In the Can sofa, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are seeking to go beyond the creation of a practical, elegant and comfortable design.
The intention is to reinvigorate the whole idea of the sofa, from something inherently complicated, to something simple, relaxed and for everyone. The sofa comes flat-packed and is assembled at home as we believe people are keen to get things in a quick and simple way, it is better for all resources, it is less transportation, less volume, less stock, it is just much easier to do.
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
’Working with the Bouroullecs is big dream come true for Mette and myself. They are great at generating ideas and have a skilled knack for picking the right track for their products. Their products always have a high degree of originality and independence, and they are brilliant at managing the design process from the outset in a way where most questions are answered along the way. There is also a powerful aesthetic balance in the Bouroullecs’ work. Their designs do not make noise but are simply at rest in their own strong appearance. In 10-20 years, I’m sure that the Bouroullecs will be compared to Ray and Charles Eames.’ Rolf Hay
Competent. Precise. Disciplined. Three words that commonly used about the brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. Along with ‘passionate’, ‘technically skilled’ and ‘innovative’. The aesthetic aspect is clearly in focus in the drawings, which seem to be a free creative space that helps them develop new approaches to their work. The lines, the colours and the overall idea that, in their own description, is aimed primarily at getting to the core of the internal logic of the assignment. This is where the solutions lie, and where new ideas emerge.
The Bouroullecs’ implicit understanding of each other and of the tasks their studio takes on usually translates into a new perspective of material or purpose. As in their Copenhague series for HAY, where the design considers a whole range of features including stackability, cleaning and cable storage without compromising on the aesthetic expression. After a partnership that has lasted almost twenty years, the Bouroullecs have added their name to most manufacturers’ wish list and many design schools’ wall of fame with an approach marked by diligence, subtlety and originality.
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec
At the heart of everything that HAY does is the notion that contemporary design should spring from a good idea, innovative technology and quality materials in combination with joyful, straightforward and uncomplicated aesthetics.
