Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/65912
Naturoscopie I shelf Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance Since his first major project—the London restaurant Sketch, in 2002—the French designer and interior architect has steadily captured the acute atten- tion of some of the most powerful tastemakers and brands in the field (Zan- otta, Collezioni and Bernhardt Design among them). His newly commissioned Naturoscopie collection of fragmented mirrors, LED-lit coffee tables and a prismatic carbon-fiber bookcase for Galerie BSL epitomize the slick elegance and gentle organic curves that have come to define his aesthetic. But in truth, Duchaufour-Lawrance is after something far more ambitious with his work and this work in particular, which is to bring his fans and patrons closer to his somewhat unexpected inspiration: nature. Duchaufour-Lawrance's upringing in Brittany fostered this interest early on; now, travels throughout Canada, Sweden, Africa and beyond fuel the Paris-based designer's passion. He wants the work, he says, to "create an emotion through the perception of nature," as if, for instance, the shapes and textures of his objects evoke an effect similar to the sun shining through trees and leaves on a brisk, bright and breezy day. "Giving poetry to the object is part of the role of the designer today," he adds. "I think we have almost everything we need" when it comes to the ob- jects and amenities of everyday life. "What we really need is something that is different, something in another language." CULTURED 83 COURTESY OF GALERIE BSL