The studio

Julien Vidame's career as a more or less self-taught designer began in school and on the walls of his home where, since he was a child, he scribbled, drew, pencilled, sketched...

A necessity that became a vocation.

His passion for printing techniques and the interaction of ink and paper naturally led him to the printing profession, which he practiced for several years. At the age of 22, Vidame saw the entrance to the Institut Supérieur des Arts Arppliqués (LISAA) as an obvious choice. An immediate blossoming for this jack-of-all-trades who was able to approach a wide variety of techniques and artistic practices, from drawing to sculpture, through modeling, portraiture, live model, etc. But it is the design of objects that excites him. He worked hard on it, going beyond the work imposed in class and receiving recognition from his teachers. It was decided that he would not wait until he had graduated to go out into the real world.

In 2004, London was the ideal city for a student with a strong motivation. He spent two months travelling around the British capital with only his list of London design studios looking for an internship or a job. A winning bet because the Suck UK studio offered him a 2-month internship... and then a permanent contract. It's in the studio's workshops, where he stays after his day as a salesman, that he develops his first creation at the same time as his self-confidence and his desire to undertake.

After a year in the UK, Vidame felt the call of Brittany. A week's vacation in the country turned into a return to his roots. Once back home, he finalized his prototypes, filed a patent, printed his first catalogs and set out to attack the French capital with the same determination he had shown in England. The first orders were placed by Le Bon Marché and the Pompidou Center boutique. In parallel to the development of his company, Vidame continued to develop projects. The most striking range of this period remains the Vague range: composed of a shelf, a console and a bedside table, this undulating range required the creation, by the designer himself, of an exclusive manual folding machine. This range is also the first big commercial success of Vidame and will be rewarded by the Prix Découverte of Maison & Objet 2009 awarded by the press.

The following decade will see the activity develop and consolidate with other great successes, such as the Réseau range or the fruitful collaboration with Roche-Bobois around the Calligraphie desk. But the real consecration came in 2022 with two major events. First, in January, the Coquillage shelf was awarded the FD100, an international prize awarded by the Elysée Palace to 100 design projects that promote French creation around the world. Then in February, the worldwide visibility brought by the scenography of the Gucci fashion week show in Milan, entirely built on its mirrors.

A change in the dimension of the activity that leads Vidame to a new reflection on his work...

"I would now like to develop my partnerships with publishers and galleries, to meet different DNAs and varied know-how, to highlight them through my creative prism. I love the exercise of interpretation, especially when it is based on artisanal process and takes me to the discovery of new techniques, new materials, new territories."

"I work in a very independent and constant way. Everything can be a source of inspiration, so I make little piles of ideas that I visit in turn like a gardener would visit his vegetable garden.

My job is to nurture these ideas until they find their legitimacy in my creative process. When an idea is ready to be harvested, I initiate the project that I develop at various stages, from sketch to prototype. My media are just as varied: models at different scales, drawings, 3D... This idea will become an object produced either by my inhouse brand, Vidame Edition, or a project that I will propose to another brand."

COQUILLAGE, among the 100 object and space projects that increase the influence of french creation on the international scene.

Le FRENCH DESIGN 100, the only design award in France to reward the efforts of its designers on an international level, has set itself the task of selecting the 100 design projects for objects (furniture, decoration, etc.) and spaces (hotels, shops, restaurants, etc.) that increase the influence of French design in the world.

These 100 projects highlight the essential values of FRENCH DESIGN: art of living, creativity and industry, elegance and a touch of luxury, sustainable innovation, boldness, know-how, balance, heritage, cultural openness and panache. In 2019, supported by the Minister of Culture and sponsored by Philippe Starck, the first edition of the prize was held at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs. In January 2022, its second edition, exceptionally placed under the high patronage of Mr. Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, was revealed at the Elysee Palace.

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