A theatrical and poetic vision meets minimalism in Pauline Leprince's interior design

For Wallpaper*s 2024 Next Generation issue, we have rounded-up a hotlist of emerging design talent from around the world, shining a light on the newcomers paving the present and forging the future. Join us on our journey to meet ten designers from Adelaide, Tokyo, London, Lagos, Guatemala City, Mexico City, Loch Lomond, New York and Paris. Welcome to our ascending stars of 2024.

Emerging designer, Pauline Leprince, Paris

Leprince came to design in a somewhat circuitous route via film and art direction, and there is a cinematic scope to her visual language. Her studio combines furniture and interior design, and she erupted on to the global stage last year with a staggeringly confident, avant-garde redesign of Karl Lagerfeld’s former apartment in Paris.

Wallpaper*: How did you settle on design as your calling?
PL:I started in the movie industry as an actress and producer, then moved into art direction, but increasingly felt frustrated. So I took things into my own hands and set up my studio last year.

W*: How do you describe your work?
PL:I combine a theatrical, artistic and poetic vision, which all come from my heart. I try to translate emotions into minimalism, working with raw materials, such as glass, metal and wood, to tell stories. My design comes from personal feelings and deep reflections on humanity and time.

W*: What motivates your work?
PL: I like to play with the interaction between light and space. I hope that people find my work makes them feel something, moves them. I am interested in the relationship between people and their environment, and I like to create stories by designing interior worlds. As a studio, we question and reflect constantly. I read and try to keep my eyes open to learn and find meaning. The imagination is a powerful ally in design.

W*: What would be a dream commission?
PL: My dream would be to create the set for an opera. I love the theatre and admire the works of Peter Brook, Harold Pinter and Samuel Beckett. They each combined psychological and emotional narratives of people and time in their direction and writing.

W*: What has been a career highlight?
PL: My relationship with my team, who are like family. As in a movie, everyone has their individual role, but we come together to be more than the sum of our parts. We design together and support each other, and I could not do my work without them.

W*: What do you believe is the power of design?
PL: Working from the heart means you create something strong with integrity. There is too much opposition in all walks of life. I think design has the power to unite people. We are stronger together.

Pauline Leprince, photographed by Cédrine Scheidig, at her family home in Soize, near Paris, with her ‘PM01’ shelving
@_pauline.leprince