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Inga Sempé / IN THE AIR ///

When I was a child,
I used to wonder who was
behind each new item
I came across.

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This former resident of the Villa Medici, graduate of ENSCI
— National School of Industrial Design — has always shied
away from that certain Parisian mindset which is more
interested in applying labels and celebrating living room
design than supporting true craftsmanship.
And Inga doesn’t mince her words. Far from being a prosaic
detail of the design process, for her, industrial design
constitutes a real challenge, as complex as it is fascinating:
that of solving a technical, economic and esthetic challenge
to create objects that will sell to thousands of people around
the world.

Where does your passion for design come from? How would you define a successful industrial object?
Inga Sempé: When I was younger, I used to make ordinary I. S.: Since the 19th century, we have produced a great many
objects such as match boxes, packs of cards, etc. I’ve always been ingenious and technical masterpieces, as well as some real
interested in items and who designed them. When I was a child, shockers. As soon as an object that is both intelligently designed
I used to wonder who was behind each new item I came across. and beautiful becomes part of an industrial and economic process,
I also used to wonder how they managed to recreate these objects then I consider it to be a great success!
identically, all over the world.
Is there an iconic item you wish you had created?
What experiences have you had which particularly opened I. S.: I often give porcelain door knobs as an example. They are
your eyes? desirable objects without being costly and they are also lovely
I. S.: I learnt a lot during my internship at Marc Newson - the and pleasing to use. Porcelain makers cleverly fired them in their
designer behind the Embryo Chair and the Apple Watch - especially furnaces nestled alongside the plates they were making.
for the need to have all the technical expertise at your fingertips for
any project you are working on. Otherwise, you have to accept that
other people’s ideas might win out over yours.