‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ Charles Dickens’ opening line of A Tale of Two Cities felt strangely appropriate for the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. To a backdrop of pouring rain, a sequence of extraordinary vignettes rolled out along the Seine, sometimes spectacular and moving, sometimes soggy and shoddy. Ceremonies all but done, after three hours, the crowds in Paris and around the world united in a gasp as Mathieu Lehanneur’s torches handed the Olympic flame over to his cauldron. Eyes, spirits and cauldron rose into the air simultaneously.

Lehanneur has risen to the challenge of creating a spectacle laden with symbolism. For a designer whose work is more usually characterised by ethereal elegance, he has combined a perfect sense of occasion whilst avoiding bombast, indulging in poetry and maintaining dignity. It feels like a long time ago since we were introduced to his torch, with its promise of ‘symmetry to express a message of equality. I wanted it to be extremely pure, iconic and almost essential. Simple like a hyphen and fluid like a flame,’ Lehanneur said of his design.

Lehanneur was tasked with three commissions that would take the flame from Athens to Paris: the Olympic torch, the mobile relay cauldron and the Olympic cauldron itself. The designer revealed that the symmetry of the torch represents 'equality', the circular relay cauldron symbolises 'fraternity', whilst the final cauldron in the Tuileries completes the French National motto with its embodiment of 'liberty'. All three flame-bearing creations share the same material and hue, derived from combining the gold, silver and bronze of the games medals.

After being carried across continents, countries, and latterly through the hands of several French Olympians past and present, the torch arrived at the Tuileries, at the foot of the giant balloon that has mystified Parisians in the week since it arrived in their city. Three-time judo champion Teddy Riner and three-time gold-winning sprinter Marie-José Peréc did the honours with the final leg of the torch, lighting a 7m-wide circular base beneath the 30m-high balloon. It's not just an Olympic first that the cauldron is situated outside the stadium, nor that it is suspended in the air - it is also the first time the flame is 100% electric. Anyone concerned about the rain dampening the flame on the opening night needn't have worried; the 'flames' are in fact a combination of 40 LED spotlights and 200 high-pressure misting nozzles, orchestrated by EDF, a premium partner for Paris 2024. As part of its partnership with Paris 2024, EDF is supplying 100% renewable electricity produced in France to power the Games venues.

'This absolutely unique Cauldron represents all the spirit I wanted to give to the Olympic and Paralympic objects,' said Lehanneur on the unveiling of the third design in his Olympic trilogy. 'Light, magical and unifying, it will be a beacon in the night and a sun within reach during the day. The fire that burns in it will be made of light and water, like a cool oasis in the heart of summer. I created the Torch, the Relay cauldron and the Olympic Cauldron as three chapters in the same story. The Cauldron is the epilogue and the ultimate symbol of that story.'

Paris, and notably the Tuileries has a long history of pioneering flight in various forms. It was in Paris, in 1783, that the very first flight in the history of humanity took place. The scientist Pilâtre de Rozier and the Marquis d'Arlandes took to the skies on the basis of research by the Montgolfier brothers. Just a few days later, physicist Jacques Charles unveiled his gas balloon, filled with hydrogen, in front of a 400,000-strong audience in raptures. A century later and once again in the Tuileries, French engineer, Henri Giffard, introduced the captive balloon - a gas balloon and a steam winch - to rapturous crowds. 'With a Flying Cauldron, we wanted to pay tribute to the spirit of daring, creativity, innovation - and sometimes madness! - of France, at the heart of the DNA of Paris 2024,' said Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024.

Although this is the third time that Paris has hosted the Olympics, the Olympic flame was only introduced in 1928, so this is the first time the city has had to look after fire as well as the athletes. In the spirit of its promise to be 'Games Wide Open', the cauldron will be tethered to the ground at the Tuileries and available for the public to visit and see up close. From sunset to 2am each day, it will take to the skies, 60-metres up, to be visible from key vantage points across the city.

The ambitious opening ceremony of Paris 2024 unleashed beyond the stadium and into the city at large will be remembered for its cauldron moment alone. It’s easy to be cynical about the role of ceremony in our modern lives but, for a brief moment, Lehanneur and the Paris 2024 team achieved that rare sense of magic, when everyone is surprised, spellbound and uplifted. Let the games begin.

mathieulehanneur.fr

The Olympic Torch Relay Cauldron for Paris 2024 made its debut in Marseille on 9 May: it was created by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur, who is also responsible for the Olympic Torch design. The Torch relay made its first stop in Marseille and will be illuminated by the final torchbearer at every stopover city leading up to the Olympic Games (26 July-11 August 2024) and Paralympic Games (28 August-8 September)

Paris 2024: Olympic Torch Relay Cauldron by Mathieu Lehanneur

The Torch Relay Cauldron was created by Lehanneur in collaboration with ArcelorMittal, and serves as an object to kickstart the four month-long Olympic celebration in France. On 26 July 2024, the Torch Relay cauldrons will give way to the yet to be unveiled Olympic Cauldron at the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

'The Torch, the Cauldron of the Flame Relay and the Olympic Cauldron are not separate objects, they are chapters in one great story,' says Lehanneur. 'Each embodies the spirit of the Paris Games. The cauldron takes the form of a ring of fire suspended above a liquid surface. Both pure and magical, it seems to float and is reflected in its metallic base. If the Torch carries the sacred fire from Olympia that is passed on, the cauldron is the object around which we gather, and which unites our energies.'

Like the Olympic Torch, the Torch Relay Cauldron's design is inspired by water and formal purity. The Cauldron design features three supports holding a floating ring, nodding to the curved design of the Torch itself, and representing fraternity. 'Installed at the celebration venue in each of the Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relay stopover cities, the Paris 2024 cauldron invites people to come together, share and celebrate,' reads a note accompanying the announcement. 

The Torch Relay Cauldron's materials and colours also reference the Torch, as both are made in a combination of gold, silver and bronze, with a shiny finish on the lower sides and a matt finish on the upper elements. In collaboration with AncelOrmittal, the base was hydroformed (shaped by water) to convey the texture of the water, while the ring of the Torch Relay Cauldron was pierced with 260 holes to achieve the final circular blaze effect. 

'Each day, during the Torch Relay, the lighting of the cauldron by the last Torchbearer of the day will be a highlight,' says Tony Estanguet, President of Paris 2024. 'In each stopover city, the cauldron will be a real meeting point to round off these days of celebration and communion in style. We're inviting everyone to join us there, to share in all the emotions we'll be experiencing with the Torch Relay and to celebrate, together, the arrival of the Games in France.'

The Heart of the Torch

At the same time, Lehanneur also unveiled the 'Heart of the Torch', a special gift offered to each torchbearer representing the ring joining the two parts of the Olympic Torch. Made of gold-covered steel, it will be engraved with the words “PORTEUR DE LA FLAMME”, “ECLAIREUR DES JEUX” and “PARIS 2024”. 

'Inseparable from the Torch, the cauldron will travel across France, spreading joy and enthusiasm as the Opening Ceremony approaches. The Heart of the Torch, meanwhile, will salute the contribution of each and every Torchbearer,' says Eric Niedziela, Chairman of ArcelorMittal France. 'These two magnificent objects are testimony to the beauty of what our metal industries can achieve.'

mathieulehanneur.frparis2024.org

Mathieu Lehanneur, the French designer behind the Paris Olympic torch and cauldron designs, has transformed the city’s Musée D’Orsay clock room into an Airbnb guest room. The room is available for a one-night-only Paris sleepover on 26 July, including the chance to watch the Olympic opening ceremony from the rooftop, and an exclusive tour of the art museum.

Stay overnight in the Musée D'Orsay's clock room

‘I’ve crafted a unique space that is both romantic and contemporary, intimate yet sumptuous,’ says Lehanneur, who has furnished the room with his designs, including curvaceous ‘Familyscape’ sofas and ‘Trinity’ side tables, and unfurling ‘Guernica’ pendant lights that flank the bed, which appears to ‘float’ above floor.

The bed itself is set beneath the showstopper of the room, the glass and steel clock face – preserved from the museum’s former life as a railway station – through which you can enjoy spectacular (and round-the-clock) views, including towards the Sacré Coeur.

‘I wanted to combine opposites to create a place that was both intimate and monumental, historic yet firmly contemporary,’ says Lehanneur. ‘I designed the entire room around the clock; even the wood-panelled ceiling curves to follow the course of the hands.’

Wood encases the room ‘from the Versailles parquet floor to the vaulted ceiling’, creating a warm and luxurious bolthole. The lucky guest’s room-mate for the night is Lehanneur’s Olympic torch design, displayed within an illuminated alcove alongside some of his sketches.

A finely crafted leather punchbag, ‘a personal sporting touch’, and marble dumbbells are Lehanneur’s nod to the competitive goings-on getting underway outside.

‘I've always loved working on landmarks and iconic places,’ adds the designer of the project. ‘History never stands still. You must bring it to life through projects like this one.’

Following past experiential stays such as at the Barbie-themed Malibu Dreamhouse and a Seth Rogan creative retreat in LA, The Musée D’Orsay project is part of Airbnb’s new ‘Icons’ series, which includes 11 unique locations ‘hosted’ by major names in design, music, film, art, sports, and more, that will become available to book throughout the year.

The series includes a night in the Ferrari Museum in Maranello, Italy, and a lap with Scuderia Ferrari ambassador driver Marc Gené; a stay in the family home of Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor in Chennai, India; and a night in a Miami gaming loft designed by TikTok star Khaby Lame. Stays will be free or under $100 per guest, states Airbnb, and 4,000 bookings will be taken throughout 2024.

Mathieu Lehanneur’s clock room at the Musée D’Orsay is available to view now on Airbnb, and a chance to book opens 21 May 2024, airbnb.com

Since the beginning of his career, Mathieu Lehanneur has been the definition of multidisciplinary. He’s created interactive street furniture for the city of Paris, conceived speculative electric cars for Renault, designed marble tables for Carpenters Workshop Gallery, and led the design team at Huawei. Lehanneur is the sort of designer that can easily meld his sensibility to any brief, dreaming up ideas for wildly disparate sectors like it’s his second nature. One of his most recent commissions came from the world of sport, when the International Olympic Committee chose his torch design for the Paris 2024 Games. 

