Ronan et Erwan Bouroullec

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, born in 1971 and 1976 respectively, in Quimper, France, studied at the École Nationale des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and at the École des Beaux-Arts in Cergy-Pontoise. Ronan began independent design work immediately after completing his studies, while his brother, who was still in school, assisted him. Since 1999, both brothers have worked together as joint partners in their own design firm. Their work ranges from small utilitarian objects to architectural projects. In addition to the design of domestic and office furniture, vases, porcelain dishware, jewelry and diverse home accessories, a primary focus of their work is on the design and organisation of interior space. One of their most unconventional designs, Algues (2004), was created in this context. The collaboration between the Bouroullec brothers and Vitra began in 2000 with the office furniture system Joyn. Along with Jasper Morrison and Hella Jongerius, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec have made major contributions to the steadily growing Vitra Home Collection. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec design for a number of industries and firms today including Vitra, Kvadrat, Magis, Kartell, Established and Sons, Ligne Roset, Axor, Alessi, Issey Miyake, Flos, Cappellini and Mattiazzi. Their own research and creations have been continually under the spotlight and have been the subject of four exhibitions in the Galerie Kreo. They have been rewarded with many distinctions such as the New Designer Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York in 1999, Designers of the Year at the Salon du Meuble in 2002 and the Finn-Juhl Prize in Copenhagen in 2008. Furthermore, their collection Facett (Ligne Roset), sofa Ploum (Ligne Roset) and office chair Worknest (Vitra) have received the distinctions Best of the Best at the Red Dot Awards respectively in 2005, 2011 and 2008. They have also been honored with several individual exhibits: Design Museum in London in 2002, Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam and at La Piscine, Art and Industrial Museum in Roubaix, France in 2004, Villa Noailles, Hyeres in 2008, Grand Hornu, Belgium in 2009. Their creative works are exhibited in several institutional collections such as the Musée national d’art moderne, Centre Pompidou and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Art Institute in Chicago, the Design Museum in London and the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam.