Residents' Portrait - Noir Vif

The Noir Vif design studio, founded by André Fontes and Guillaume Lehoux, creates and brings to life projects that combine creativity and relevance. The same year, the duo entered into a residency at the Ateliers de Paris. They were residents of the Ateliers de Paris in 2011.

Since then, they have been accompanying their partners, craftsmen, industrialists, institutions or major accounts, in their projects to design new, often innovative objects, services or spaces. They intervene from the (re)definition of the design need to the accompaniment of the production phase when necessary, passing through all the intermediate stages of design and validation.

The projects they work on are based on needs or desires. For them, each project represents the challenge of reconciling numerous aspects (formal, technical, functional, symbolic, environmental, financial, etc.). They work in particular to ensure that the result conveys the right emotion.

Their service offer is also in line with CSR, eco-design and carbon footprint issues by acquiring tools and methods that enable them to assess the environmental impact of their proposals and compare different solutions in order to choose the most virtuous or least impactful.

Viaduct, urban meetings

Viaduc is a range of street furniture designed by Noir Vif for the redevelopment of Avenue Daumesnil in Paris, along the Viaduc des Arts, as part of the City of Paris' participatory budget. The choice of materials (lacquered or polished metal alloys, oiled solid wood, fine fibre-reinforced concrete) as well as the quality of the finishes from the Italian manufacturer Metalco make this range suitable for a wide range of urban situations, including heritage contexts (historic city centres). The variety of materials and finishes, combined with a simple construction principle, allow for a large number of configurations and easy maintenance.

"After two years' work with Paris City Hall and Metalco, we're delighted to see our creation installed in the Parisian public space, and we'd like to thank our partners for their confidence."

Bright Black

The Viaduc range will soon be added to Metalco's offer with a wide choice of finishes.

Gibus Cycles

The ambition of the creators of the Gibus Cycles brand is to make it easier for children to learn to ride a bike and to contribute to the emergence of the "bike generation". Together with them we have created a range of lightweight, very stable and easy to use models. The Gibus range accompanies the growth of children from the 12" wheelchair to the 24" bike. The design of the 14" model, which can be used as a draisienne and as a bike, required special attention to make its particular geometry acceptable, patented by Gibus. The identity of the range, which we wanted to be dynamic, urban and joyful, can be found on all 5 models.
Noir Vif has accompanied Gibus from the ergonomic prototypes to the production.

Argo Birth Bed

Liliane Bettencourt Prize for the intelligence of the hand® 2019
Argo is a birth bed that combines copper with walnut wood to offer the child insulation against electromagnetic waves. Like the mythological vessel of Jason and the Argonauts, it is a protective case and a reassuring refuge. The result of a close collaboration between the cabinetmakers of the Ludwig & Dominique workshop and the designers of the Noir Vif studio, Argo is a laboratory object that opens up new horizons for contemporary cabinetmaking through its design and the new techniques it explores.