Interviews with Pierre Foulonneau

I was initially drawn to design because I like to draw. I soon realize this job was much more than that and I embraced it entirely!
But basically it was when I realize I could have a job for with a serious part of fun and entertainment.

It always start with pen and paper, to put down an intention that will act s a guideline for the project. Then development is carried out with keeping a good balance between all aspect of the design. Aesthetic feeds the technique and vice versa. I use computer willingly but only if it is relevant for the project. A physical model is always a must have, from quick and dirty early stage model to working prototype as the project progress through iteration loops.

It puts a smile on my face. I'd say it is a mix of excitement and happiness when the idea sparks and when you feel on the right track. Development phase is enriching because you exchange with all the people involved in the process and sometimes frustrating because you have to make choices and maybe let go a little bit. Then when the project is finish you share joy with everyone involved. But what i like most is to see one of my creation that has found a place in someone's life, serving its purpose daily. It is incredibly fulfilling.
Sometime also research and experimentation can be relentless when yo discover a new path that you want to explore, then you enter another space and time!

As a background I think like any boy of my generation I was fed with car bodywork and hours of intense Lego creative sessions. I also spent time watching my dad's in his workshop and later tried to emulate him attempting to build things on my own or to master how to use his tools.

I am trying to expand in the furniture field and I will pursue in the next years. Also an objective is to open more collaboration with local companies another is to have a bigger impact as a designer and design things that are more and more durable and as virtuous as possible.

Be curious, stay curious. MAKE things with your hands. Dare to dream, trust your ideas and show yourself out!

Always have great respect for the people that makes or build your designs, and learn from them.

I rarely have twice the same day! The only real routine is to account and stay flexible for unexpected events. Also I try to find moments to read or browse books.

I don't pay too much attention to design trends. Trends for me has a sense of ephemerality that I dislike. I prefer durability and timelessness to which I will incorporate up to date elements (material, finishes, colors...) if I find them relevant.
I find it more interesting to look for society's behavior shifts, these are far more useful indications for what to design next.

Do I understand what it is and its function ?
Is it aesthetically pleasing ?
Does it fulfill its purpose well ?
Is t desirable ?

I stop when I feel we carefully considered all aspects and details of the product and shaved off all the superfluous.

One very significant work in my career was when I co-founded the watch brand SEKFORD together with Cédric Bellon and Kuchar Swara. The whole project was a step into entrepreneurship and offered me the opportunity to experience global design and implement it on the whole company’s ecosystem through products, graphics, communication, brand identity, product identity and strategy. It also gave me a practical awareness for various companies’ problematic beyond design.

I like the poetry and sensitivity of Tapio Wirkkala, the elegance and playfulness of Achille Castiglioni and the rigorous but sensitive approach of Konstantin Grcic. Of course the work of Dieter Rams in is ensemble is very inspiring.

I work alone most of the time but I assemble a team if needed. I consider my clients as business parters and I like if we have some common grounds or carry the same valours. I believe in teamwork and honest exchange to “build” a project and bring it to the next level.

I try to contribute to society through being a lecturer at L'Ecole de Design Nantes Atlantique, I think it is important to be committed to the younger generation. Pass on some tricks of the trade, help them gain confidence, so they can be as ready as possible to face the challenges of their generation.

My intention with the design of the “Leaf” vases was to create objects that captures and mimic nature.
The “Leaf” vases are a family of crystal vases, each one of them holding a metal leaf shaped part. The metal leaves give the object an unalterable natural presence, even when empty. Seated in their transparent pedestals, the leaves play with light and reflections as they change along the day, bringing life into a poetic “still life” composition. And, during flower season, the leaves will act as a receptacle for greeting and showcasing fresh flowers.

Once the idea sprung in my head the design came along rather quickly, it was a matter of weeks i'd say. However, it took me several years to find the right company to develop it with.

I noticed -on our latitude at least- vases by their function are often used half of the year to display flowers and lies empty or hidden the other half. I just wanted to create a vase that could evoke nature even when empty.

It is indeed produce by a Brazilian company called RIVA. They are specialist in designing and producing high end metal objects. They were the perfect company to develop and produce this particular item.

I'm an admirer of Scandinavian design in general, Tapio Wirkkala in particular and his refined ability to express or represent nature in is work. I also like the simplicity, elegance and playfulness of Achille Castiglioni for exemple.
I wouldn't talk about influences but rather how their work or approach to design infused in mine.

People that appreciate a touch of poetry in the objects that surround them

The Leaf vase is already a beautiful piece on its own and will only looks better with flowers.

I think it is pretty obvious!

it's never about the tool, but what you do with it. The best design tool ever is a brain, a pen and paper!

It always sparks a reaction in people that see it for the first time.

I collaborated with RIVA, a Brazilian company specialized in high end metal items. They helped me to make my design a reality and now produce and sell this item. A good design, needs a great execution and RIVA have very skillful craftsmen.

