Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec facts for kids

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec (born in 1971 and 1976) are brothers from France. They are famous designers who create many different things. Their designs include furniture like tables and chairs, but also rugs, lamps, and even art. Their work is shown in museums and books all over the world.

Early Life and Learning

The Vegetal chair, designed for Vitra.

The Champs-Élysées Fountains (2019).

Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec grew up in a place called Quimper in Brittany, France. Their family had been farmers for many years. Ronan went to a special art school called the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs. Later, his younger brother Erwan joined him after finishing his own art studies at the École nationale supérieure d'arts de Paris-Cergy.

Designing Cool Things

In 2007, the brothers designed "North Tiles" for a company called Kvadrat in Denmark. This design won a big award called the D – Design Forum AID Award. Their work is known for being both useful and artistic. Erwan Bouroullec once said, "We don't want to make only functional pieces." This means they want their designs to be beautiful too.

The design team works from their company in Paris, called Atelier Bouroullec. They create things for many well-known companies. Some of these include Cappellini, Ligne Roset, Habitat, Vitra, and HAY. They have won many awards for their designs. These include the grand prix du jury international in Paris in 1998 and the best new designer award in New York in 1999. They were also nominated for a Compasso d'Oro award in Milan in 2001. They even designed the inside of a shop for the famous fashion designer Issey Miyake in Paris.

In 2006, they were asked to design a special artist's home called the "Floating House." In 2011, a big show of their work was held at the Centre Pompidou-Metz museum. This show later traveled to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, USA. Their designs have been shown in many books. The brothers were also interviewed in a 2009 documentary film called Objectified, which was about industrial design.

In 2014, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec received the Panerai London Design Medal award.

Many of their lighting designs are kept permanently in museums around the world. You can see their work in the Musée National d’Art Moderne – Centre Pompidou in Paris. Their designs are also in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the Design Museum in London.

Key Designs and Creations

The Vitra Alcove Sofa, designed by the Bouroullec brothers.

Here are some of the important designs and creations by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec: