Guillaume Delvigne Stools4tools at the Tools Galerie in Paris.

Exhibition view at Tools Galerie Paris.

Exhibition view at Tools Galerie Paris.

‘Rift.’

‘Chaos.’

‘Magma.’

Stools4Tools, interpret as you will, sees a collection of organically intertwined shapes that are, you guessed it, stools. Designed by Guillaume Delvigne, the collection, exhibited in 2015, was intended for a limited edition display at ToolsGalerie. In total, the collection comprises twelve pieces and two prototypes, each piece in varying materiality and slight in differing shapes and mass. Named after elements of travel and movement, the idea was to recreate a sort of modernised totem, or a series of, in the way in which the pieces express simplicity and their interconnectedness of form.

Traditional mooring shapes inspire each stool and the geometric patterns of the habour landscape; landscapes where bollards dot the intersection between land and water. The connection to these shapes is pretty obvious, in a surprisingly interesting way, and almost forces the audience to rethink the innate aesthetic qualities in the original formal shape. Ordinarily only seen as a mainly functional anchor, pun intended, the fluid nature of these shapes is rarely celebrated. In this case, Delvigne is doing just that. Except in a more sophisticated, carrara and leather-clad way.

‘Utah.’

‘Utah.’

‘Cairn.’

Chaos, Magma, Rift, Cairn and Utah are the aforementioned name bearers. Each varies slightly in size, but all navigate around an average size of under 40cm wide and 45cm in height. The chosen materiality is also quite befitting of the historic roots of its inspiration, and there’s simplicity in their finish also. Finished in wood, bronze, marble, granite and leather, the connection essentially is about organic mass of form, and its basic and elementary origin, and carrying that through to expression of finish.

Paris-based Delvigne studied at the L’École de Design Nantes Atlantique and the Politecnico di Milano. He then started his career in Milan, working alongside artisans and then eventually designing independently. He later moved back to Paris where he started his own studio and with his first exhibition in 2011 at the ToolsGalerie, he received the Grand Prize of the creation of the city of Paris. Since then, the rest is practically history, and collaborations are immense and include the likes of Tefal, Hermes and Veuve Clicquot. With an impressive calibre of clients and celebrated work, Guillaume Delvigne and his latest additions to his ‘toolkit’, Stools4Tools is hardly the work of an amateur craftsman.

[Images courtesy of Studio Guillaume Delvigne.]