Designers
14 mars 2024
Architect and designer, Mathieu Lehanneur reinvents himself as a researcher and engineer. Early on, he became fascinated by science—indeed, he dedicated his thesis to the design of medications—and throughout his projects, he has explored topics such as skin regeneration, air filtration, and renewable energy. Concurrently, through his eponymous brand, he creates highly contemporary furniture pieces that draw inspiration from life and technology. Examples? A ceramic sculpture that replicates the movements of water, or a console made of blown glass that questions gravity.
The year 2024 appears to be a turning point. At the dawn of his fiftieth year, Mathieu Lehanneur unveils La Factory, his Parisian headquarters, and his pied-à-terre in New York; designs the Olympic torch and basin for the Paris Olympics; and is named Designer of the year 2024 by Maison&Objet. He honors this accolade by revealing, at the Outonomy exhibition during the fair (January 18-22), a futuristic installation that offers perspective on the home of tomorrow. Meet this neo-survivalist.
What day and time is it? What do you usually do at this time of the week?
« It’s 7:46 AM, January 5th, 2024. I’m at the Factory, our headquarters and factory. The teams haven’t arrived yet, and the phone isn’t ringing yet. Later on, the place will fill up, our creations will be assembled, and prototypes will take shape. We’ll need to sort through good ideas and bad ones. Coffees will be consumed during meetings and problem-solving sessions. The day will fly by, and around 5 PM, my stomach will remind me that I forgot to have lunch. »
Workshop « La Factory, » Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
My mood today?
Where does this obsession with nature and science come from?
« Nature is our cradle, science is our fairy. If I have an obsession, it’s to reflect on what we are fundamentally and where we come from. As a child and teenager, I was rather contemplative, and I think I’ve remained so. »
Console « Happy To Be Here » by Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
Is that what influences you creatively?
« Like many people, I feel a certain inner peace when faced with the ocean. In my work, I draw inspiration from the complex geometries found in nature and from rational and irrational phenomena. I want my pieces to be living beings that seem to breathe, feel, and grow. I want them to be works of art and platforms for reflection or meditation. »
Wall sculpture « 50 Seas » by Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
The genesis of your Outonomy installation for M&O?
« This project is built on the idea of independence and freedom, away from noise and density. Towards a elsewhere where everyone can rethink their way of living and interacting with their environment. Towards a elsewhere to invent and reinvent oneself… It’s a living ecosystem, both minimal and optimal. The history of civilization and architecture is punctuated by attempts, solutions, and proposals for isolated habitats: the igloo, the cabin, the hut, or the yurt. »
What story do you tell through the installation?
« Outonomy is an invitation to return to the sources – even to the source code – by combining nature and technology. I wanted to offer an alternative vision of the modern representation of Man dominating nature. The idea is to conceive an innovative habitat and a new way of life built around a virtuous collaboration between humans and their environment. It’s a possible life project, a way of addressing the implicit question to each visitor: are you ready? Far from nostalgia or an attempt to backtrack, Outonomy tries to answer the question: « what do I really need? »
Armchair « Square Sun » by Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
What is the challenge of Outonomy?
« The challenge is precisely to combine our needs with current technologies. Science and technology become interesting when they allow us to rediscover our humanity: to breathe better, sleep better, or eat better. Outonomy is ultimately a possible return to our original cave, ensuring to bring the comfort that we no longer wish to give up. »
Domestic ecosystem by Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
What are the inspirations behind the project?
« The installation draws from the emergence of survivalist thinking in various parts of the world, from the mildest to the most paranoid. The idea here is not to go down the bunker route or contemplate the apocalypse, but rather to question the life we want to lead. »
Workshop « La Factory, » Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
What is the color palette of the installation?
« The entire installation will be monochrome: a radiant and vibrant yellow, the wooden structure of the house, and the objects will be linked by this solar surface. I chose this color to create a fictional image and leave everyone the freedom to define the degree of possibilities of this proposal. This choice helps to avoid interpreting this project as a definitive and ready-to-sell solution. »
Have you designed pieces exclusively for the space?
« The elements presented will be a combination of existing pieces that have been reinterpreted for this installation and new creations, including helium drone systems and wind energy in collaboration with specialized companies. »
Workshop « La Factory, » Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
You designed the Olympic flame for the 2024 games, what are its inspirations?
« The design and conception of the torch were built on three main pillars: equality, appeasement, and water. They appeared to me from the start as the best incarnations of the Paris Games. They are the values but also elements of context. »
How did you embody them?
« Equality, which is expressed as much in the parity of athletes as in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, is expressed through the perfect symmetry of the torch. For the first time in its history, it plays on this duality and balance. Appeasement is expressed through a design of curves and continuous lines. Because even if the Games remain spaces for competition and performance, the flame remains an object of transmission and the embodiment of peace. In this sense, the Games are a suspended moment, a fraternal ambition that sport can and must carry, whatever the tribulations of the world. »
« Finally, water, our third pillar: beyond its monuments, Paris is a way of life along the water. The Seine is the link and the beating heart, and will be the stage for the opening ceremony and several Olympic sites. The torch draws inspiration from it by playing with the undulations and reflections of polished metal turned liquid. »
Olympic Torch, Paris 2024 Olympics by Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
Any upcoming projects?
« I am currently working on the Basin, the second iconic object of the Olympic Games, which will be unveiled during the opening ceremony in July 2024. It’s an exciting project, very different from the torch, but perfectly complementary. »
Pied-à-terre, NYC by Mathieu Lehanneur © Felipe Ribon
« In March, we will inaugurate our new Pied-à-terre in New York. It’s a penthouse in one of the city’s most beautiful skyscrapers where we will showcase our latest pieces and welcome our clients and friends. The Pied-à-terre, like the Factory in Paris, is a cornerstone of our ecosystem; these two places represent important steps in the development and expansion of the MATHIEU LEHANNEUR brand. »
« I am also working on new pieces that should be presented throughout the year. Some of our pieces will be showcased in museums in the United States, including the Denver Art Museum and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I am also working on the design and development of new pieces… It’s going to be a quite busy year! »
