Since the beginning of his career (a 1990 graduate of Paris’ ENSCI-Les Ateliers, Paris Design Institute), Jean-Marie Massaud has been working on an extensive range of works, stretching from architecture to objects, from one-off project to serial ones, from macro environment down to micro contexts. Major brands such as Axor, Cassina, Christofle, Poliform, Toyota have solicited his ability to mix comfort and elegance, zeitgeist and heritage, generosity and distinction. Beyond these elegant designs, his quest for lightness – in matters of essence – synthesize three broader stakes: individual and collective fulfillment, economic and industrial efficiency, and environmental concerns. “I’m trying to find an honest, generous path with the idea that, somewhere between the hard economic data, there are users. People.”
His creations, whether speculative or pragmatic, explore this imperative paradigm: reconciling pleasure with responsibility, the individual with the collective. We have known and admired the works of Jean-Marie much before we launched Zanat. He accepted our invitation to collaborate after a meeting at Salone Del Mobile in Milan in 2018. Jean-Marie has challenged Zanat to push the boundaries of what we can do in solid wood and to achieve the perfection in project execution. The result is not only seen in some extraordinary objects we have created together, but also in generating skills and knowhow that will benefit Zanat for many years to come.
