At 3daysofdesign Copenhagen 2025 our colleagues from smow enjoyed not only the pleasure of conversation with Erwan Bouroullec, but the chance to listen in to one of everyone's favourite Breton discuss his views on, positions to, approaches to design, and the creative power of embracing differing opinion, views, positions, approaches.......
It's still early in the morning, and we're having our first coffee after our first long night in Copenhagen. We're still tired, but also full of anticipation. Today we're experiencing Erwan Bouroullec's morning talk at the Danish Design Museum, where we breathe design history as soon as we enter: Verner Panton's curved Pantonova bench in the foyer, Le Klint lamps on the ceiling. The atmosphere is just right. The space speaks to us.
We sit down on designer chairs and drink coffee from printed mugs. Everything feels well thought out – yet casual at the same time. In the garden, HAY's X-Line chairs stand next to Muuto's new Dream View Bench. We're early. But just minutes later, the room is full. Every seat is taken. Five minutes until the start.
Then Erwan Bouroullec arrives. He speaks quietly, almost cautiously. Not as a lecturer, but as a person reflecting on his work— and sharing with us what has driven him for decades. It's about collaboration. About processes. About what happens between people when they create together. He speaks of the friction that arises when you engage with others. About trust and misunderstandings, which are part of any true collaboration. And suddenly, a sentence is spoken that sticks with you:
We nod inwardly. In a time when consensus often seems more important than content, this is a radical idea. For Erwan, dissent isn't disruption, but raw material. Only those who dare to disagree bring real movement into play. And movement is what good design needs. He talks about the "monkey inside of me" – this impulse to simply do things, without lengthy planning. Fast, raw, quick and dirty. Two days instead of two months. No waiting, no doubting – just get started. Mistakes are welcome. Because: Without friction, there is no development.
We feel caught out – and at the same time inspired. How often do we hold back ideas because they aren't "finished" yet?
Erwan describes it as a chess move: "Can you do this for me?" - "Yes, what exactly do you need?" This dialogue forms the basis. Step by step, structured but open. Not a master plan, but a shared approach. A constant balancing of closeness and independence.
He's familiar with both worlds: the large corporations with resources but sluggish machinery. And the small studios that are flexible and bolder. He compares corporations to kite riders in the wind – powerful but vulnerable. It's an image that sticks with us. Because we know both sides: the vision and the reality.
We hear a designer who looks back – and takes us back to his beginnings. The artist who would die for his idea – cigarette in hand and a romantic view of his own work. But today, he says, he's more of a problem solver than an idealist. He doesn't want to overthrow the world, but rather understand it – and think about how we can make it smarter, quieter and more sustainable.
And with every sentence, we sense: The dream is still there. Only more realistic.
This sentence still resonates as Erwan ends the talk and rolls a cigarette outside in the garden. It's an image that perfectly describes the morning: the designer as a thinker, searching, never quite finished, always on the move.
And us? We return to the day – with a new perspective on collaboration, on speed, on the courage to be unfinished.
Thank you, Erwan. For this honest, close, inspiring morning.
