Behind the Scenes with Jennifer Barre from Roche Bobois

Jennifer Barre is the International Franchise Director for Roche Bobois and we recently had the privilege to meet her and find out what’s happening at the company and what makes the brand one of the leaders in contemporary furniture design in the world.

Jennifer Barre

Roche Bobois is a world leader in furniture design and distribution. Since its beginnings in 1961, the company has been working closely with renowned designers such as Marcel Wanders, Kenzo Takada, Ora Ito, Cédric Ragot, Sacha Lakic, Christophe Delcourt and Stephen Burks, and with Haute Couture fashion houses such as Jean Paul Gaultier, Missoni Home and Christian Lacroix Maison. Roche Bobois offers a broad range of exclusive made-to-order designs, manufactured with a high level of customisation in small European workshops. Browse a full collection of premium-quality furniture online or in any of the 255 showrooms around the world.

What are the most important considerations when selecting your international brand partnerships?

Becoming a Roche Bobois franchisee is becoming a partner of the world leader of high-end furniture design and retail. This means being part of a successful business model and having the permanent support of an internationally renowned group. It means displaying exclusive collections in a showroom entirely dedicated to Roche Bobois, an essential condition to offer customers the best experience of our brand and models. But we do rely on our partners’ expertise of their own market and their deep knowledge and care for the local customers, which enables us to better cater to their specifics needs and desires.

In terms of Design collaborations, connection is key… connection around common values. Collaborating with renowned designers is not a goal in itself. We can make wonderful pieces with more discreet designers from all corners of the globe, in particular young designers we feel strongly about helping to enter the market. But this in no way detracts from the great pleasure and mutually rewarding experience for the brand of working with impressive talents like Jean Paul Gaultier (since 2010) and Marcel Wanders (2018), or more recently with Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos who envisioned the Bombom collection. They encapsulate our brand’s capacity for surprise and our ability to connect with all fields of creation, ranging from fashion to contemporary art. 

What is your company’s philosophy?

I am going back to the roots… Our founders were inspired by Scandinavian Designs, they wanted to bring modernity and creativity to the more conservative French market of the early 60’s. They also wanted to focus on French know-how and exceptional craftsmanship to create high quality furniture that would bring an extra dimension of comfort, and accommodates the way that people actually live. This in turn brought on the notion of modularity and customisation. So it’s always been about design, but it’s always been about design at your service, design meant to be lived with, lived in.

The Mah Jong sofa is an iconic model of the Roche Bobois collections.

Those values remain the same to this day: each Roche Bobois product embodies the creativity of a brand born in Paris – the capital of the arts, fashion, gastronomy, and of French Art de Vivre, and our heritage of savoir-faire, exceptional craftsmanship, and a certain je ne sais quoi that makes each Roche Bobois product a unique creation. We offer a design for living that is innovative, while being open to and always respectful of the world.

In a way I think the brand really takes design very seriously but doesn’t take itself too seriously. There is an element of playfulness in Roche Bobois’ collections, and colour is definitely a trademark of the brand.And then we push on and consider the idea of how we keep on innovating. How do we incorporate everything that we’re observing around us? Our founders were very much trendsetters and very observant of what was going on in their times.

Tell us more. What do you mean when you say trendsetters and can you share an example?

For example, the Mah Jong which is still a classic piece today, was designed back in 1971. The company was founded in 1961, and in 1971 our founders already foresaw the need for modularity. Designer Hans Hopfer captured the enthusiasm and vitality of its time: the Mah Jong is a modular sofa that champions total freedom of form and function. Starting with three basic elements that can be combined or stacked together, it allows limitless options of composition, positions and uses.

Mah Jong Jean Paul Gaultier composition, designed by Hans Hopfer – fabrics by Jean Paul Gaultie

This design and others which followed were brought closer to the ground, they brought on new textures and much better comfort of course, all reflecting the changing way that people would approach their homes. At the end of the day the Mah Jong is therefore a timeless piece; it’s entirely timeless. And the truth is, it’s been reinterpreted over the years, it has been dressed in swimmingly different fabrics through collaborations with Missoni Home, Jean Paul Gaultier, or Kenzo Takada. With each designer collaboration, the design just takes on another dimension, not unlike a blank canvas. More recently, the Mah Jong was also set on elegant platforms that enhance its silhouette and make it even more comfortable. It was avant-garde at the time of its creation, and has now become an iconic and quintessentially Roche Bobois design.