None! it comes straight from the heart

Finding the right people to produce the different parts. By that I mean people that can reach my level of requirement.

I had been solicited or encouraged several times in the past years.
Only this object has brought nothing but good to me since its creation and this year felt like the right time to submit it.

Starting and developing a relationship with a new client, diving into it's culture and history, gaining an understanding of its philosophy and production capacity. It is always rewarding.

My motivation is to create objects that brings joy to people. Life is sweeter and easier surrounded by beautiful, meaningful and useful things :)
Also when the objects you created have found a place and a purpose in people’s life, I find it very fulfilling.

100% a choice!
When I was around 13-14 years old I came across some design schools booth on a "school fair". I very naïvely realised I could be paid to drawn all day, what a job! Never looked back since!
Of course I later discovered the different dimensions of design beyond drawing and aesthetics, but just fell more in love with the job.

My work focuses on tableware, kitchen and houseware.
I also do some decorative ceramics pieces on my own and would like to develop this further.
Furnitures is also a type of product I’d like to design more.

ahahah! I don't feel like a legend at all.
Be curious, stay curious, try and test everything going through your mind.

I'd say great designer can tap into collective references that render their work appealing to the masses. Also the long lasting/iconic design transcend time and trends and stay relevant across generations, but only time will tell.

For me a really good design is when it is evident all aspects and details of the product have been carefully considered and all the superfluous shaved off.

good design remains

I'd love to design products for Iconic brands such as Christofle, Svenskt Tenn or Alessi.

Collaboration between the client and the designer. It creates emulation and helps pushing limits to elevate projects to another level.

Tapio Wirkkala, Christopher Dresser, Ettore Sottsass, Enzo Mari, Dieter Rams, Constantin Grcic to name a few

Pollo vase and Cantarelli vase by Tapio Wirkkala, these objects just makes my jaw drop!
It makes me vibrate, its a load of poetry and life into inanimate objects.
Miura STool by Constantin Grcic also is a favourite of mine, for it's perfect balance between soft and sharp, angles and curves.

I was leaning towards biotechnologies

perseverance

more personal creations

Design can help apprehending complex problems or systems to transform them

My next own productions of ceramics

less over production, more responsible and long lasting products, more time for good developments

well I see a fork between tangible and non tangible, hard goods and virtuality.
Also I think design thinking and design method will infused more and more into our societies, hopefully for better economical, social and political decisions.

with industrial products, from idea to product on a shelf it is usually 18 month, sometimes it can be reduce to 12 month.

I start with a conversation with the client

I don't think design should be related to trends. Trends comes and go, good design remains.

technology is a tool

software are not important, they are tool and it is how they serve your design that matters.
But there is nothing better than a pen and paper and "quick and dirty" modelling.

Any client that trust my capabilities and is open to discussion and challenges

trial and error, repetition, perseverance, challenges, curiosity

Tapio Wirkkala for the poetry in his design, Christopher Dresser for the analytical approach.

Awards are always appreciated, it is a form of recognition of your work. However, I don't design to collect awards nor fame.

favourite food is the simplest thing shared with friends or family.

When new ideas starts brewing after a period of calm

I would find it funny if in a thousand years some archaeologist would dig up my Leaf vase in the dirty and try to understand what it was.

Come say hello and discuss if you see me

I am an industrial designer and design consultant living and working in France.
I established my design studio in Nantes, on the French Atlantic coast, where I take on assignments for international companies.
The studio work encompasses a wide range of projects with an affinity for homeware and tableware.

I would quote Ettore Sottsass : "design is not limited to the need to lend more or less form to a stupid product destined for a more or less sophisticated industry, design is one way to discuss life. It is a way to discuss society, politics, eroticism, food and even design"

I like to design objects for the home in general. I like when people use my object on a daily basis.

it feels so long ago! I can't really remember.

I tend to favor natural materials such as metal, wood, glass and ceramic. Ceramic being the one I worked with the most extensively in the past years. I find also mineral material such as stone; marble; concrete or terrazzo very attractive but I haven’t find the right project or client yet.

Creativity is like a background task and you never know when the spark will appear!

I don’t give any priority, I rather look for a good balance between all aspects of design.

excitement and happiness

I find it very fulfilling when the objects I created have found a place and a purpose in someone’s life.

The degree of desirability, whether it is because it has a nice aesthetic or because it perfectly fulfill its function.

We, designers, have definitely a role to play in helping the transformation towards a more responsible society with a higher respect for the environment we live in.

Design have a wonderful ability to reinvent itself adapt to changes, it will take a major role in shaping our future with a capacity of turning ideas into reality.

Last exhibition was "1000 vases" in 2021 during the Milano Design Week. I actually presented the collection of vases that recently received a Bronze A' Design Award.

