With two accolades from the prestigious German Design Award under his designer belt, we asked Bertrand Lejoly a few questions about the design process, D-Neo, and Duravit…
Having been Head of Product Design with the Belgian architecture studio Vincent Van Duysen, Bertrand Lejoly then started his own design studio in Antwerp in 2018.
Since then, he has been working with major brands on furniture, lighting, sanitary and tableware products. His collaboration with Duravit resulted in the D-Neo, designed as a complete bathroom range. Its excellent quality and intelligent design combined with an attractive entry-level price, has ensured both design recognition and commercial success. D-Neo has been created to outlast short-lived trends and was designed as the perfect companion for every day, every lifestyle, and every facet of life.
Image credit: Duravit
Hotel Designs: Starting with the awards, as the the holder of two certificates from the German Design Award 2022 for outstanding design – with an award as ‘winner’ for the D-Neo faucets along with a ‘special mention’ for the series as a whole, how does that feel?
BL: The awards are, of course, a huge honour for me. The German Design Award is one of our industry’s most important accolades. It’s not just recognition of the work we’ve already done, but even more so it’s an enormous motivation for me for the future.
HD: Design prizes are one thing, economic success and sales figures are something else. D-Neo has become an international bestseller within the Duravit range. Did you expect that a year ago?
BL: I have in fact received an overwhelming response to the collection from all sides. That makes me very proud. It’s really important to me to express a huge thank you and pass on my compliments to the Duravit team. Their great passion and drive have enabled the original idea to be realised as a successful series. This experience has really impressed me.
Image credit: Duravit
HD: What does this success mean for you personally and for your young design studio, for instance in terms of your profile?
BL: We are currently working on exciting new orders in the fields of furniture, outdoor, lighting, and tableware. The launch and success with the wide-ranging publicity around D-Neo have really helped draw attention to our design studio. That spurs us on and gives us an even greater impetus for the future.
HD: How can we envisage the design process in general terms? What are the key stages from the briefing through to finished series?
BL: What’s important for me is that both sides understand each other from the outset. That the client clearly identifies and communicates what they need and that the designer understands this briefing accordingly so they can interpret it for optimum results. Such collaborations usually last several years with many stages and key decisions, so the chemistry simply must be right.
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Main image credit: Duravit