Clients also have room to make their pieces their own. We show you options, the versions we envision, and it is up to each and every one to identify which are the fabrics and textures and colours that speak to you, and decide how you are going to make it your own to fit your tastes and unique lifestyle.

What inspires you daily?

It might sound cheesy, but I am going to say people, relationships.

Roche Bobois is a family owned company and relationships and long term partnerships are key. I know every single one of our international franchisee personally, as well as every workshop manufacturing our products.

Working in this kind of environment is inspiring.

I feel really lucky to work in the design industry which is both creative and grounded. In a way our industry is about caring for the people who are going to use your products… who are going to live in the spaces you’ve designed. So I think it’s very real, human connection.

But then, ours is also a very grounded company that’s opened up so many doors to so many cultures.

So, partnerships and connection matter to you when going global?

Yes, definitely. Although our company has developed an expertise in terms of brand, products and business model, we do believe that each country, each market is different. Therefore when it comes to develop internationally, it’s about reaching out a hand and seeing that our products also connect with people further away.

I am in charge of international franchises, so it is key to find the right partners… people who share our values and passion, who have the expertise of their own market and customers. With that, collaboration is what allows us to offer the best service and the best experience to our clients.

What is your favourite piece in your current selection of furniture?

There are a few, but I am going to tell you my ultimate favourite, the one I have in my home… the first beautiful piece of furniture I bought for myself: the Legend Bookcase.

This is a piece designed by Christophe Delcourt, whose work I love, one of his first designs for Roche Bobois. A relationship developed from there, he has since designed periodically for the brand, and a very beautiful collection by Christophe is coming next spring, so here is a little bit of a teaser…

The Legend bookcase was the first ever 100% eco-designed piece in the Roche Bobois collection, back in 2006. I love that the design is sculptural, yet poetic. As it is entirely made of French oak, without any hardware, it is 100% biodegradable. As of today it is very full of books and without a doubt the statement piece in my living room. It also serves as a room divider, which is super functional and it is. I hope to pass it on to my children someday.

So, eco-friendly products and sustainability is important for the brand too?

Sustainability is very important for the brand indeed. Roche Bobois was one of the first, if not the first, to be considerate when it comes to sustainability in design. The Legend Bookcase was quite a statement because it was literally 100% sustainable, and it was the starting point of Roche Bobois’ commitment to minimising the impact of our products on the environment, continuously working on improving our manufacturing process, material used.

It is a step-by-step process and a very big investment for the company to the point that we felt we had to be accountable to the public and to ourselves. So, in order to do that, Roche Bobois developed a methodology, in collaboration with the FCBA technological institute (Forests Cellulose Wood and Furniture) to assess the level of eco-design of each product through the ECO8 tool which takes into account 8 criteria at 4 stages of the product life cycle: Materials used, manufacturing, use and end of life management.

On the basis of technical data, a score of 1 to 4 is assigned to each product. Products with a score of 3 or higher are considered eco-designed and identified as such within our catalogs and website.

Additionally, Roche Bobois has voluntarily committed to the ambitious goal to increase the proportion of eco-design products and purchases made from sustainable wood by 20% each year until reaching 100% by 2025.

These efforts recently received recognition from the UN Sustainable Development Goals Trophies (French chapter) and awarded a place as a finalist in the 2023 Award ceremony in the “Preserving the Environment” category.

What can we look forward to in 2024?

Colour! The neutral trend is definitely easier but we’re seeing a shift to bright colours as well as pastel tones. People need lightness and brightness in their lives and some earthy tones that are happy yet timeless.

Organic shapes and rounded comforting forms will also be seen more and more next year.

And as hinted at before, we are very pleased to collaborate once more with Christophe Delcourt, a French designer whose talent is a fine match for our values and with whom the brand has cultivated a strong and ongoing relationship since 2006. These magnificent pieces will be unveiled in the spring 2024 alongside a whole new collection.

So whether it is sustainability, partnerships, unique designs or just overall quality of production, Roche Bobois are at the top of their game. Visit the website to check out their latest collections.