya Tangelder, founder of design studio Destroyers/Builders, strives for sensory relevance and cultural value in design. Her work balances contemporary and traditional elements, drawing inspiration from architectural elements, materials, and building techniques.
Inspired by architectural shapes, the furniture pieces highlight the field between industry and human, through diverse materials. Constructions are scaled down to human sizes, and translations result into sculptural gestures. Both low and high end materials get revalued, reconsidered and transformed. The interventions and finishes by hand, give these architectural objects a tactile aspect. The contrast in materials, the touchability, and the human traces that are still visible in the object, define the studio’s method.
