EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
WITH NOÉ DUCHAUFOUR-LAWRANCE
he Brittany-raised interior designer Noé Duchaufour-Law-
rence specialises in providing both environments and ob-
jects. Working on a wide variety of projects, from a collection of
furniture for Ceccotti to a lighting design for Baccarat, as well as
a hotel in Marrakech, the designer has created his own particular
design language following a style that is best defined as being nat-
ural, flexible, organic, yet structured. Duchaufour-Lawrence first
discovered the world of design when he was 13, as he looked at
a Philippe Starck catalogue. He immediately became intrigued by
it and thought that there was something to do there, especially
when it comes to furniture. So, as time went by, he started to draw
and design objects. Another happening that propelled his knowl-
edge and passion for design was when his stepfather brought an
article from the UK about the Israeli designer and architect Ron
Arad. That was the moment when he really discovered this whole
culture of designing and he was really impressed by this world.
So, these two creators were really the basis for his understanding
of design. Although the designer does not have a specific type of
design that he likes the most, he often works on a lot of armchairs
and sofas, also disclosing that “the hardest part is lighting design.
I think it’s more complex than what you think ... There’s a sort
of correlation between efficiency and beauty and quality of light”.
Regarding recent and future projects, the designer has plenty on
his mind, starting with a series of products for St. Louis Crystal –
which will be launched in 2019 –, designing furniture pieces for an
art gallery in Rome, and creating apartment furniture for a private
client in the USA. He is also working on exclusive pieces for a po-
lice building in SoHo, New York, and this one is being developed
in collaboration with the renowned architect Annabelle Selldorf.
The designer also revealed that he is currently working one of his
biggest projects to date, a massive house in the Hamptons. “It’s
a very big project, it’s a huge propriety with 13 hectares and I’m
working with a landscape designer for this project. We are work-
ing together to find a way to create a prolongation between ar-
chitecture, interior design and landscape, to connect all the dots”.
One of the aspects he loves the most about the whole design pro-
cess is following the production, going to the places where the
things are produced. He really enjoys the relationship created with
craftsmen and developing an object with them. In addition, he
also likes the idea of transferring parts and inspirations from na-
ture inside his spaces and designs, “bringing these moments of in-
spiration through the furniture in a domestic environment”.
