Tim Leclabart

Tim Leclabart (born in 1988 in Paris) is a French designer whose work explores the connections between furniture, sculpture, architecture, and memory. After studying art history at the Sorbonne and completing a Master’s degree in contemporary design curation at Kingston University in London, he gained experience working with galleries and antique dealers before founding his own studio in 2019. This dual experience informs a distinctive approach, both historical and experimental, in which the decorative arts engage with contemporary creation.

His career was shaped by a period in Brazil, where he worked at the studio of Zanini de Zanine. There, he discovered the legacy of Brazilian modernism and developed his first creations. Influenced by Oscar Niemeyer, Joaquim Tenreiro, and Massimo Vignelli, he designs furniture characterised by architectural lines, with geometry, contrasts, and proportions occupying a central role.

Each project stems from a memory, a material, or an emotion. Tim Leclabart embraces a “souvenir design”, in which the object becomes an extension of a personal experience as much as a tribute to artisanal craftsmanship. Made in France, his pieces favour durable materials, collaborations with specialised workshops, and construction systems that promote repairability and the longevity of objects.

His furniture is distinguished by a restrained language, bold volumes, and particular attention to colour. Many of his creations play with the ambiguity between functional object and sculpture, while maintaining a strong formal clarity. Some become true characters, while others reinterpret the codes of modernism or the decorative arts through a distinctly contemporary vocabulary.

In 2022, his Fauteuil Canné entered the collections of the Mobilier national, recognising the quality of his work and his commitment to sustainable design. The following year, he received the Maison & Objet Rising Talent Award, marking the emergence of his practice on the international scene. His works have been presented at major fairs such as PAD Paris, PAD London, Design Miami, and Collectible Brussels.

Galerie Ketabi Bourdet supports Tim Leclabart in the development of new projects, highlighting a practice in which the heritage of the French decorative arts meets contemporary sculptural research. Through exhibitions and international fairs, the gallery contributes to bringing greater visibility to a body of work that redefines the boundaries between design, craftsmanship, and sculpture.