In this day and age, there’s no need to choose anymore – boundary-breaking designers like Arnaud Lapierre are busy creating their own typologies. His latest work, RONDIN, is part-bench, part-carpet, and wholly original. Commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture and crafted by the Atelier de Recherche et de Création (ARC) of the Mobilier National, the 16-foot-wide piece reinvents the very idea of a reception space, transforming a place of waiting into one of surprise and reflection.
Photo: Davy Denke of Rytter and Denke
Surrounded by the classical architecture of the Ministry where the piece lives, RONDIN makes a striking contrast. Yet its palette is anything but random: Lapierre drew directly from Antoine Coypel’s restored fresco, The Triumph of Love by the Gods, the historic focal point of the Hôtel de Rohan. The bench-carpet’s colors act as a contemporary translation of the painting, bridging centuries of French art and design within a single reception space.
Photo: Courtesy of Arnaud Pierre Design Studio
Photo: Courtesy of Arnaud Pierre Design Studio.
While at first peculiar, RONDIN invites exploration, giving visitors to the ministry a chance to sit on the cylindrical bench in an elevated and comfortable position, or take a more casual posture on the carpet, with the cylinder as a backrest. In this way, RONDIN fulfills its duty as a place of rest in a waiting room. Its monumental scale zones the room with a presence that’s playful but functional. It turns the simple act of sitting into a shared encounter, echoing the Ministry of Culture’s role as not just an institution but a crossroads of dialogue, creativity, and reflection.
This unprecedented project showcases Lapierre’s ability to think beyond traditional forms while also considering the significance of its final setting. RONDIN acts as a bridge between history and future, transforming a visit Ministry of Culture into an experience that is both symbolic and memorable.
To learn more about RONDIN by Arnaud Lapierre, visit arnaud-lapierre.com and follow along at @arnaud_lapierre_studio.
Photography by Paul Tahon unless otherwise stated.
