Odile Hainaut / co-founder WantedDesign
Published on 2 April 2019
Ever since setting up home in New York, Parisian Odile Hainaut has become a leading figure on the international design scene...
… New York’s WantedDesign festival, which she founded in 2011 along with Claire Pijoulat, is now a not-to-be-missed event for the global design community. It is also a veritable springboard for designers heralding from France. All good reasons for inviting WantedDesign to sit on the MAISON&OBJET jury responsible for selecting the 6 rising talents made in the USA.
Self-portrait. We invite professionals from the decoration and design world to snap six shots that sum up their story. Smartphone in hand, they have fun revealing all the little nothings around which their world revolves: useful objects, futile objects, good luck charms, souvenirs and their very latest crushes… It’s time to take a peek behind closed doors.
“Sitting opposite Claire. We form a really tight team, and the pair of us never stop talking. I think this photo perfectly illustrates the way we’ve made the workspace our own”.
At the end of the day, we don’t actually spend that much time in the office. We’re extremely “nomadic”. My “on-the-go” office, which I carry around absolutely everywhere, consists of my laptop (and its gorgeous Japanese leather sleeve, which I love) + stacks of notebooks and my Staedtler propelling pencil!
Useful object
“The bike. An absolute must for getting around Brooklyn. Although I don’t risk venturing into Manhattan by bike.”
Futile object
“Futile because I can’t actually read Japanese, but this book that I brought back from Japan is pure poetry and highly meditative. A simple floral composition for all 365 days of the year.”
A souvenir
“The box of Les 2 Marmottes herbal teas I brought back from my last trip to the Alps especially for our tea breaks.”
Good luck charm
“My little orange pot that symbolises L’Orangerie, a foundation set up a few years ago to offer kids at Manhattan’s state schools an insight into artistic professions and reveal up-and-coming talent. Unfortunately, the foundation’s programme has now been discontinued, but I’m really passionate about design education, and it’s without a doubt one of the most inspirational aspects of my work.”
Current crush
“Brooklyn Candle: the firm’s based in Industrie City, which is where both our office and our shop, IC Store by WantedDesign, can also be found. This candle range is our best seller. The “Fig” scented candle is totally addictive.”