thijs smeets

For many years now an extremely well selling lounge chair series. Spot and Sparkle both come in three versions: a low armchair (One), a high armchair (Two) and a high armchair (Three). With all three variants, you can have the inside and outside upholstered separately. If you would like some extra comfort with your Spot Two or Three, there is a nice optional pillow. You also have the choice of an oak or aluminum foot with each version.

With Fyord, my aim was to create a modular piece that feels solid, generous and grounded, yet soft, welcoming, and intuitively ergonomic.

The design features flowing, rounded forms that suggest the natural shaping of water—like smooth river stones. This is especially evident in the armrest, which cascades over the side of the seat like a waterfall. That movement is a key element of the overall concept, hence the name Fyord.

The domed seat cushions and subtly curved back backrests reinforce Fyord’s soft, organic aesthetic. Its legless, grounded base visually anchors the piece to the floor. Without the organic shapes, this could have felt overly heavy—but the tension between weight and softness creates harmony and presence.

Inside, the seat is rounded and embracing, offering comfort and a natural invitation to sit. In contrast, the outer edges of the back- and armrests are more sharply defined, accentuated with a seem on this edge . This intentional contrast adds form-definition and prevents the volumes from becoming overly bulbous or indistinct.

Fyord’s ergonomics are intentionally lower and has a more generous seat depth than typical contract lounge furniture. This adds to its relaxed, almost cocooning comfort—particularly in the corners of the armrest, where it subtly embraces you. An invitation to sink back, settle in, and stay for a while.

Whether as a sweeping curved sofa or sculptural lounge chair, Fyord’s modular elements support thoughtful configurations tailored to the evolving needs of any individual space.

Meets was designed to withstand up to 400lb weight capacity without making compromises to the ecstatics. Its thick plush cushioning provides an extremely comfortable sit.

A clean-out opening between the seat and backrest prevents dirt accumulation. Therefore Meets is not only perfect for work spaces but also applicable in health care environments.

This very comfortable design comes as a arm or armless guest chair, a counter stool and a bar stool.

Elara, meaning moon in Greek, earned her name from the enveloping curves and wide frame of this dynamic lounge piece.

Originally designed as the perfect solution for behavioural health, senior living, and other healthcare environments. Designed to offer safety, comfort and cleanability.

‘I really wanted to stay away from the clinical look and feel which is the norm in healthcare furniture. I tried to give this product a more warm and residential vibe, while still meeting all the functional criteria for its specific high demanding environments.’

Because of this unique design approach it turned out to be deployable in a much broader scope of markets than it was originally intended for.

Check out a movie about this product here.

Contemporary chair made from plywood and a polypropylene shell that has been cut through horizontally.

This chair has been exhibited during the Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2012. It received a recognition for Good Industrial Design (GIO 2012) in during the Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. It is included in the design collection of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

In the midst of busy, high-intensity workdays, we often need a place to unwind, stop focusing, and let our mind rest. Meet Cosíma lounge series designed for Indiana based project furniture company OFS. It was created with these spaces in mind. We crafted an organic piece for those organic moments of restoration throughout the day. Soft, curved edges, intricate stitching details, and natural rounded cushions provide the perfect space for restoration.

This collection got the name of my 2-year-old daughter Cosima since she is as cuddly as the rounded shapes of this product range. The Cosima collection is available in many different fabrics and leather options. The wooden legs can be stained in a multitude of finishes. This way Cosima can be styled from very modest to Scandinavian hip.

First prize winning design at the 2003 Eye Wish Design Awards. MaxMara Italia took the glasses into production in 2003 and carries the frame in their collection up to this date.

The design was exhibited at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht.

If you love plush comfort, Flare is sure to make your heart flutter. A generous swivel based lounge chair with a highly refined character, which we designed for the Leolux daughter brand Pode.

The broad-shouldered Flare is truly a chair you can spend hours in. We dare say it is the most generous single-seater in our portfolio. A lot of thought has gone into finding the right balance between support and softness, and you can feel that the moment you nestle down in it.

You can choose from the full range of upholstery in the Pode collection, plus the option of different materials for the inside and outside of the body. The aluminium base is polished as standard, but you can also choose an epoxy or lacquer finish. The standard seat height is 43 centimetres, but can be raised by 2 or 4 centimetres. And for added comfort, there is a matching ottoman available as well. 

Designed for the OFS brand Carolina to meet the stringent demands of healthcare spaces, Chrys guest chair and table offers a unique fusion of comfort, durability, and safety. With a soothing color palette and soft, organic lines, Chrys not only ensures superior comfort but also promotes an atmosphere of serenity.

In behavioral healthcare safety is extremely important. Chrys features a tamper-resistant design. The Chrys family are all hollow rotation moulded products that can be weighted with sand bags, so they can't be weaponised. Being a one part product, it's impossible to hide any sharp objects in it, or peal off parts to use as a weapon.

Chrys, inspired by the symbolism of a chrysalis, embodies a journey of transformation and personal growth within healthcare environments.

During the launch at The Healthcare Design Convention in New Orleans in Nov ‘23, Chrys has been awarded with the Nightingale Innovation Award.

Four organically shaped modular seating elements. These upholstered benches are designed in such a way that you can cluster them together directly, or by using the round tables in between. This way many playful configurations can be made. 

Drawing inspiration from the mystical stone circles of Ballynoé, Ireland, the Noé collection of benches offers a versatile and playful way to support a building's interior architecture. With a range of organic shapes and sizes. Noé is designed to fit seamlessly in almost any environment, from pediatric areas to expansive waiting rooms. Each piece combines an appealing design with functional versatility, making Noé an adaptable choice for modern interior space.

Designed for Carolina, an OFS company.

A comfortable sofa that wears it's steel constructive structure on the outside. The frame can be finished with click on wooden fronts to customize it to the clients liking. Upholstered roundly shaped foam blocks are placed in this frame creating a clear contrast between the comfortable inside and the constructive more geometrically shaped outside.

Available via Harvink.nl

A full line of sanitary products for Dutch brand Tortu. This Metropol collection was inspired on the mid century modern design movement from the fifties and is aimed at the high-end hotel and consumer market.

Why should a privately owned sauna always look like a Finish wooden box? Studio Smeets designed this contemporary sauna series as a piece of furniture that enriches the interior or garden. No need to hide the sauna in the garage or in the bushes anymore.

Hampi’s natural palm plates are based on a simple but brilliant idea: use naturally shed palm leaves to create a whole range of natural design tableware. Studio Smeets designed the award winning Raaga collection and redesigned all the other Hampi collections.

Hampi palm plates are produced by heat pressing leaves of the areca palm tree. The process uses no chemicals or waxes and is 100% natural.

Awards and exhibitions:
* winner Toon van Tuijl Design Award at the Dutch Design Awards (2010)
* nomination Horecava Innovation Award (2010)
* winner Columbus Trofee at the BBB Horecavakbeurs in Maastricht (2011)
* winner 3rd prize The Dieline Awards for packaging (2011)
* winner Gold Pentaward for packaging (2011)
* exhibition 'Mes & Vork' Rotterdam Historical Museum (2011)

Contemporary table made from plywood and white powdercoated steel. This table has been exhibited during the Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2012.

WIRED Magazine on LiliLite: 'Navigating the nightstand obstacle course — book, lamp, and water glass — all too often ends in a destructive inundation. Seek higher ground with the LiliLite: Pull your book from the wooden peak to turn the lamp on. Set your tome back down and it’s good night, light. The other end stores that copy of Gravity’s Rainbow you’re still pretending to read.'

WIRED exhibited LiliLite in their pop-up gallery in New York City.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York (MoMa): 'We really like LiliLite and we would love to sell it in our museum store.'

Available in our webshop

This upholstered dining chair can be made for a very competitive price because the upholster sleeve can be pulled over the plywood shell in one go. It is than invisibly zipped on the back side. The wooden legs sandwich the black steel parts. This way the construction become an important aesthetic detail.

A contemporary sofa inspired by the iconographic version of the Gispen collections from the beginning of the 20th century. Studio Smeets gave it a more modern look and feel to last through the 21st century.

This sofa has been exhibited during the Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2012.

Studio Smeets designed three bathroom sink collections made out of Corian, an exclusive material from DuPont. The collections are manufactured by Correnti.