Mathieu Lehanneur’s new HQ

With the unveiling of his latest endeavour, a gleaming new HQ in Paris’ Ivry-sur-Seine neighbourhood, Lehanneur plans to narrow his focus and build up his practice as an independent brand in its own right. Lehanneur and his team moved into the former electricity station – an 800 sq m, two-storey, gabled roof brick building that more closely resembles a schoolhouse than an industrial plant – nearly a year ago after a months-long hunt for a more spacious headquarters. Accessible only via a small alleyway, the building sits sandwiched between high-rises and a football pitch that offers a dynamic backdrop (and boisterous soundtrack). ‘We’re like a small island,’ says Lehanneur, sitting at his oblong, black-stained desk, which serves as a plinth for piles of sketches, samples and various ephemera.

When searching for a new space, Lehanneur wanted somewhere that would foster the firm’s new way of working; after a fruitful career spent collaborating with blue chip companies and high-end galleries, Lehanneur had decided it was time to break course. Although he loved the challenges associated with client work, the clash of priorities between stakeholders often left him dissatisfied. 

The solution? To bring it all in-house. His studio would take on fewer new commissions, instead developing and producing everything themselves. ‘When you work with a brand or gallery, you have no contact with the final client, who will eventually live with the object,’ he says. ‘And I need that connection because I learn so much from it.’

Just outside Lehanneur’s new office door sits a dedicated gallery space, which hosts several of his recent furniture projects, while down a short set of stairs is a material library and workspace. There, he can work with clients to customise commissions, or simply just bounce around new ideas with the team. 

At the moment, they are playing with a new lighting system, which pairs a frosted blown-glass bulb with a rod wrapped in sea green decorative passementerie cord. Not for a particular project, Lehanneur says, just to experiment. ‘Being autonomous gives you the freedom to go where you want with your business,’ he muses. ‘You have to be ready for failures, but you also have to be ready for potential success.’

Designing the Olympic Torch

However, the new business model hasn’t completely precluded new collaborations. He understandably made an exception for the Olympic committee, which chose his design for the torch from an open call in December 2022. ‘It’s so rare to have the opportunity to work on an object that is a part of history, that’s both a ritual and politic object,’ he says. 

Since the torch couldn’t be more than 2kg (so that even the youngest racers could carry it with ease), and needed to be completely weather- and accident-proof, Lehanneur and his team worked with ‘an engineer that specialises in kerosene stoves for extreme alpine adventurers,’ he says.

The final design is almost exactly the same as the initial sketches: a champagne-coloured, stainless steel sceptre with an upper portion formed of streamlined, matte brushed metal, and lower half polished and moulded to resemble rippling water, an element Lehanneur says was inspired by the Seine, which will play an essential role in the opening ceremony. The only additions were a small vertical slit allowing the flame to burn horizontally in high winds, as well as a circular air inlet at the centre that Lehanneur has incorporated into the Paris 2024 logo. 

In just under a year from now, the torch will be making its way from Greece, where the lighting ceremony is held, to the French capital. But for now, it’s sitting on a small table in the new studio, waiting for its big moment.

mathieulehanneur.fr

Mathieu Lehanneur has debuted a selection of never-before-seen works as part of a pied-à-terre at Selene New York, with a series of collectible furniture designs also created especially for the project.

It is the latest chapter for Selene New York. Launched in 2022, the space in midtown Manhattan, designed by Foster + Partners and William T Georgis, provides a sun-lit home for a series of residencies – or showcase apartments takeovers, including a previous collaboration between Frenchcalifornia and Google – its undulating floor-to-ceiling glass walls a contemporary draw for designers.

Mathieu Lehanneur’s Selene New York apartment

Lehanneur celebrates his elegant designs in the Mathieu Lehanneur Pied-à-Terre, uniting classic pieces such as the comfortable ‘Familyscape’ sofas with the technically accomplished ‘Inverted Gravity’ collection. The ‘Inverted Gravity’ dining table and intricate pearl chandelier were created especially for the project, while Lehanneur also here debuts other pieces, including the ‘Elephant’ armchair’s ‘cashfur’ upholstery version, an ottoman version of the ‘Hug’ armchair and the ‘Hug’ chair.

‘We designed this space like that of an imaginary collector. Surrounded by beauty, suspended in the air, like an island in the sky,’ Lehanneur says of the project, which encapsulates his and Selene’s shared aesthetic and focus on detail, together creating a contemporary rethink of New York living.

It is a natural next step for Lehanneur, whose multidisciplinary approach unites architectural, technological and artistic strands. Selene New York, with its panoramic views of New York landscapes and modern rethinking of residences, is a fitting setting for the designer’s work, with no more than three homes on a floor bringing space and light to the forefront.

selenenewyork.com

The design of the Olympic torch by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur has been unveiled, in a press conference for the Paris 2024 games set to take place between July and August 2024.

A highly symbolic element of each Olympic Games, the Olympic torch is lit by the sun’s rays at a ritual ceremony at the Temple of Hera at Olympia, Greece, a nod to the Ancient Olympic Games. Meanwhile, for the Paralympic Games, the flame is created at Stoke Mandeville, Great Britain, where the Paralympic movement originated. In France, the torch will make its first stop in Marseille before making its way to the Olympic stadium in Paris.