Inspiration often comes from everyday life, through observation and the ability to question your environment. When I’m operating an object for example, and I start questioning it, then opportunities start to spring.
Regarding creativity, I developed a daily routine of sketching ideas. It is similar to a lyricist or a poet that writes down bits and pieces that he later combines to create something more elaborate. I accumulate notebooks with a collection of various ideas; concepts; shapes; details; assembly; finishes; that I later use or consult (going through these notebooks with fresh eyes sometimes allows new ideas to spring).
I also like to hang out in factories or workshops, where things are actually made, it is always very instructive. Antics and museums are also places to browse; there are plenty of solutions and principles to harvest.

I design honest, simple, functional and emotional products that bring happiness to use; make life easier; help create unforgettable moments with loved one or just brighten the day by their presence.
I want my products to find a long lasting place in people’s life. It's all about warmth and friendliness.

I live in Nantes, on France's Atlantic coast. My french cultural heritage is of course present in my design but as a curious person I also absorb other cultures pretty easily.

For me it's all about collaboration. Collaboration creates emulation and helps pushing limits to elevate projects to another level. It also has to do with exchanging and sharing ideas, making new experiences and creating a common history.

Inspiration often comes from everyday life, through observation and the ability to question an environment or an object. When I’m operating an object for example, and I start questioning it, then opportunities start to spring. I then sat down at my desk and start defining how I feel it should be. It's about elaborating a vision of the project. Then I produce different iterations of the project, each one being the result of a dialogue involving me, the client and who ever makes the object. The product evolves through this refining process and becomes more relevant.
I stop when I feel we've carefully considered all aspects and details of the product and shaved off all the superfluous.

Challenging yourself by choosing to explore unknown territories is how you keep progressing throughout your carrier.

Curiosity!

A notebook and a pen is probably the most important set of tools.
But I’d say also a caliper! Definitely a must have in any design office. The best way to keep connected to the reality in this digital age.
Paper and cardboard models also are incredibly useful.

Probably the decade I spent in Italy alongside George J Sowden, first in his design studio and later on working on designing his own homeware brand SOWDEN.

Emko (lithuania), Pasabahce (Turkey), Rig Tig (Denmark), Riva (Brazil)

I'd like to do more furniture and also start to produce myself my own collection of objects.

I work mostly on my own, but I assemble a team for larger projects.

People can contact me on my website www.pierrefoulonneau.com or on my instagram @pierrefoulonneau

This is simple observation especially of my mum at home. Also as a designer I always question the status quo and I saw in this seasonality of the vase an opportunity to propose something different.

The spun brass shape actually started as a two parts piece. It is now only one part thanks to the R'n'D at Riva. This company holds seasoned workers and masters of metal with a long culture of product development. Developing a good product takes time, patients, skills and countlessly learning and challenging how things are done. Regarding the crystal it is a combination of finding the right manufacturer and investing to have a good and long lasting tooling to ensure quality and consistency over time.

I found in RIVA the perfect company to develop this project. A brand with a bold and daring attitude that still owns its manufacturing plant. The Leaf vase may seems simple but it is actually not that easy to produce. I think the philosophy behind the object was fresh and surprising, and the refinement of the design actually transcend RIVA’s craftsmanship and pay homage to the luxurious nature of Brazil. Moreover, it is quite an accomplishment when you design and produce an object that breathes life and warmth into a cold and stiff material and by doing so create a poetic “still life” composition.

In fact, it has a lot to do with the mirror finish quality achieved by RIVA. The object will reflects perfectly its surrounding. However, the curvy shape of the leaf, similar to a trumpet's bell make the reflection distorted and "dancing" as you move around the vase.It generates a dynamic reflection when you look at the vase from different angles, bringing life into the object.

The first moment was -after many samples and testing- being confirmed that the crystal has to be fully transparent to ensure a proper understanding of the object aesthetic and functionality.The second was when we find the way to have the spun brass part made in only one part which made the manufacturing less costly and more effective for a better result.

These are the three plating option that are "mastered" by RIVA, the brand manufacturing and selling the product.They have reached a very high quality of finish with these three options. Also, it gave many contrasting options from warm to cold or light to dark depending on your interior. And finally, gold and nickel black are very stable whereas silver oxidate over time offering an evolving natural patina.

Indeed, and specially when you have established that the vase can only be crystal clear. Crystal doesn't tolerate approximations nor defects. We had therefore to find a supplier with very high standard material, showing no bubbles, allowing thin walls and sharp edges. Then we went for metal tooling for surface quality and precise details as well as consistency over time.

The leaf vase is an answer to seasonality in the temporality of a vase. The product even when empty will still fulfil its purpose of suggesting nature. It will look as a whole even with no flowers. It will look enough by itself.

I feel like it lies deep into my approach and philosophy and it will often be present in my future creations as long as I think it serves a purpose.