François Azambourg

Born in Angoulême in 1963, French designer François Azambourg studied electrotechnics at the Institut Lemonnier at Caen, earning a Bachelor’s degree in 1982. He then studied art at the school for one year, in 1983, before going on to earn his Master’s degree (also known as DSAA) in industrial design from the College of Applied Art on Rue Olivier de Serres, Paris, in 1987.

Since 1993, Azambourg has taught design at a variety of schools, including Créapole ESDI, Institut Supérieur de Communication, École Boulle, École Camondo, and, currently, ENSCI-Les Ateliers, all in Paris. He was winner of the Fondation de France in 1988 and the Grand Prix du Design in Paris in 2004, and named Designer of the Year at the 2009 Paris Furniture Fair, among other awards.

Azambourg’s work is characterized by material and technical exploration, and the overlap among technology, applied arts, and design. Clients include Hermès, Cappellini, Ligne Roset, and Poltrona Frau. A few standout projects include his Paper Coffee Maker, which won a 1985 competition organized by the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris (1985); Herlight, a line of lightweight bags and briefcases in flexible leather and foam for Hermès (2005); and Mr. Bugatti, a series of lacquered chairs and stools manufactured by Cappellini in superthin steel created using the same technique as that of pre-1970 race cars (2006).

Azambourg lives and works in Paris.