Paris 2024: Olympic Torch and Paralympic Torch design unveiled

Lehanneur was chosen for the Olympic torch design following a call for tenders set by Paris 2024, and he was selected, a statement from the committee reads, ‘for his poetic and highly symbolic approach, along with his ability to grasp the values and expectations of Paris 2024'.

At the torch’s unveiling in Paris, Lehanneur cited Victor Hugo: ‘“Form is the substance which rises to the surface” – for me, this is a good definition of what design is,’ he said. ‘For a product like the torch, the most important element is not aesthetics or elegance, but how it will be used to convey a message.’

His design, Lehanneur explains, ‘gives form to the values of Paris 2024’. Working following principles of equality and peace, and with the city of Paris in mind, he created a design based on symmetry and curves, with water (also a recurring theme of Lehanneur’s work) representing the city of Paris by the Seine, but also the torch’s journey from Olympia to Marseille and to off-site Olympics locations of Martinique and Guadeloupe.

Made of steel with the support of ArcelorMittal (watch its video of the making of the Olympic and Paralympic torches), the torch is symmetrical on all sides, and features a golden ring separating the smooth top and sculpted bottom. At 70cm high and weighing 1.5kg, it is the result of a brief that gave the designer carte blanche. ‘It was important that this object would be an accessory to the beauty of the flame, so we have designed it with the flame in mind,’ says Lehanneur. Harmonic curves and a pure design language define the torch. ‘I wanted to design an iconic object that people would remember easily,’ he concludes. ‘An object like this doesn't belong to a designer, it belongs to everyone.’

The designer of the Olympic Torch: about Mathieu Lehanneur

One of France's most prominent designers, Lehanneur is a multidisciplinary creative who, over the course of his career, has created objects, furniture and interiors that often touch upon deeper themes of climate change and community. Among his latest projects was an exhibition at Milan's Triennale, unveiled during Fuorisalone 2022 and curated by Maria Cristina Didero, looking at global statistics to paint a picture of human life and the environment.

Among his most notable projects are solar street lighting furniture presented at COP-21 in Paris, and a plant home air filtration system created in partnership with Harvard University, based on a study developed by Nasa.

'What a joy to be part of this adventure and what a responsibility to contribute to the history of the Games in this way,' commented Lehanneur at the time of his commission. 'Partnering with Paris 2024 to design the torches and cauldrons means giving a visible form to a set of values and transforming a state of mind into iconic objects. Faster, Higher, Stronger –Together. My objective is to take this Olympic motto and add: more beautiful, lighter, more lavish.'

Said Paris 2024 president Tony Estanguet: 'In Mathieu Lehanneur, Paris 2024 has made another bold choice that reflects the audacious approach that we have adopted since the start. A pioneer who has worked with the world’s greatest, internationally renowned French designer Mathieu Lehanneur will bring all his creativity and his poetic approach to the Olympic and Paralympic torches and cauldrons, which are such great symbols of the Games.'

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paris2024.org

Considering what the French multidisciplinary designer calls ‘the state of the present world’, Mathieu Lehanneur unveils ‘The Inventory of Life’ at the Triennale Milano, a new personal exhibition curated by Maria Cristina Didero and coinciding with Milan Design Week 2022. Themes include the fragility and transiency of human life – from the effect of depression to the interconnected damage experienced by changes in the environment.

Mathieu Lehanneur at Triennale: The Inventory of Life

Design, science, art, and anthropology are intertwined through four massive installations. ‘The projects that we are presenting are very close to people and to my idea of what design is for, in this world. My personal mantra is “design is about people and not about chairs”,’ Didero explains. ‘Not because chairs are unimportant, but because I’m interested in what happened before. Much of Matthieu’s work fits this concept, this attitude that I have when I approach a design exhibition.’ 

State of the World is a series of anodised aluminium sculptures that visually represent the evolution and history of the human population in over 150 countries, reflecting changing demographics, birth rate, life expectancy, and history. The enamelled ceramic round sculptures of 50 Seas recreate the subtle nuances of blue found in the world's seas and oceans. 

A luminous glass filament suspended from the ceiling displays different yet equally alarming projections and forecasts of rising sea levels in How Deep is Time, while Live/Leave is a collection of white canvases with black holes, the diameter indicating the number of suicides in each country. ‘You can choose between seeing the hole, which represents all those who chose suicide, and seeing the white, which represents those who chose to live. To me, it's a way of making us consider our own decisions and positions in the world,’ says Lehanneur.

The title, The Inventory of Life, is intriguing for several reasons: ‘I’m the youngest in a large family with many brothers and sisters,’ Lehanneur explains. ‘Living in a large family means living in a large community, and you must negotiate your own desires, wishes, and goals with the common interests of your family and community. What I experienced in my family is what everyone on this planet lives; we all have to negotiate between who we are and what the rest of the world is.’ 

According to Lehanneur, the show provides no precise messages or answers, but rather examines the balance between the world and our personal perspective and sensibility. At the same time, each work is based on scientific and statistical data provided by reliable sources: from the United States to the World Health Organization, to satellite photographs commissioned for the project. 

