Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec

Ronan and Erwin Bouroullec are French brothers in Industrial Design. Their approach to design is clean lines, an eye toward flexibility in the use of the object, and an emphasis on customizable pieces. Says Ronan, "'Erwan and I both like the idea of giving someone an object and letting them decide how they’ll use it."
Ronan is the elder, graduated from the Ecole Superieure des Arts Decoratifs in 1997. His designs began to be produced by Capellini shorty afterwards. Erwan graduated from the Ecole Nationale d'Arts de Cergy in 1999 and joined his brother in business. The brothers have designed for Capellini, Habitat, Issey Miyake's APOC store, Vitra, and the Kreo Gallery.
Their designs are simple in form, intended to be made personal by the owners. An excellent example of this is their shelving for Vitra,


also some of their textiles like the Zip rug, where you can zipper together sections of carpet in different colors to make your own combination. The modularity of the work also makes it attractive to a wide range of customers, as it give them more control over the final look.
I respond much more to some of their wall decorations, shelving, and objects than I do to the furniture in general. There seems to be a more playful feel to these pieces and a richer attention to pattern and surfaces.