Mathieu Lehanneur: Design Beyond the Bounds of Possibility

How do you give shape to water, make air visible or defy gravity? These are some of the questions that drive the work of Mathieu Lehanneur, one of the most original designers working today. Born in France in 1974, Lehanneur has spent more than two decades working at the intersection of design, art, architecture and science. His creations often appear to defy the laws of physics, yet behind their seemingly impossible forms lie research, engineering and an extraordinary command of materials. His work is explored in “Mathieu Lehanneur”, a new monograph from Phaidon. Spanning 248 pages and ten thematic chapters, it brings together 80 projects and around 400 images, from sketches and models to production photographs and completed works. The book also reveals what happens before a piece is finished, tracing the journey from initial ideas through to production.


Illuminations, installation, 2018. AD Interiors Exhibition, Hôtel de la Bûcherie, Paris. Credit: Matthieu Salvaing (pages 66-67) 

Nature is one of his main sources of inspiration, but Lehanneur is interested in more than simply reproducing its forms. Instead, he seeks to translate the way it behaves. In the Ocean Memories series, waves appear to freeze into solid matter, taking shape as tables and seating with rippling surfaces. In Inverted Gravity, meanwhile, heavy blocks of marble seem to rest on delicate glass supports. This unexpected balance is made possible through collaboration with craftspeople and materials specialists. His interest in science dates back to his studies at ENSCI-Les Ateliers in Paris, where he began exploring the applications of design in medicine. With Andrea, an air-purification system developed in collaboration with Harvard researcher David Edwards, he investigated how plants could help improve indoor environments.


Olympic and Paralympic cauldron, Paris, 2024.  Credit: © Felipe Ribon for Raf-Studio (page 229) 

His ability to move between scales and disciplines is equally evident in his architectural and environmental projects. With Petite Loire, a permanent installation at the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, Lehanneur translated the shape of rippling water into the landscape, creating the illusion of a motionless stretch of river. In the choir of the Church of Saint-Hilaire, he intervenes in a historic, spiritual setting. Then there is the project that brought his work to an audience far beyond the design world: the torch and cauldron for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Suspended beneath a giant balloon in the Jardin des Tuileries, the cauldron transformed the Olympic flame into an image of weightlessness: a flame created using water and light, without combustion. Named Designer of the Year 2024 by Maison&Objet, Lehanneur has developed his own collections under his eponymous brand since 2018, overseeing both design and production. At the heart of this operation is The Factory, his Paris headquarters, where research, experimentation and production come together. 


Mathieu Lehanneur. Credit: © Felipe Ribon (page 8)