Lehanneur’s approach to design seems a path to improve the connection between data, planet, environment, and human beings. ‘It’s about trying to understand what the present means for humans, about the willingness to live, the state of the sea, and the ability to control the future,’ he says. ‘My hope is that people will take something away from this exhibition, and feel something. It's moving, when you realise it's not just about numbers, statistics, and information, but about other people.’

INFORMATION

Inventory of Life is on view at Triennale until 12 June 2022
triennale.org
mathieulehanneur.fr

ADDRESS

Triennale
Viale Emilio Alemagna, 6
20121 Milano 

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The ‘room on wheels’ is a popular conceptual trope in automotive design, spurred on by the promise of autonomous driving and the sad recognition that we spend way too much time in our cars. Renault has approached the idea of cars as architecture from a slightly different tack, teaming up with French designer Mathieu Lehanneur to create new Renault concept car Suite N°4, a radical reinterpretation of one of the brand’s most iconic designs of all time, the Renault 4L.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the original Renault 4L, eight million of which were sold between 1961 and 1994. Known as the ‘Quatrelle’, it was Renault’s people’s car, one of the first ever hatchback designs, with a boxy, spacious interior and simple, low-maintenance mechanicals. 

Renault concept car Suite N°4 reimagines an icon

Lehanneur has taken this functional shape and transformed it into a ‘mobile hotel room’. Based on an original 4L, Suite N°4 has been converted into an EV, with half the bodywork stripped back and replaced by polycarbonate windows, preserving the 4L’s silhouette and creating a light and airy interior.

Yellow velvet fabric covers the seats and dashboard, with a thick, ribbed chenille fabric in the rear, along with cushions and bolsters to create a space in which to lounge. There’s also a bench table that slides out from beneath the tailgate to provide a covered seating area. All this is juxtaposed with matte, cement-inspired paintwork, transforming the little car into a mobile but modest modernist structure. The polished aluminium grille is a nod to Lehanneur’s sculptural pieces. 

‘I wanted to merge the worlds of cars and architecture to create an open-air hotel room,’ says Lehanneur. ‘Even better than the finest palatial suite, the car is exactly where you want it to be, whether that’s by the sea, in the middle of a field or driving around the city you’ve always dreamed of.’ The multidisciplinary designer has worked on everything from boats to chairs, technology, art, branding and interiors. 

The Suite N°4 effectively blends everything together into a total work of art, one that speaks directly to the modern obsession with off-grid and extraordinary escapes, wild camping, and van life romanticism. Lehanneur’s Renault concept car design also has strong overtones of the fictional Altra camping car in Jacques Tati’s celebrated 1971 comedy Trafic. For the film, a Renault 4L was outfitted with a number of outlandish gadgets that turned it into a compact home from home. 

Renault’s design chief Gilles Vidal is currently doubling down on the brand’s history, emphasising qualities that will help carry Renault’s electrification plans to fruition. Forthcoming EVs will be underpinned by the revival of a familiar nameplate, strongly implying that the French company will have a much-needed focus on smaller, more city-friendly vehicles. First up is the Renault 5 Electric, a modern interpretation of the company’s classic supermini, which debuted in 1972 and was built in two generations until 1996. That’s set to hit the streets in 2024, with a bold concept preview currently doing the rounds (and seen in our round-up of outstanding concept cars).

The Suite N°4 concept, which was recently revealed at Christie’s in Paris and will be on show at Maison & Objet in January 2022, might not end up in the showrooms, but it’s a playful and coherent design vision that deserves a closer look.

INFORMATION

renaultgroup.com

mathieulehanneur.fr

There is an intense summer soundtrack that drifts through the French commune town of Hyères and its neighbouring port city of Toulon. It comprises modernist charm, mixed with the romance of Riviera seaside, and an annual dose of design. In the surrounds of the Robert Mallet Stevens-designed Villa Noailles, opened the 14th edition of Design Parade, and for Toulon, it saw an expansion into curious locations for the fourth iteration of its very own expanding showdown of creativity.

It was particularly scorching weekend for the opening this year, but that didn’t stop design devotees indulging in what this year’s show had to offer in Hyères – from discovering new talents in the basement of the villa to exploring exhibitions in the squash room and terrace, where views of the coastline almost look painted. How do you distract the audience from this immaculate portrait? Head of the jury Mathieu Lehanneur decided not to compete, but to reflect it with his exhibition, Particle Horizon. Bringing together some of his design repertoire that imbues his biology-meets-art aesthetic, from mist diffusing trees to sculptural lighting, the Parisian designer was inspired by the water (a motif in his work) and the Côte d'Azur ambience.

‘I wanted to recreate that time of the day just after a nap when you feel chilled,’ Lehanneur explains. While sweat was glistening off most visitors, the aura was calming, high up in the concrete confines of the villa. Mist rehydrated the pores, and Lehanneur’s works of marble, light, and mirror enveloped guests, and surrounded the portion of the building that peers down to the swimming pool.

Lehanneur’s team of judges included Paola Antonelli, Stephane Danant and Cecile Verdier, who all chose Gregory Granados from the ten finalists for the Grand Prix accolade, for his whimsical collection of musical instruments crafted from everyday materials. Receiving a special mention was Maxime Louis-Courcier for his non-electric utility machines. The graduate from ENSCI Les Ateliers journeyed back to pastimes for his work, when earthenware-clay was used for temperature controlling. Following experiments, he developed an air humidifier and air conditioner using the material.

