Matali Crasset – French Product Designer

Matali Crasset’s journey to recognition has been swift, and she has unquestionably cemented her place among the world’s finest designers. Nonetheless, the ideas of this outstanding French designer from the Marne region are not as readily marketable as those of some of her peers: her approach is strongly conceptual, and she is interested in installations that are a cross between art and industrial design. Her art defies classification; she prefers to keep her design options open.

Early years

Crasset grew up on a farm, a background that greatly shaped her unique approach to design. In rural communities, life is closely connected, and problems are often solved with practical solutions, a perspective different from that in city living. Her acceptance into one of France’s top universities played a significant role in her intellectual development. Crasset aims to rethink the world, focusing on timeless values such as hospitality, empathy, and generosity. Her designs are marked by a creative flair. She often comes up with innovative ideas, like a food and drink warmer shaped like a human torso created for Tefal, or the lei Pari radio made for Thomson, which features a funnel used as a loudspeaker. Her work is hard to categorize; she likes to keep her design choices flexible.

Influences

Crasset collaborated with the innovative Italian designer Denis Santachiara, studying his novel design methods for a year during a hands-on learning experience in Milan. Philippe Starck, another key influence, guided her as she designed radios and recorders for Tim Thom, Thomson’s French electronics company’s design department. Starting in the late 1990s, she created furniture for Domeau & Peres, Domodinamica, and Neotu. In her own studio, she crafted lighting designs for Artemide. Crasset has also been involved in projects exploring human interaction with their environments. Despite her unique style, she consistently maintains a touch of realism, as seen in the highly praised interior design of the Hi Hotel in Nice.

Her approach to design transcends the traditional boundaries of form and function, blending them with a narrative that speaks to the emotional and psychological needs of the user. This holistic viewpoint is perhaps most evident in her “Dar Hi” project in Tunisia, where she focused on creating an eco-friendly lodging experience that connected guests with the local culture and landscape. Through her work, Crasset proves that design can be a powerful tool for social change, encouraging us to reimagine our spaces and, by extension, our lives.

Polster, B. (2006). The A to Z of modern design. Merrell.

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