Katrien Van der Schueren strives to create designs that evoke wonder and curiosity. “I want people to feel something when they encounter my work, and to find ways to connect the design with themselves, with others, and with the spaces they inhabit,” the Los Angeles–based sculptor tells Business of Home.
Born in Leuven, Belgium, Van der Schueren began sculpting at a young age, building imaginary environments in her grandmother’s sandbox. She later studied art history at the KU Leuven and the École du Louvre in Paris, while experimenting with art in her downtime. “I explored a lot of different mediums, including sculpting in the materials I use today,” she says.
Her first foray into custom design began in the early aughts, after moving to Los Angeles with her husband. In 2008 she opened Voila, originally as a picture-framing studio, and spent her free time scouring local flea markets for interesting antiques that she would transform into bespoke pieces. “Over time, I evolved into custom fabrication and project management—working with designers and clients to realize their vision,” she says. “Throughout those years I created my own pieces, but never dedicated enough time to them or claimed authorship.”
That changed in 2022, when Van der Schueren launched her namesake company and began crafting large-scale architectural features—including doors, murals and columns—through private commissions. “I was ready to develop my own voice, and fully dedicate myself to my own artistic practice,” she says.
Today, her studio specializes in everything from custom wall art to bespoke fireplace surrounds and furniture. “These pieces become part of people’s daily lives,” she says. “They change how someone experiences a house or a building, and allow the work to move beyond the object and become an experience.”
Sculpture is at the core of all of Van der Schueren’s designs. Working with materials such as wood, plaster, resin and stone, she and her team plane, carve and finish most of each piece by hand. (“A surprising amount of the work is done with nothing more than sandpaper,” she says.) Her architectural work is inherently site-specific and often involves sculpting on location. The artist has collaborated on projects with celebrated interior designers including Nicole Hollis, Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Annette English and Pauline Moghavem on an array of structural elements—from hand-sculpted fireplaces and columns that conceal unsightly piping to hand-carved doors and liquid metal–finished ceilings. “The goal is never to impose an object onto a space,” she says. “I want the work to feel as though it naturally belongs there, as though it was always meant to be part of the architecture.”
Van der Schueren’s in-house designs, which range from furniture and lighting to decor, are also a natural extension of her sculptural practice. The Embrace collection, for instance, features several styles of sconces and a floor lamp with hand-folded concrete silhouettes finished in brass and bronze. “More than creating fixtures, I am interested in sculpting an atmosphere,” she says.
Currently at work on a range of commissions, including a large-scale mural in Palm Beach, Van der Schueren will soon release a collaboration with Art + Loom, translating a handful of her designs into hand-knotted rugs. “I am particularly excited about extending my sculptural language into new mediums,” she says. “There are always more ideas than I have time to pursue.”
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