This support and admiration of fresh talent wondered over to Toulon – a city that adopts a rougher appeal, with a community feel and derelict architectural gems. During a tour with president of Design Parade, Pascale Mussard, an enthusiastic advocate for the area, and local Provence makers in general, she highlighted the festival’s developments during these past four years.

New to the 2019 – partners of the Toulon festival, House of Chanel, entered the fourth year with an award, the Visual Merchandising Prize which saw the ten finalists of the interior design competition create a mock-up window display under the theme of the Mediterrnean, while embedding the ethos of the fashion house. Out of the array of riviting displays on view until November at Ancien Evêché (the former Bishop’s palace), Caroline Wolewinski and Sandro Della Noce were winners with their majestic reflective reactions with light and colour.

Design Parade Toulon’s 2019 judging panel for interior design included Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, jury president François Champsaur and Karen Chekerdjian, who chose Parisian graduates Céline Thibault and Géraud Pellottiero’s bathroom made of Marseille soap for the Grand Prix prize. Both a visual and fragrant treat, the immersive space also scooped the public vote. 

Elsewhere in Toulon, the area gained endorsement from Paris’ Centre Pompidou too, with a pop-up design exhibition of chairs opening in ex-naval location Cercle Naval – an Art Deco cove that was dressed up in stripes by India Mahdavi for the occasion.

Among the soirées for each prize, there was a sense of camaraderie for the design destination. Mussard acknowledges the festival has a certain level of education for the audience, seen in its format as a launch pad for young designers, endearingly framed by installations in the scorching, historic backdrop.

INFORMATION
Design Parade Hyères, until 29 September; Design Parade Toulon, until 24 November. villanoailles-hyeres.com

The French capital geared up for its bi-annual fiesta of design last week. Textiles were celebrated at Deco Off, new product at the halls of the Maison et Objet fair; while galleries and showrooms across the city were getting in on the action, too. Here’s our hit list of the launches, installations and shows that were unmissable this year.

Pool for CVL Luminaires

Last year, Léa Padovani and Sébastien Kieffer’s studio Pool took over art direction at CVL Luminaires. This year, the emerging talents have created two new designs – a reading light and spotlight – in addition to a new brass version of their ‘Cercle & Trait’ suspension light (pictured). The duo will also created the stand design for the fair, which hosted an exciting new collection by Pauline Deltour.

Mathieu Lehanneur at Christie's Paris

The French designer continues his aquatic agenda with a solo exhibition at the Parisian auction house. ‘50 Seas’ is inspired by the eclectic hues of the oceans – ‘the infinite colour variations of the water reveal our planet’s true complexity’, he muses. The show features 50 enamelled ceramic works (a version of which was created for Wallpaper* Handmade last year) mounted onto the wall, each suggesting a geographic locale, from the Gulf of Guinea to the Bay of Bengal.

Rising Talents awards

Maison et Objet has teamed up with the Italian Trade Agency for the January edition of the Rising Talents awards. Here, a star-studded list of six judges – Andrea Branzi, Rossana Orlandi, Giulio Cappellini, Luca Nichetto, Piero Lissoni and Rosita Missoni – have chosen six exciting emerging Italian designers. For example, Branzi was enthused by the work of 2011 graduate Federica Biasi because of her ‘quintessential design and poetic ideas’. The designer, who is also art director at Mingardo, bought her creative story to an installation at the fair, together with new launches.

Designer of the year

Cecilie Manz has been chosen as the Maison et Objet designer of the year for 2018, for her experimental flair. The Danish designer is displaying her outstanding talents at the fair by creating an installation of new designs, showing how they often intertwine. ‘Gâteau’ (pictured) is inspired by her work with B&O Play and knack for designing in aluminium. A wooden tray is placed on an anodised aluminium ring, acting as a display area for cake (or other equally precious objects).

Pulpo

The German design brand has tapped three different designers – Sebastian Herkner, Hermann August Weizenegger and Michael Schmidt – for its Maison et Objet launches. Herkner’s addition to the collection includes a range of translucent hand-blown glass sidetables in different frosted finishes; while whimsical floor lights by August Weizenegger take cues from the shape of a heron.

INFORMATION

Paris Design Week runs from 19–23 January. For more information, visit the Maison et Objet website

French designer Mathieu Lehanneur has been busy in New York recently, unveiling a new collection at Carpenters Workshop Gallery within days of overseeing the big reveal of his interiors for Maison Kitsuné’s flagship in Soho. But the two projects only overlapped at this final stretch: his new series, ‘Ocean Memories’, has been in the works for years, comprising weighty black marble (100-500kg of the stuff) and polished bronze monoliths that resemble slices of ocean.

A continuation of his ‘Liquid Marble’ work, which he debuted at Salone del Mobile in 2013, the tables, stools and bench are a result of 3D technology that translates ocean currents into replicable forms. Then, each piece is cut by a machine to precisely capture what Lehanneur calls ‘the equation of liquid’ into the stone. Lastly, the marble is hand-polished to perfectly preserve every ripple and wave. The effect of marble visually rendered into liquid is surreal, as if someone took a core sample of the ocean and froze it.

