Chanel Kapitanj
Chanel Kapitanj is a Belgian designer and metalworker based in Liège, where she founded her eponymous studio in 2017. Trained in industrial design and later in welding and metal fabrication, she has developed a practice that merges collectible design, furniture, and architectural metalwork through a deeply hands-on approach.
Working primarily with steel and other metals, Kapitanj explores the balance between precision, texture, and material expression. Her work is characterized by minimalist forms, refined craftsmanship, and a fascination with the transformative possibilities of metal, from sculptural furniture and lighting to custom architectural elements.
Guided by a philosophy of restraint and material honesty, Chanel Kapitanj creates pieces that highlight the tactile and visual qualities of metal while maintaining a strong sense of simplicity, functionality, and permanence.
Interview
I was born in Belgium and grew up in Liège.
My mom works in the fashion industry, so I always had a creative mind and used to draw a lot and DIY during my free time.
Yes, I studied Industrial Design and then went to Welding school. I worked as a graphic designer, a welder, and finally as a Designer + Welder for my own studio.
I always wanted to express myself through art, I wanted my ideas to take shape and to work in 3D. I started with painting and drawing, and then I approached the design field.
I am inspired by nature and the smallest details in every object. Looking behind structures and touching surfaces everywhere I go. I express my ideas through minimalism and metal. Textures and finishes. Doing projects, mainly, by myself in my workshop.
I start work at 10 am, but work better at night. Do some computer work and then go down to the workshop and cut metal pieces, weld them together, and then the rest of the day/evening, depending on the project. Bring them down to the powder coat company and so on.
I chose to work with metals because of the wide range of possibilities, textures, finishes, colors, assembly, etc.
Minimalist and clean lines or rough textures and nature-like shapes. I like it when a material as heavy as metal seems light and warm through my designs.
Follow your mind and hands. Stay true to your vision.
Between Brutalism and Minimalism.
Virgil Abloh, Bauhaus designers, Jean Prouvé, and Henry Wilson.
Sabine Marcelis, Vincent van Duysen, Vincenzo De Cotiis.
Eddy De Pretto, Alex Kuznetsov.
“Follow your mind and hands. Stay true to your vision.”
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
Animals everywhere.
Speak in public.
Shyness.
I deplore hypocrisy.
My wife.
Wear beige when all I wear is black.
Lost.
Transparency.
–
Self-confidence.
« A fond ».
Rhythm.
None.
My marriage and daughter.
A cat.
The USA.
My kid.
Envy.
Art.
Shy.
Kindness.
I never read.
Daredevil.
Coco Chanel.
My mom.
Nel.
Bad welds.
None.
In my sleep.
Less is more.
“I always wanted to express myself through art. I wanted my ideas to take shape and to work in three dimensions.”
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