Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
Background
Both Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec were born in Brittany France. The elder brother, Ronan, was born in 1971 and Erwan was born in 1976. In 1997, the brothers presented “Disintegrated Kitchen” at the Salon du Meuble in Paris where they were spotted by Giulio Cappellini. Cappellini gave them their first industrial design projects, most notably Lit clos and Spring Chair. In 2000, Issey Miyake hired Ronan and Erwan to design the space for his new collection of A-Poc Clothes in Paris. In 2002, the brothers designed the Joyn office system for Vitra, which led to the production of other projects, including Algues, the Alcove Sofa, Worknest, and the Slow Chair.
Besides designing for manufacturers, Ronan and Erwan also create museum installations. Four exhibitions of their experimental work have been held at the Kreo Gallery between 2001-2008. In addition, there have been several museum exhibits devoted to their work. The highlights include exhibitions at the Design Museum in London in 2002, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles, the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam, and La Piscine, Musée d'art et d'industrie in Roubaix in 2004.
Ronan and Erwan's notable clients include Vitra, Kvadrat, Ligne Roset, Issey Miyake, and Cappellini.
The brothers have also won many awards. Some of the most distinguished include:
- Designers of the Year at the Salon du Meuble, 2002
- Grand Prix du Design de la Ville de Paris, 1998
- New Designer Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, 1999
- Selectors for 25/25 – Celebrating 25 Years of Design at the Design Museum, London, 2007