‘It’s the paradox of applying the liquid to something that is supposed to be the perfect opposite of liquid – in this case, marble,’ Lehanneur says. ‘Plus, I like to create pieces where it is not easy to know what time they come from. If you use plastic, acrylic, resin, then you know it is from the 1970s, 80s, 90s. Marble is a timeless material and the ocean is timeless as well.’ However, the designer does not obsess over a particular method or material. ‘My goal is not to make a tribute to marble or to technology,’ he explains. ‘I don’t care about marble. I don’t care about technology. I only care about the effect, the experience. I want to evoke the miracle and the fragility of being alive.’ 

As for the boutique, which moved to Soho after five years at its NoMad location, Lehanneur focused on the links that Maison Kitsuné makes between cultures, fashion and music to inform the new space’s design. A curving vine-like rail meanders through the store’s textured concrete interior, like ‘a magic pencil, drawing its own line within the space’, Lehanneur says. Accented with marble, mirror and bi-chromated steel elements, the elegant boutique is another iteration of Lehanneur‘s ability to bring organic and mineral elements together in sophisticated harmony.

INFORMATION

‘Ocean Memories’ is on view until 27 October. For more information, visit Carpenters Workshop Gallery’s website and the Maison Kitsuné website

ADDRESS

Carpenters Workshop Gallery
693 Fifth Avenue
New York

Maison Kitsuné
248 Lafayette Street
New York

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It almost seems inconceivable that Parisian kitchens would ever deign to acknowledge a food fad, much less one that’s based on allergies, and yet, Noglu is the exception that proves the rule. The self-styled gourmet gluten-free ‘boutique restaurant chain’ has just opened its third outlet in Paris’ seventh arrondissement, provocatively in a neighbourhood bristling with purveyors of cheeses, breads and full-creamed pastries.

The prolific Mathieu Lehanneur temporarily put aside his hat as Huawei’s chief designer to work on the small 26-cover café, restaurant and patisserie, carving out a jewelled grotto of undulating apertures and dreamy nooks. A stone wall, he says, ‘references the fact that we came from caves and that we’re never that far away from them when it comes to questioning our origins and what we’ve become. We’re primitive beings that have been civilised.’

Lehanneur, himself a gluten-free advocate, swathes surfaces with marble and quartz, setting terrazzo-topped tables against a background of powder pink and striated white walls, silvery stools, and pale-grey velvet cushions. And just in case anyone missed the memo, Lehanneur has decorated the walls with handwritten messages: ‘Keep the gluten away’ and ‘Please don't glu’.

All of which is mere background for the kitchen’s tasty treats of imaginative pastries alongside a savoury menu that includes vegan burgers and vegetarian lasagnas.

ADDRESS

69 rue de Grenelle
75007  Paris

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There’s now another reason to visit the Louvre. Following a one-month closure, Café Mollien has reopened its doors to showcase a new, reimagined interior, designed by Mathieu Lehanneur. Located in the Denon Wing of the city’s most iconic museum, the 150 sq metre café links the Tuileries Gardens and Carrousel with the cultural centre and accordingly features the momentous soaring ceilings, lashings of marble and grandiose one would expect from this space.

Lehanneur’s deft touch comes by way of upholstered wood benches that line a series of high alcove windows, alongside matte white furniture and a ten metre long marble bar. An oversized brushed brass and acrylic lighting fixture takes centre stage, its elongated branches reaching heights of 4.5 metres, punctuated by three pink translucent eggs. These rose accents are the only hints of colour here, aside from the veined marble floor tiles — elsewhere the palette is largely muted, marked by the earthy tones of stone. Just beyond, a show-stopping terrace offers the best view of the money shot — the Louvre Pyramid — amongst a collection of historic statues.

The menu may not be as grand as the surroundings — the quick lunch options on offer include mixed salads, quiches, focaccia and bagels — though the ushering in of famed patissier Philippe Urraca is set to change that. Until then, visitors with have to settle for sandwiches with a side of Mona Lisa.

ADDRESS

Le Louvre

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French designer Mathieu Lehanneur’s new project, the Day boat, stems from a very personal vision. ‘I knew what I wanted,’ he says, describing his quest to find a dream vessel, ‘a 15m boat, as elegant as a sailboat but easy like an inflatable canoe. I was looking for a type of beauty that does not take itself seriously.’

He was also seeking enough space for friends and family to come together, and an environmentally friendly design that would use renewable energy. Not finding a boat on the market that would fit the bill, Lehanneur decided to design it himself and have it built.

The designer’s past projects range from a hi-tech collection of energy-monitoring devices for Schneider Electrics and the ‘Boom Boom’ polyhedron speaker for Binauric, to more organic design, such as his ‘Clover’ solar street furniture for Paris and fair booths for Audemars Piguet featuring replica boulders. 

His passions for technology and craft collide in what is his first boat design, one of a series of transport-themed projects he will realise in the next year or so. As he began his research, his walls were soon covered with details of aircraft carriers’ prows, wooden pontoons, traditional fishing boats and a series of flat Thai boats, which Lehanneur loves for their proportions. It wasn’t just boats that inspired him: ‘I looked at 1970s living rooms and couches,’ he says, ‘attempts to reinvent the bourgeois salon. There are many constraints on a boat relating to space, circulation and security. But I wanted to create a vessel that exudes a great sense of freedom and openness.’ 

