Paris Design Week : une présence affirmée du Mobilier national

Created by Iratzoki Studio in 2011, Kuskoa established itself as one of Alki’s best-sellers with its oak shell design set on a solid wood trestle. During Paris Design Week, the brand unveiled Kuskoa M. Comprising a chair, two stools of different heights, and a bench, the collection was designed for restaurants, bars, canteens, and kitchens alike. With its various heights and typologies, this set can offer multiple configurations within a single space.
Featuring a powder-coated tubular steel frame, the seat develops a new graphic expression. Available in several finishes, it offers everyone the opportunity to compose their own piece, celebrating monochrome or, conversely, contrasts between metal, wood, and textile. Note that the shell can be upholstered in its entirety or only on the front.

It is a sentiment some might find overused, but design, beyond its commercial and aesthetic dimensions, must be utilitarian. This philosophy, often challenged in the context of collectible design and shifting trends, is shared by Athime de Crécy and Quentin Frichet. Both ECAL graduates, having trained under Philippe Starck and Erwan Bouroullec respectively, the two young designers have taken over Espace Brownstone in Paris until September 19. It is a white-box space where 35 stools are displayed—not for visitors to look at, but for users to experience. "We had wanted to create a self-service exhibition for a long time. We initially thought about doing it in a bar, but in the end, the typology of the object took precedence over the venue," explains Athime de Crécy. Here, behavior is not dictated by the decor—which is nonexistent, save for a central table and drink storage at the entrance—but by the very nature of the pieces themselves. Presented without pedestals or labels, the seats invite everyone to pick them up, move them around, and sit down, effectively transforming the gallery into a living space. "We believe that a design exhibition that separates objects from the public invariably loses an essential aspect of what makes the discipline so powerful." The social dimension is an imperative here, carried by the stool and its characteristically lighthearted tone.

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A shared idea expressed in every form

If a single object can spark different visions from one mind to another, *Bar stool* is the perfect illustration. A true synthesis of forms and materials, the exhibition is an ode to creativity. From the technical mastery of molded wood by Arthur Desmet to the high-tech 3D-printed stainless steel by the German studio Wint, the exhibition reveals a paradoxical coherence driven by the balance of diverse ambitions. "We didn't have to look far to find the designers. They are friends with whom we share a common sensibility for utilitarian and expressive design. We simply gave them total creative freedom, without even imagining that the projects might end up looking alike." A curation that gives this ephemeral refreshment bar its unique character and connects the aesthetic experience with everyday life. "It’s an approach that, in our view, draws the maximum amount of meaning from the minimum amount of resources."

Drawing on a world of hip-hop and sports influences, Hall Haus presents its collaboration with Monoprix. As the studio's first large-scale project, the collection brings a trendy industrial style to a wide range of home furniture and accessories. We spoke with Sammy Bernoussi, one of the collective's four co-founders, about this contemporary approach.

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Hall Haus is often associated with an industrial aesthetic featuring perforated steel plates. Why did you choose to maintain this signature look for this collection?

While you do see plates with holes, I think we’ve moved away from that slightly by building a bridge to Prisunic, specifically through the use of bent tubing. We had experimented with this technique before, but it was difficult for us due to our small production volumes. The collaboration with Monoprix opened new doors in terms of form and materials—like chrome, which is prohibitively expensive for small runs. Furthermore, working with Monoprix gave us the opportunity to create a truly comprehensive range. Aesthetically, we wanted it to reflect our past work while also realizing ideas we hadn't had the chance to bring to life yet. There’s a lot of talk about Bauhaus these days, so we had fun blending Breuer’s tubular structures with our own DNA. This collection is a mix of history and our own language, particularly when it comes to color. As a reminder, "Hall" comes from apartment building lobbies and the sense of community those spaces evoke, while the second part of our name is a nod to our affinity for the modernist Bauhaus movement.

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The collection stands out for its wide variety of typologies. Why is that?

We were given total creative freedom. The initial idea was to offer back-to-school essentials since we were launching in early September. We wanted a student to be able to furnish their new apartment with something beautiful and affordable—maybe spending just 10 euros more to get a customized piece. We started by designing over 45 objects and ended up manufacturing 27. We selected accessible typologies, but we also decided to hybridize others. For example, we removed the dryer, but added bars to the room divider to give it a new function as a drying rack. It resulted in a really interesting piece for small apartments. I’m convinced that everyone can find something useful for their home in this collection.

Collectors are used to seeing color in your previous work. Yet, the collection you’re offering now seems to favor sobriety.

It’s true that the studio’s creations are often customizable in bright colors, but for our collaboration with Monoprix, we had to rationalize. We removed the pink, kept blue only for the shopping cart, and opted for yellow and beige—a neutral tone that remains in high demand. Then, we simply accented the collection with a touch of red as a nod to Monoprix. With the modernist chrome base, we had a lot of freedom in our color choices, so it all felt very natural.

While Paris Design Week is keen to celebrate design in all its diversity, the field remains a relatively closed concept. It was based on this observation that Alexandre Delasalle and Pierre Castignola conceived an exhibition for this September edition to celebrate alternative typologies. "Over the years and editions, we were frustrated to see that the pieces presented were generally the same, ranging from chairs to tables to mirrors. Yet, my pop-culture aesthetic and Pierre’s very classic, everyday objects don’t fit into the codes of postmodern design.", analyzes Alexandre Delasalle. Convinced that the sector is more abundant than it lets on, the duo created an exhibition celebrating neglected objects.

A heterogeneous gathering

To help illustrate this diversity, the two friends invited 27 different profiles—designers and artists alike—to rework object archetypes. "Originally, Pierre and I thought of objects like a pizza cutter or a bucket, because these are objects that don't have a name in design. The former is usually inhabited by something else, like a superhero shape or an offbeat color, while the latter is so forgotten it becomes the zero degree of writing." Two opposing approaches—one loud and one silent—quickly expanded by the unique visions of the other creators. From the leather dishwashing gloves by Alice Clermont to the industrial toilet paper dispenser by Tim Teven, and the ceramic box topped with a spiked collar by visual artist Sacha Lefèvre, the approaches, sometimes very literal or more embodied, intertwine within the exhibition. "What seemed most important to us was to establish a corpus capable of surprising us. Overall, we knew all the profiles to varying degrees, but our discussions and reflections now allow us to exhibit very different objects, whether they were designed specifically for the event or not."

A creative bazaar

Inspired by the multitude of invisible objects that inhabit our storage spaces, Alexandre Delasalle and Pierre Castignola took an interest in bazaars. "These are spaces that bring together very contradictory elements, ranging from classics that can last a lifetime, like a frying pan, to very striking but sometimes very ephemeral things, like slippers." Drawing on the idea of these markets, the exhibition space, formerly a garage, has been shaped into a long, narrow layout. "What was interesting is that the notion of a bazaar isn't the same from one country to another. I have the one in Belleville in mind, but for other creators, it might be chain stores like Action. However, the idea of a small storefront with longitudinal aisles is common. We wanted to capture that feeling of entering the space.", explains Alexandre Delasalle. In keeping with this vision, the exhibition space features a long central shelf where a neo-futuristic hand brush and a baroque mini-fan straight out of a Disney movie engage in dialogue. "The scenography is DIY, using cinder blocks and storage racks, but it serves the concept. It’s the accumulation of a certain number of objects that gives the bazaar its spirit, not the other way around. And it’s this idea that gives 'take one just in case' a polyphonic quality," concludes the designer.