Laurent Badier is the owner and creative director of Laurent Badier Design Studio specializing in contemporary furniture. We sat down with him to hear more about his design process.
Laurent Badier is the owner and creative director of Laurent Badier Design Studio specializing in contemporary furniture. His collection of unique and customizable furniture can be found in high-end boutiques around the globe including the MoMa and Fotografiska museum stores.
We sat down with him to hear more about his design process.
I first started as an artist of contemporary art. Later, with another artist, we decided to partner and work with different types of metals to imagine what furniture would look like using various materials. We soon started selling pieces and quickly learned that there was a demand for a new approach to furniture design from an artistic perspective.
Personally, I realized that furniture that looks like art has a similar design process and brought me a lot of pleasure both in terms of making and selling.
As soon as I see something interesting, I’m immediately flooded with ideas. If I had less ideas, life would be simpler because I tend to work on multiple things at once. I start on one thing then jump to another… But, to be honest, inspiration is all around us - from the media to museums and nature. Sometimes it’s as simple as applying a different color to an unusual material.
My products will be available at Centre Pompidou and Fotographiska in Berlin (and soon they will come to Shanghai and Miami) as well as many boutiques across the world in the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Germany and also across France.
Mattoboard combines simplicity and access, putting my products in the virtual hands of designers like never before.
Besides the fact that Mattoboard allows brands to communicate directly with a new community, Mattoboard simplifies the whole process. Designers want photos of the exact product in order to integrate their visions into their propositions. The back and forth to get realistic photos, along with the 2D aspect makes the process incredibly laborious. Mattoboard creates a workaround that has magnificent results and drives creativity for both brands and designers.
Beyond having a positive environmental impact, I am interested in using materials that have a real story and background. For example, I found a piece of wood from a famous chateau outside of Paris that was about to be thrown away. The chateau had suffered a fire resulting in the wood being burnt and thrown out. I was able to retrieve it and restore it, using it in my work.
It’s important for me to give these beautiful remnants a new life while also digging into their past to understand their stories. Now, when someone buys my furniture, they’ll know that wood used in the piece is much more than a material. It’s also a piece of French history.
My showroom in the Marais, Paris is the first big step forward. It opened in October 2023 so now people can come in and customize their choice in person. A next important step is to evolve the material manufacturing process to a more sustainable method: from regular wood to recycled wood products sourced in France. In terms of growth, I’m hoping to open 5 more boutiques across international markets (US, China etc.) as well as 100 distribution points - 50 in France and 50 abroad.
You can view and interact with Laurent Badier’s products in 3D here and add them to your designs.
Mattoboard is a 3D tool for designers. Our drag and drop technology helps you design quickly & experiment endlessly. Stay on trend and use visual storytelling to create mood and material boards.
