Bringing together 15 of Europe’s most exceptional artisans working across the design spectrum, Lionel Jadot has spearheaded the creation of an extraordinary mixed-media, multi- functional art object in the form of an exceedingly unique ping pong table, titled “Spin Love.”

One of the most ambitious works of decorative arts today, “Spin Love” connects the talents of the idiosyncratic, visionary artists that make up Zaventem Ateliers. Jadot is the mastermind behind Zaventem Ateliers.In 2018 he acquired an abandoned paper factory and redesigned it as an “autonomous hive” accommodating 32 separate workshops dedicated to the production and transformation of materials, allowing a group of exceptional craftsmen working in ceramics, leather, metal, marble, textiles, and wood to collaborate, experiment, and inspire one another. As aphysical representation of the creative drive housed within the walls of Zaventem, Jadot describes the “Spin Love” project as, “a ping pong or dining table, a sculpture, a screen, a story, a playground with unique features, lights and textiles.”

As aphysical representation of the ingenuity and creative drive housed within the walls of Zaventem Ateliers, Jadot describes the “Spin Love” project as, “a ping pong or dining table, a sculpture, a screen, a story, a playground with unique features, lights and textiles.”

Todd Merrill Studio has been the exclusive representative of Lionel Jadot since 2019. As a sixth-generation member of the famous Vanhamme family of furniture makers, in the world of design, he is equal parts self-taught and “to the manner born”.

While not easily categorized by a singular style, his work could most easily be recognized by his affinity for re-purposed materials and his deft eye at creating harmony and balance out of the collision of disparate elements. Jadot has made a practice of skirting tradition by mixing genres, inspirations, and materials to achieve his iconoclastic vision. Key to his work process is a strong belief in craftsmanship and integrity in terms of behavior and approach, which is demonstrated throughout the creation of “Spin Love.”

The principle of reclamation has been relevant to Jadot from a young age. As a child in his father’s workshop, Jadot developed a keen attraction and respect for materials, coveting the bits of scrap wood and leather that would accumulate around the floor and had been deemed “fair game.” Today this manifests as both a philosophical and aesthetic tenet to his work. Manipulating materials that have been salvaged permeates his works with a sense of character, history, and humanity.

In conceiving “Spin Love” Jadot aimed to create a work where visionary design and idiosyncratic craftsmanship meets the already collaborative energy, humor and playfulness he had amassed within Zaventem. Each individual element, from the mixed media table tops to the unique ping pong paddles, showcases the height of the artists’ specific expertise.

The double sided clover-shaped table top can be divided into two separate tables, each with the ability to be raised to stand upright, acting as a dual-faced screen allowing for four distinct visual options.

One bifurcated table half features black and white geometrically patterned leather collages from Niyona, a French custom leather design company. Its corresponding half is composed of precious wood marquetry work by Alexandre Lowie with a steel star detail jewelry designer by Luna Lotta.

The second table is composed of an integration of metalwork by Maison Jonckers and textiles from Studio Krjst enclosed within poured resin. On one side each artist’s work is tessellated into a tightly controlled pattern. Flipping the table over reveals an expressive and chaotic assemblage of patterns and textures.

Thomas Serruys and Pierre-Emmanuel Vandeputte created the structural table legs from rusted steel piping, allowing the design to easily pivot and flip, revealing the dynamic double sides.

Thefreestanding, movable lamps are a combination of five separate artisans. Designer Roxane Lahidji specializes in ecological material developments and applications. Her sculptural support bases are created from a sustainable material she developed called “marbled salts” exploiting the unique physical properties of salt as a self-binding composite. By mixing it with tree resin, she gives it shape and strength. Clem Van Hee of Atelier 185, which creates exclusive hand-forged knives, constructed the clamps, while Jadot himself designed the brass brackets and hookah tube that make up the eclectic lamp stems. Brass lights are folded by metal lighting designer Vladimir Slavov and covered in leather by Niyona.

One of the most stunning components of the table is the artistically intricate wavy net, woven in copper and brass by Adeline Halot and embroidered with precious stones by Aurélie Lanoiselée.

Charles Schambourg created individual ping-pong rackets specially designed and manufactured with the shape of the table, and covered in a selection of his bespoke woven leather. With more than 50 years experience in artisan detail Schambourg‘s atelier is the premier maker of unique woven leathers. His unique material, which can be woven with linen, wool, Lurex, even fur, beads and rocks has been used in everything from aeronautics to haute couture.

While not wholly functional, multi-disciplinary artist Pascale Risbourg, developed a collection of decorative porcelain paddles that are as idiosyncratic as “Spin Love” itself.

As a piece of collectible design encapsulating the energy of the 15 designers brought together by Jadot, there is no parallel in terms of idea or execution. As Gisela Williams wrote for Surface Magazine and the New York Times Magazine, “Zaventem Ateliers is one of Europe’s most experimental design collectives” and now Lionel Jadot’s“Spin Love” represents it.