Five years after the fire at Notre-Dame de Paris, 100 % creation invites you to meet the companions, craftsmen or designers who worked on this emblematic site. Today, Ionna Vautrin, industrial designer and artist chosen for the chairs of Notre-Dame de Paris. Ionna Vautrin does not just create objects; she forges stories, builds bridges between the past and the future and initiates a deep dialogue between art and functionality.
“ I like to mix the sculptural side of objects with their technical realization, so that they can be designed for mass production. This is really something important. All the objects I draw have a little family resemblance. They are all a bit like cousins and in that, I have a signature that begins to reveal itself over the years. », explains Ionna Vautrin, industrial designer in charge of the seating furniture for Notre-Dame de Paris. And to add: “ I would say that what this chair reveals a little is the work of a cabinetmaker. A chair is both a structure, but it is also a sculpture, in the sense that it is an object which tells things, which speaks and which is a real work of art. This arch which takes shape at the back of the chair, we feel and see the elaborate work which is an element which speaks of the work of a cabinetmaker “.
Ionna Vautrin was born in Brittany, she graduated from the Nantes Atlantique School of Design. Her career led her to work in several countries, notably in Spain and Italy, before settling in France. She also acquired national and international fame thanks to emblematic works like the Binic lamp and the furniture designed for the SNCF. His last significant commission concerns the design of chairs for the cathedral of Notre-Dame of Paris. An adventure that highlights his technical expertise and his sense of aesthetics.
“ Within the framework of Notre-Dame, the specifications were quite restrictive. Obviously, the chair had to be stackable, it had to attach to each other to create straight rows. It must also pass Afnor certification tests which will justify its solidity, its durability, etc. These are quite violent tests. For hours, a very significant force will be applied to the seat to see if the chair does not give way. There were also constraints linked to the building, security and use. You should know that every week, about half of the chairs in the nave are removed to put them back at the end of the week for the ceremonies, which means that they will have a very rhythmic life, and therefore potentially accelerated wear and tear. We really had to think about all of this in the design of the chair. »
For Ionna Vautrin, each creation tells a story. His search for a dialogue between his creations and existing architecture is central, as evidenced by the seating furniture designed to suit the cathedral.
“ I wanted to play on this Gothic-inspired architecture, that is to say a lot of sequences, arches, pilasters, columns, small posts. There is also a play of transparency in this chair. I imagined it as a chair with bars. First, this allows for better lumbar support and beyond that to speak of this architectural rhythm of the cathedral. And then, the light that can strike these bars can recall the proportions of the stained glass windows of Viollet-le-Duc. Furthermore, at the back of this chair, there is an arch that can be seen. The chair, obviously, we can take it independently, but in reality, it is a more global project. It’s almost a micro architecture since it will never be alone, this chair, it will always be arranged in almost a sea of chairs. There is this arch that appears at the back of the chair which once again recalls the arches of the cathedral. And finally, its back which is slightly lowered is made on a straight plane to create a very low horizon in terms of visualization in the nave, which gives it a bit of a status of humility and this underlines the incredible verticality of the cathedral. »
The choice of local and sustainable materials, such as French oak for the Notre-Dame chairs, shows Ionna Vautrin’s commitment to environmentally friendly design.
“ Naturally, I gravitated towards wood, the chairs are made of solid oak. It is French oak harvested responsibly, labeled PEFC, a label specific to the use of wood. The chair is also made in the Landes by a manufacturer called Bosc, it is almost 100 % Landes. In this company, they have been chairmakers from father to son for three generations and it is really important to them to work locally with companies around them. They are also labeled Living Heritage Company (EPV) so it’s really important. The choice of oak also resonated, obviously, with the framework of the cathedral which is made of French oak in the same way. »
Ionna Vautrin has an inclusive creative process. It thus builds close links with artisans and manufacturers.
“ I knocked on Bosc’s door, with whom I had never collaborated, but on the other hand, I knew their work. When I contacted them, they said to themselves “but who is that one? ? Is this a joke ” This project is so unusual and incredible that, obviously, it was a little strange to call and ask. We had relatively little time to make these 1 500 chairs, to which have been added kneelers, prie-Dieu and long prie-Dieu, which will partly arrive at the same time as the reopening, and other furniture which will arrive during February-March 2025. »
Ionna Vautrin values the alliance of functionality and aesthetics, focusing on the creation of objects that are as pleasant to look at as they are to use, whether for seating furniture at Notre-Dame or on other projects, but always at the service of the general public.
“ What I like about this job is addressing the general public, which is not always the case in my job, which is often perceived as an almost elitist profession. It’s also the magazines that have somewhat changed the profession of designer into a qualifier by saying “it’s design”, whereas it’s design, that doesn’t mean anything. Design is really a profession, an approach, a way of seeing the world, businesses and approaching projects. And what I actually like about this job is speaking to the general public. Projects like the SNCF lamp, we are really into that. The Notre-Dame project also, obviously, in another way. The little Binic lamp that I was able to create a few years ago was really such a mainstream lamp and I think that’s what keeps me going. »
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