Maison et Objet News: French design brand Hipolite produces a range of entirely customizable televisions in a haute couture
Let’s be honest, never in our lives we would consider televisions as something decorative. We have never seen interior designers get worried if they couldn’t find the “right” television for a certain project. I mean, televisions are pretty useful, and every house must have at least one, but we have never heard TVs being used as a decorative element in a domestic environment.
Gladly, with the advance of technology we are now given more appealing designs and much better quality, but they still don’t make it into the home decor section. That’s why Bouroullec Brothers and Samsung put together the Serif TV, a customizable television with high contrast and high lumunosity surrounded by lacquers of different colors.
“What we were looking for was a solid presence that would sit naturally in any environment, just like a piece of furniture”
Hipolite‘s young team came up with an original solution. Hipolite‘s founder, Jean Barbier knocked up a wooden frame so that the screen blended into the chalet interior and the idea was born: approaching the tv with customization in mind and thereby propose solutions to meet the needs of every customer.
See also: Maison et Objet Paris: Exploring Agresti Safety Design
Jean Barbier‘s encounter with designers, Guillaume Suety, Aurélien Bland and the interior designer, Julien Dayet, enabled him to fine the core concept of the product – cathode-ray tube sets of the 70’s. A fan of vintage design, Jean Barbier hasn’t forgotten the crazy look of Continental Edison’s cult television with its plastic case and tulip-shaped base. ” A magnificent piece and a luxury object.”
To bring this project to life, the team dedicated two years of research and development. Hipolite‘s high-tech TVs are the marriage of technology and artisanship and they are 90% made in France. A choice of around ten colors, either matt or gloss, leather, lacquer and metal finishes, the haute couture television can be customized at will.
The main target is the Hotel and Catering market but the brand’s haute couture TVs aren’t going to stop there, the company is already working on an outdoor version trying different materials and imagining new designs.
“Professionals are looking for designs that are less consensual; they want products that stand out and ring the changes. We have interest from China, India, Singapore and Brazil.”
Source: Maison et Objet Magazine
See also: Maison et Objet Paris: A Special Focus on Portuguese Design