Two French brothers who create designs that both inspire the masses and push the boundaries of design have quickly become some of the most influential designers working today. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have been designing together for more than ten years now, and while their rise to fame surpasses luck to become almost unbelievable, it is their different personalities, styles and shared dedication to innovation that make their designs so successful.
Their collaboration in design began in 1997 when they presented a prototype project at the Salon de Meuble in Paris called “Disintegrated Kitchen”. There they were spotted by the internationally famous designer Giulio Cappellini, who proceeded to give them a few industrial design projects, like the Lit clos (Closed Bed) and Spring Chair. After proverbially knocking those projects out of the park, in 2000 Issey Miyake asked them to design a space for his new collection of A-Poc clothes in Paris. In 2002, they met with the chairman of Vitra, Rolf Fehlbaum, and created their idea of a new kind of office system, called Joyn. (Incidentally, this doesn’t end their partnership with Vitra, with them going on to work on a number of projects, such as Algues, the Alcove Sofa, the Worknest and the Slow Chair). If you haven’t already guessed it, by 2002 every major design magazine knew their names, the Design Museum of London gave them a major exhibition, and they become the most sought after designers of our time. And all of this while they were still in their twenties.
What makes their designs so wonderful is not outlandishness--some of their designs seem at times to be almost monotonous---but they are without doubt fresh. The designs aren’t contemporary for contemporary’s sake. The brother’s take an intelligent approach to design, which shows in pieces that are at once easily recognizable but also completely new takes on form. Alternating simple lines and meticulous detail, the brothers have designed a catalogue of pieces that proves their talent and influence as designers. You often hear people call some designs timeless. The Bouroullec brothers don’t create timeless pieces; they create designs that are separated from time. At once harkening back to the past and looking towards some otherworldly future, their designs hover in another dimension of design altogether.
To list all the manufacturers that Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have collaborated with is a study in the top design companies in the world: Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis, Kartell, Ligne Roset, Issey Miyake, Cappellini---the list goes on. Not just designing for fame or profit, they also continue to design experimental pieces, which continually question a designer’s true purpose. They’ve had work shown at the Galerie Kreo, in Paris, between 2001 and 2008. They have even loaned their talents to architecture, like the Maison flottante (Floating House) in 2006. The list of awards they received so far are is equally impressive: the Grand Prix du Design de la Ville de Paris (1998), the New Designer Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (New York, 1999) and the Finn-Juhl Prize (Copenhagen, 2008). Their Ligne Roset Facett collection won the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award in 20 05, and their Worknest office won the same award in 2008.
To read more about the Bouroullec brothers and what their future holds, visit their
website. 
Their collaboration in design began in 1997 when they presented a prototype project at the Salon de Meuble in Paris called “Disintegrated Kitchen”. There they were spotted by the internationally famous designer Giulio Cappellini, who proceeded to give them a few industrial design projects, like the Lit clos (Closed Bed) and Spring Chair. After proverbially knocking those projects out of the park, in 2000 Issey Miyake asked them to design a space for his new collection of A-Poc clothes in Paris. In 2002, they met with the chairman of Vitra, Rolf Fehlbaum, and created their idea of a new kind of office system, called Joyn. (Incidentally, this doesn’t end their partnership with Vitra, with them going on to work on a number of projects, such as Algues, the Alcove Sofa, the Worknest and the Slow Chair). If you haven’t already guessed it, by 2002 every major design magazine knew their names, the Design Museum of London gave them a major exhibition, and they become the most sought after designers of our time. And all of this while they were still in their twenties.
What makes their designs so wonderful is not outlandishness--some of their designs seem at times to be almost monotonous---but they are without doubt fresh. The designs aren’t contemporary for contemporary’s sake. The brother’s take an intelligent approach to design, which shows in pieces that are at once easily recognizable but also completely new takes on form. Alternating simple lines and meticulous detail, the brothers have designed a catalogue of pieces that proves their talent and influence as designers. You often hear people call some designs timeless. The Bouroullec brothers don’t create timeless pieces; they create designs that are separated from time. At once harkening back to the past and looking towards some otherworldly future, their designs hover in another dimension of design altogether.
To list all the manufacturers that Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have collaborated with is a study in the top design companies in the world: Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis, Kartell, Ligne Roset, Issey Miyake, Cappellini---the list goes on. Not just designing for fame or profit, they also continue to design experimental pieces, which continually question a designer’s true purpose. They’ve had work shown at the Galerie Kreo, in Paris, between 2001 and 2008. They have even loaned their talents to architecture, like the Maison flottante (Floating House) in 2006. The list of awards they received so far are is equally impressive: the Grand Prix du Design de la Ville de Paris (1998), the New Designer Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (New York, 1999) and the Finn-Juhl Prize (Copenhagen, 2008). Their Ligne Roset Facett collection won the “Best of the Best” Red Dot Design Award in 20 05, and their Worknest office won the same award in 2008.
