Pierre-François Dubois

Having been born and brought up in Beauvais, Pierre-François Dubois wanted to study architecture. He enrolled in the first year at the École Boulle, a course focusing on the arts and crafts, including cabinet-making. This marked the beginning of his first experience with wood. Then, after completing a BTS at Olivier de Serres, he spent two years in Finland, drawn by Scandinavian design. He spent a great deal of time in workshops during that period. This newfound international perspective allowed him to explore an interesting new cultural approach. He developed an appreciation for natural materials and clean lines.

It was in 2013, upon his return to Paris, that he responded to an advert from Hartô Design, which was looking for a designer. Since then, he has been working alongside Julien Phedyaeff and Pauline Gilain on the artistic direction at Hartô. His training in industrial design has led him to enjoy designing simple objects that are ingenious in terms of both design and function.

“I have a very sensitive and very personal approach to design. Simplicity and purity – certainly linked to my attraction to Scandinavian and Japanese design – are my guiding principles. I enjoy working on assemblages to which a function is attached. The result must be a blend of several approaches. In fact, I find it difficult to design without constraints: too much freedom sometimes leads nowhere!”

One of his flagship collections, created in collaboration with Hartô, is his Marius furniture range. From chests of drawers to sideboards and dressers, the Marius collection combines elegance, graphic design and functionality. As a keen boat enthusiast, Dubois has designed furniture inspired by the maritime world, and more specifically by the hulls and lines of boats.

His Honoré office furniture collection takes a more classic and less curved approach. The designer has focused on practicality for the user, combined with a warm yet understated wooden aesthetic.