Inga Sempé

Inga Sempé (1968–) is a leading French designer. The daughter of illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé—creator of the drawings for the popular children’s book series Le Petit Nicolas—and the wife of designer Ronan Bouroullec, she nonetheless possesses a distinctive artistic stature that stands entirely on its own. She has collaborated extensively with major Italian and French furniture brands, including Ligne Roset, Glas Italia, Magis, and Tectona. She has also achieved particular success in lighting design, a field in which she often favors the technical solution of fan-shaped shades to create evocative plays of light and shadow. A particularly successful example is the Matin lamp for Hay, which has become one of the Scandinavian brand’s bestsellers. Other lighting companies she has worked with over the years include the Italian brand Luceplan and the Swedish company Wästberg. In the field of home accessories, her collaborations include Golran, Moustache, Alessi, and many others. Her design language is defined by an engaging simplicity that never slips into self-referential minimalism, combined with a refined and sensitive use of soft, nuanced color palettes.