REVOL × NOÉ DUCHAUFOUR-LAWRANCE : AT THE CROSSROADS OF DESIGN, GASTRONOMY AND ART

For his second collaboration with Revol, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance has created Contre-jour, a collection designed for both hospitality professionals and design enthusiasts. It marks a new chapter in his ongoing dialogue with the manufacturer, bringing together the strength of design and manufacturing excellence.

Following Caractère, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance has once again joined forces with Revol to create Contre-jour, unveiled in September. Designed to meet the needs of chefs while fitting naturally into the homes of design enthusiasts, the collection offers a new approach to table settings. Every plate, serving dish and vessel contributes to a genuine landscape in which forms interact with one another. Drawing inspiration from art, architecture and gastronomy, Contre-jour approaches each piece as part of a living composition. Arranged on the table, plates, serving dishes, cups and bowls create a contemporary still life, brought to life by chefs, hosts and guests according to their own creativity.

Caractère, the designer’s first collaboration with Revol, introduced him to the world of tableware through distinctive forms inspired by an almost industrial aesthetic. Contre-jour continues this exploration while taking it into a new realm of expression. “It was my first project in the world of tableware. The experience made me want to go further and explore the form of the object in greater depth,” explains the designer. Here, he shifts his perspective. While Caractère highlighted the individual personality of each piece, Contre-jour focuses primarily on the relationships that emerge between the different pieces in the collection. The table becomes a space for composition, where plates, serving dishes, bowls and tumblers are no longer simply placed side by side but form a coherent whole, with each element enriching the way the others are perceived. “From the very beginning of the project, one idea stood out to me: the table as a landscape. Setting a table creates a unique moment. What interests me is the way objects interact with one another, less through their function than through their forms. I wanted this vision to guide the entire project. The profiles seem to extend naturally from one piece to the next, the different heights create relief, and the lines form a genuine scenography. The eye moves naturally from one object to another, while the interior of each vessel subtly echoes its outer silhouette. Every element has its own identity while contributing to an overall composition.”

BALANCING DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS

The richness of Contre-jour lies in the many combinations it allows. Certain pieces reveal their full potential when brought together. A bowl naturally complements a tumbler, a serving dish extends the lines of a plate, while the different volumes effortlessly find their place alongside one another. The more combinations are created, the more fully the formal language imagined by Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance reveals its richness. “Some pieces work particularly well together.”

The collection comes in an exceptionally comprehensive range, including flat plates in several diameters, deep and gourmet plates, small dishes, bowls, cups, lids, a creamer and a pitcher. This diversity provides chefs and restaurateurs with a broad field for creative expression, allowing each table setting to give rise to a new composition. Depending on the pieces selected, rhythms evolve, perspectives shift and every arrangement creates a different landscape. Such freedom, however, is only possible if the many constraints inherent in professional hospitality are taken into account. From the earliest sketches, Contre-jour was developed in close collaboration with Revol’s teams. Dimensions, stackability, durability, the breadth of the range and the practical requirements of service were all defined through the manufacturer’s expertise and in-depth understanding of professional use, which informed every stage of the project. The aim was to preserve the expressive strength of the design without ever compromising the functionality of the pieces. “Revol has an excellent understanding of its customers’ expectations. We worked closely together to find the right balance between practical constraints and creative ambition. Some pieces were essential to the overall balance of the collection, even if their commercial potential is likely to remain more limited.”

MANUFACTURING EXCELLENCE IN THE SERVICE OF THE DESIGNER’S VISION

While the result may appear effortlessly simple, achieving it required extensive development work. Behind the purity of the lines lie numerous technical constraints. Such highly refined profiles require perfect control of thickness, balance and manufacturing processes in order to guarantee the durability and stability of the pieces, as well as their suitability for intensive use. “There are always technical challenges when working with forms as pure as these,” continues Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance. “Revol has an exceptional knowledge of its craft and genuine expertise. We worked extensively on the forms, proportions and components until we found the right balance.”

Founded in 1768 in Saint-Uze, in France’s Drôme region, Revol has been preserving a family tradition of craftsmanship for more than two and a half centuries, a heritage that continues to fuel its capacity for innovation today. The manufacturer has developed an exclusive new ochre ceramic body containing 25% grog made from its own fired porcelain, which is ground down and recycled. The material has a distinctive mineral texture that reinforces the organic character envisioned by the designer. The dialogue between creativity and craftsmanship continues in the choice of glazes. In keeping with the collection’s natural inspiration, the raw ochre ceramic body is combined with several colours applied to the interiors of the pieces — Almond Green, Mocha Brown and Olive Green — creating a subtle interplay of contrasts. A white porcelain version completes the collection, combining a raw exterior with an alabaster-white glaze. Inspired by nature’s original hues, these finishes further strengthen the connection between form, material and culinary creations.

DESIGNING FOR THE FUTURE

For Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, the role of the designer does not end with designing an object. Every creation is part of a collective endeavour in which design also contributes to the development of the manufacturer. When a collection finds its audience, it helps support innovation, opens up new possibilities and contributes to preserving exceptional craftsmanship. “It is a great pleasure to work with a manufacturer like Revol. There is a genuine industrial heritage, a strong connection to place, and women and men behind this company. As designers, we have a real responsibility,” he concludes. “Our projects can help support these manufacturers, enabling them to continue investing, developing new techniques and preserving skills and craftsmanship that are essential.”

NOÉ DUCHAUFOUR-LAWRANCE: DESIGN ROOTED IN PLACE

A major figure in contemporary design, Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance has spent more than twenty years developing a body of work in which design engages in a dialogue with materials, craftsmanship and place. Spanning furniture, interior architecture, luxury and tableware, his creations are produced by prestigious houses including Saint-Louis, Baccarat, Hermès, Dior, Ligne Roset, Cinna, Ceccotti Collezioni, Zanotta, Tacchini and Montblanc, for which he designed the brand’s new architectural concept for its boutiques.

Based in Portugal, the designer has devoted a significant part of his work over the past seven years to Made in Situ, a fully self-funded research project exploring the connections between local resources, materials, craftsmanship and landscapes. Each creation emerges from an immersion in the field and encounters with local craftspeople and places. The project advocates an approach to design deeply rooted in a cultural, human and environmental ecosystem.

The culmination of these years of research, the exhibition Made in Situ – Terrains sensibles will be presented at the Mobilier national in Paris from October 2026, accompanied by the publication of a book devoted to this manifesto project. It will offer an opportunity to discover the in-depth research that now informs the designer’s entire body of work.