Storytelling Through Colour: A Conversation with Ronan Bouroullec

Ronan Bouroullec’s palette for Blēo is a testament to his lifelong exploration of colour’s emotional and atmospheric potential. Drawing inspiration from his native Brittany in France, with its ever-changing light and muted landscapes, Bouroullec crafted a collection that feels deeply personal. The palette balances soft, natural tones like Jaune Pâle and Rose Moyen with bolder, shimmering metallics such as Bleu Métallique and Orange Métallique. Each shade is carefully developed and selected for its ability to respond to light and transform a space, creating moments of calm, warmth, or intrigue. Bouroullec’s sensitivity to context is evident; the colours are designed not to overpower but to enhance, evolving with their surroundings. The result is a harmonious palette that invites quiet reflection and celebrates the dynamic interplay between material, light, and colour.

For Ronan Bouroullec, colour is far more than a tool of decoration — it’s an intuitive language, one that evokes emotion, transforms spaces, and tells stories. Across a career spanning over 30 years, designing for iconic brands such as Artek, Vitra, Kvadrat and Hay, Bouroullec’s approach to colour remains refreshingly instinctual. “For me, there are no wrong colours — it’s all about context and atmosphere,” he explains. His work is rooted in observation: how light filters through a curtain, how the shadows of algae shift on the grey coastlines of Brittany or how a simple metallic surface reacts to the changing light.

This sensitivity to colour’s interplay with space and light is evident in his curated palette for Blēo. Drawing on a lifetime of experiences — from his childhood in France to his travels across the globe — Bouroullec’s palette feels deeply personal. His philosophy to colour emphasizes adaptability: they should interact with their surroundings, changing and evolving over time.

The Roots of Colour: Brittany and Childhood

Brittany, Bouroullec’s birthplace in France, and creative refuge, has long been a haven for artists. Its rugged coastline, temperamental weather, and ever-changing light have inspired the likes of Claude Monet, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso. For Bouroullec, Brittany is more than a source of inspiration — it’s home. The muted greys, soft greens, and luminous blues of its landscape permeate his work, forming the foundation of his visual language.

His childhood memories are steeped in these tones. Growing up in a traditional farmhouse with small windows and heavy shutters, Bouroullec recalls the absence of light. “We lived in a home where the light was scarce,” he reflects, “so when I experienced the way light could transform a space, it was unforgettable.” A vivid memory from a childhood vacation encapsulates this realization. Waking up one morning to sunlight filtering through red coloured curtains — a rarity in his shuttered home — he saw how light infused the room with warmth and life, creating an entirely new atmosphere. 

This memory informs much of Bouroullec’s philosophy on colour. Shades like RO BO 04 Jaune Pâle, a pale, joyous yellow, channel this sense of warmth. “The yellow doesn’t absorb too much light, but it feels optimistic and uplifting,” he says. Applied in his Brittany home, these colours brighten even the cloudiest of days, offering a balm against the often-overcast skies of the region.

The Beauty of Contrast

For Bouroullec, the power of colour lies in contrast. Whether in the natural world or his own designs, it’s the interplay of tones and textures that creates depth and intrigue. “Contrast isn’t just visual — it’s emotional,” he explains. “It’s about creating tension and balance, allowing different elements to complement and challenge each other.”

This principle is evident across his work, from the Palissade chair — whose clean lines feel at home in a precise Tokyo setting or a wild garden in Brittany — to the anodized finishes on his Chaînes sculptures. Bouroullec’s Blēo palette includes four metallic shades that reflect and refract light, creating what Bouroullec calls a “magical vibration.” These colours, like RO BO 19 Bleu Métallique, transform spaces with their living, reactive quality. “The metallic finish creates a sense of movement,” he says. “The blue is almost like a sky — it shifts and changes depending on the light.” Bouroullec suggests using the metallics in unexpected places — a narrow corridor, for instance, where light and shadow can play off the surfaces to dramatic effect. 

Paired with a softer tone such as RO BO 08 Rose Moyen, a similar shade which can be seen in one of Bouroullec’s Bas Reliefs, the effect is both modern and delicate. The juxtaposition of the industrial metallic finish with the warmth of pink creates a tension that feels alive and engaging. 

A Sensitivity to Light and Place

Living by the sea in France has sharpened Bouroullec’s awareness of light, shadow, and nuance. “The light here is different — softer, more fleeting,” he says. “When the sky is grey, the colours around you become heightened. You notice the deep reds of the algae or the muted browns of sand in ways you might not on a sunny day.”

This sensitivity guides his approach to interiors. Before making any changes to his holiday home, Bouroullec spent months observing how light moved through each room, noting how it interacted with existing colours and materials. “You need to understand a space before you impose anything on it,” he explains.

The result is a palette that feels deeply attuned to the rhythms of light and shadow. Shades like RO BO 02 Blanc Moyen and RO BO 06 Rose reflect and amplify natural light, while deeper tones such as RO BO 17 Orange Métallique create pockets of intimacy. “It’s about creating harmony,” he says, “but also sometimes allowing for a bit of surprise.”

Colour as Atmosphere

For Bouroullec, colour is inseparable from atmosphere. He likens it to music or cooking — an art of balance and proportion. “You can have the best ingredients, but if you add too much salt, you ruin the dish,” he says. Similarly, a room’s palette must feel cohesive without being monotonous. It’s about finding the right relationships between colours, materials, and light.

This philosophy extends to the durability of colour. Bouroullec is deeply aware of how certain shades age over time. “Some colours become richer with age, while others begin to feel tired,” he notes. This longevity is not just an aesthetic consideration but an ecological one. “Choosing a colour is about living with it,” he says. “It’s not just about how it looks today, but how it will feel in years to come.”

Bouroullec’s palette for Blēo reflects his belief in the transformative power of colour to shape spaces, moods, and experiences. From the warm yellows of his Brittany home to the shimmering metallics that bring a ”magical vibration” to any room, his colours are an invitation to slow down, observe, and engage with the world around us.