In Memoriam: Pauline Deltour obituary

Portrait of designer Pauline Deltour — (Image credit: press)

French designer Pauline Deltour was a much loved figure of the design world. Her passing was announced by her family via social media on 10 September 2021, sparking a series of tributes from several design personalities who admired her work.

Deltour graduated from ENSAD, and was Konstantin Grcic’s first female assistant before opening her studio in Paris, in 2010. An industrial designer with a sublime sensitivity for colour and shape, her works spanned furniture design, objects created with artisans, transport and technology-oriented projects as well as jewellery, and her collaborators included Hem, Cor, Cire Trudon, and Established & Sons, among many others.

At Wallpaper*, we have been fans of Deltour’s work for as long as the team remembers, and we admired her ability to merge a rigorous industrial design approach with a flair for chromatic compositions and harmonious combinations of soft forms.

&lsquo;Argent De Poche&rsquo; — Pauline Deltour's ‘Argent De Poche’ collection for Puiforcat, from the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2015.. InterIors: Maria Sobrino

She caught our attention with her ‘Argent De Poche’ collection for Puiforcat; a series of objects that many years later we still regard as one of the most excellent examples of contemporary silver design. Fascinated by the collection of small wonders, we nominated it as the Best Office Accessories in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2015. The pieces’ interplay between geometric forms nodded to art deco and Puiforcat’s origins, and the line-up included a series of pocket-sized objects in sterling silver, such as a cigar case and cutter, a key ring and card holder, a money clip and tape measure, perfectly balancing sophistication, function and a bit of humour.

‘It is with great sadness that we announce Pauline Deltour's sudden passing,’ the family wrote on the studio’s official social media channels. ‘Now is the time for prayers, her memory will live on through her inestimable contribution to the world of design.’

A memorial service will be held on Tuesday, September 14 at 10.30am, at the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, and those who wish to send their support are invited to do so via pourpauline@paulinedeltour.com

Wallpaper’s thoughts are with all her friends and family at this time.

Pauline Deltour rope rugs for Hem — ‘Rope’ rugs for Hem

Ceramic tea set i white, mint green and blue — ‘Bonhomie’ tea set collection created with Arita

Cube shaped coffee tables in bold colours — ‘Bloc’ coffee tables for Established & Sons

Pink and red office benches — ‘Drop’ seating for Cor

sinuous bracelet design — ‘Éteintes’ bracelets for Jem Jewellery

minimalist office furniture — ‘356’ collection for Fucina

INFORMATION

paulinedeltour.com

Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.