Ferréol Babin is a French designer who is recognized for his sculptural lamps that look as though they were formed in nature.
Born in March 1987 in Dijon, France, the designer studied Space Design at ENSA Dijon before moving to Japan, where he studied at the Nagoya University of Art & Design, shifting his focus from architecture and open spaces to smaller objects. After completing an internship at Studio Robert Stadler in Paris, he graduated from ESAD, Reims with a Masters in Object Design. He soon realized that lighting was his favorite form to work with, given the fact that lighting so often bridges the gap between form and space.
In 2014, the designer was selected for a one-year residency to work at Fabrica, Benetton’s communications research center in Treviso, Italy. Working under the direction of Sam Baron, he undertook projects in industrial design, scenography, and conceptual installations during this time.
Apart from focusing on his own work, Babin spends half his time collaborating with furniture and lighting editors in projects that he can contribute his clear vision and design approach. For his own work, he takes a brutalist yet delicate approach, resulting in organic shapes that merge nature’s sensitivity and rawness with a modern industrial edge. His Branch lamp, for example, is made from Jesmonite, an innovative composite material that makes for a truly unique object.
While Babin's pieces are always based on an awareness of function and rationality, they also exude a raw emotion that is captivating in both feeling and vision for anyone who happens to look upon them.
