XO Design

XO was created in 1985. Following some years with Knoll, Gérard Mialet decides to start his own business of contemporary furniture edition. From the start he partners with Philippe Starck who collaborates with XO Design as its artistic director. Starck was then at the beginning of his fame: he has just designed Danielle Mitterand’s apartment at the Elysée and in the process of designing the Café Costes.

XO’s strategy is to be at the cutting edge of the market. Thus the choice of the original designers: Starck, Bob Wilson, Smiro Kiramata, later joined by Pierangelo Caramia, Eric Schmitt, Pedro Miralles, Christophe Pillet, Mathew Hilton.

This is why the XO collection is, by choice, a juxtaposition of pieces apparently separate yet consistent as all the pieces share an advanced aesthetic appeal as well as an undeniable quality of design.

The collection could be divided into two categories, with real commercial products (Bubu, Cheap chic, Lundi Ravioli, Peninsula, Ray Hollis) and icon pieces (Popopo, Royalton, Arcadia Swing, Dr Sonderbar). Besides commercial pieces, XO intends to continue to produce rare items stemming from projects involved with theatre (Bob Wilson - Hamlet Machine) or with architecture (Popopo at the New York Paramount, Royalton, Peninsula at the Hong Kong Peninsula, La Brouette at the Miami Delano, Le Bonze for the Bon restaurant in Moscow). They are vehicles for the image and contribute to maintaining a definite esthetical quality.

With the Bubu, XO has turned to plastics (with Cheap Chic followed by the monoblock chair SLICK SLICK) which enable the marketing of affordable products. And so the Bubu is a versatile object for around fifty Euros, and undeniably a true designer product which adds aesthetic appeal to one’s life for a modest price. With its design, comfort, lightness, stackability, timelessness, the Cheap Chic chair brings a real added value in terms of quality-price ratio.

XO Design will be consistent with its original project of juxtaposing two collections: the limited edition iconic products, and the commercial products which, thanks to the plastic technology, can lower prices and increase sales. But the choice will not necessarily favours the lowest prices but the fairest in relation to the product on offer.