Finally, Lehanneur also took cues from the functionality of military vessels, as well as the leather details of luxury fashion accessories. The result of this diverse set of influences is an elegant ‘sea lounger’ that combines a sophisticated silhouette with practical features.

The Day boat is a semi-rigid craft, composed of a rigid hull with an inflatable tube on each side. Lehanneur replicated the military construction because it allowed more interior space and design freedom. The deck features front and rear lounging areas (the former can be raised to let air and light into the cabin below), a circular recessed banquette space and a capacious cockpit. Lehanneur’s environmental concern is evident in the boat’s foldable, solar-panel covered umbrella and two Steyr Motors Hybrid engines, designed to optimise consumption and allow the boat to navigate protected beaches and bays quietly. 

Over the course of the project, Lehanneur has amassed a remarkable understanding of boatbuilding. ‘The transport sector is absolutely a field of experts,’ he admits. But he believes that technical constraints have gradually led to it becoming closed off to new ideas. ‘I have always loved working on issues on which I’m not supposed to be an expert,’ he says. ‘It allows me to have an open mind, to ask questions that experts no longer ask.

‘Instinctively, I designed the Day boat by imagining life on board,’ adds Lehanneur, whose sketching went hand in hand with visions of his children playing and his friends gathering around the central table. ‘This is the first boat I’ve designed,’ he explains, ‘but like all my projects, I wrote the life script before giving it its shape.’ 

As originally featured in the June 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*207)

INFORMATION

The Day boat is due to take to the water in September 2017. For more information, visit Mathieu Lehanneur’s website

Photography: Arnaud Lajeunie

With summer just around the corner, we’re already envisioning perfect piscines to dip our toes in. Imagine our surprise when this alluring lagoon, recently unveiled in the centre of a countryside courtyard, turned out not to be a pristine pool, but rather an installation composed of solid green marble by the French designer Mathieu Lehanneur.

Entitled Petite Loire, the most recent addition to his ‘Liquid Marble’ series is on view at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire Centre D’Arts et de Nature as part of this year’s International Garden Festival. ‘I wanted to address the garden with water as my muse,’ explains Lehanneur. The installation evokes the French river Loire; he explains, ‘It shapes and nourishes the landscape; it passes through without ever pausing along the way. The water whose presence we sense even before we first catch sight of it below the Château, flowing uninterrupted to the sea.’

Comprising a single piece of hand-polished marble and crafted using 3D software, the installation captures the surface of the river, an ephemeral moment of gently rippling water seemingly frozen in time. ‘Petite Loire is a freeze-frame, the river’s perpetual movement caught in a frozen, fossilised moment. A few dozen metres above the river’s natural level, Petite Loire cuts cleanly through the garden’s surface, delving into the soil to reveal a fluvial relief, both vertiginous and practicable, in green marble,’ adds the designer.

It’s a strikingly simple concept but executed with all the sharp-witted elegance we’ve come to expect from Lehanneur. The designer says: ‘I hope that, when passing the Château gates, the visitor will experience something that comes close to a magic portal, to a forbidden place in so many fairytales. Everything is liquid in this space, evanescent, enlightened, and yet it is executed in a material that is the one of the most solid imaginable.’

This year’s festival is subtitled, ‘Gardens From the Coming Century’. If this is the garden of the future, then the future can’t come soon enough.

INFORMATION

‘Petite Loire’ is on view until 2 November. For more information, visit the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire website

ADDRESS

Domaine Régional de Chaumont-sur-Loire
41150 Chaumont-sur-Loire
France

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Crafted to resemble 'trees' sprouting from Paris’ urban underbelly, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur’s new eco-conscious urban street furniture looks thoroughly at home on the city’s streets. The collection, entitled 'Clover', has been sculpted from wood and consists of solar-powered lighting accompanied by an extendable bench. Lehanneur takes a humanistic approach to the needs of city dwellers, affording them a moment out from their hectic metropolitan lifestyle to ‘break and recharge’.

'Clover' is comprised of a series of binaries. As Lehanneur explains, these are ‘hybrid objects par excellence, combining light and seating, wood and solar panels, town and country’. He has adopted a hand-crafted aesthetic to give the impression that the floor-lamps and bench have been polished by hand; in reality they have been produced digitally by means of a pioneering approach, which allows for several wood types to be blended together. 

The light fitting consists of two aluminium domes, which direct light onto a specific area of pavement in order to reduce light pollution and energy loss. An additional upward facing dome contains solar panels that power the LED lights for up to three hours at a time. At the base of the lamp sits a small hatch with a power point allowing for phone charging, while the bench can be extended to over 15m long if needed.

'Clover' was launched to coincide with COP21, the UN’s Conference on Climate Change, which took place in Paris at the end of last year. The same conference which saw the unveiling of Diller Scofidio + Renfro's EXIT at Palais de Tokyo and Shepard Fairey's Earth Crisis at the Eiffel Tower.

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Mathieu Lehanneur's website