Bouroullec Brothers to Make a Splash During New York Design Week with New Collections for Vitra and Artek

Sponsored by Vitra

Renowned furniture design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec will unveil their newest collaborations with Vitra and Artek to a North American audience concurrent with ICFF and New York Design Week. The pair, having worked together since 1999, will take over Vitra’s showroom in New York City’s Meatpacking District, transforming it into a multi-level design celebration from May 13th through May 19th.

Upon entering the ground floor of the showroom, visitors will feel like they’ve stepped into a Parisian coffee shop. Where they’ll really find themselves is the Belleville Café, a showcase of the Belleville Collection created in collaboration with Vitra. Hearkening to the eponymous neighborhood in Paris where the Bouroullecs have based their design studio, the cafe will feature the Belleville Chair, Belleville Armchair, and Belleville Tables in various materials, demonstrating how the pieces can be used both indoors and outdoors in myriad configurations: stackable multi-purpose office seating? Check. The breakfast nook in your home or on the patio? Check. For the new restaurant you’re opening? Check.

On the lower level of the showroom, visitors will find Kaari on display, the first collaboration between the Bouroullecs and Finnish design company Artek. Based on a simple yet intelligent standard component of a metal loop, Kaari derives its name from the Finnish word for “arch”. The collection’s distinctive diagonal support characterizes both its practicality and uniqueness, a contouring silhouette that–especially when paired alongside other pieces in the collection–makes the otherwise motionless furniture appear to vibrate rhythmically. Kaari comprises rectangular and round tables in two sizes as well as a desk, a wall console, a small round shelf, and larger shelves. The full collection will be on view in various configurations along with selected Artek Classics to demonstrate the versatility of the table system in countless applications. That task chair you’ve had for years that you can’t seem to part with will probably work with, not against, the modernity and uniqueness of Kaari.  

If you won’t be at New York Design Week, don’t fret! You can view Belleville and Kaari in their full glory here and here.