Florantine Bourgeon & Julien Abonnel Gigi Design

From their Marseille workshop, Florantine and Julien create contemporary pieces, shaped like sculptures. Through this meeting, they invite us to immerse ourselves in their unique universe.

Hello Florantine and Julien, you both form the duo behind Gigi Design. Tell us about the creation of your workshop. 

The idea of ​​creating our own workshop was obvious! We met in 2017 at the Ecole Supérieure d'Ebénisterie d'Avignon. We come from two different formations, sculpture and gilding on wood for Florantine and traditional cabinetmaking for Julien. Very quickly, we understood that our creative approaches were very similar. We have the same way of approaching the design of a part and our vision of the work is similar.

How would you define your job? 

We have an intuitive approach to design. Our common region, the south of France, is felt in each of our rooms. We are inspired by the colors, shapes and emotions that we can feel in the simple moments of life. Almost all of our creations are the result of experiences we have had during trips, meetings, etc. Our approach is quite primitive, we like to believe in the first pencil line on the white sheet.

How are you used to working as a duo?

The most important thing when working is to leave enough room for both entities so that they can express themselves as freely as possible. It requires a lot of humility, listening and letting go so that the basic idea is respected and faithful to our approach. It is not rare that the basic idea of ​​Florantine is then finalized by Julien and vice versa. The key is knowing how to listen to yourself in order to move forward. 

You are currently developing a table series in which lacquer is very present. Qu'do'does it provide you with in addition to wood? 

From the start we wanted to find a companion in the woods, an “alter-ego” who would make it possible to sublimate it, without altering its nobility. The choice of lacquer refers to the colors that surround us, it allows us to put a touch of madness to our rooms by keeping simple lines. It reinforces the intensity that the wood can release without denaturing it. It can be matte, satin, structured, worked by hand. We like to experiment with our lacquer, we integrate sand, mother-of-pearl, etc.

What is your vision for the wood material? 

We are both wood lovers! It awakens our senses, each essence has its touch, its smell, its color… Its timeless side, its nuances, its colors and the shapes that we can draw from it allow us to consider everything. Wood is alive, you have to know how to listen to it, observe it and be patient. When we work with wood, we like to think that our achievements will last over time.

Tell us about your Louka table that you present in our “On The Table” selection

We wanted to create a table with a lot of character in its dimensions, while remaining very soft in its lines. We were inspired by Greek architecture to bring curves and curves to the base. To keep a warm side to this large table, we have veneered the top of the top in oak.