Julien Renault

Julien Renault is a French born, Brussels based designer whose work reinterprets everyday typologies into timeless and essential objects. Trained at ESAD in Reims and later at ECAL in Switzerland, he combines an artistic freedom rooted in exploration with a rational, systemic approach to production. His practice spans furniture, lighting, photography, and interiors, with an emphasis on clarity, proportion, and material honesty, often reducing objects to their most archetypal and enduring forms.

Renault’s designs for HAY include the HAY Compass Lamp Collection and the Pastis series, both of which highlight his ability to balance function with character. He frequently reflects on the relationship between objects and their surroundings, noting that even the simplest forms carry a quiet but lasting influence in daily life. With the HAY Compass Pendant, Renault distils the pendant light into its purest geometry, offering flexible use as either ambient or task lighting through a precisely refined conical shade. His work demonstrates a rare ability to beautify the ordinary, elevating familiar shapes while ensuring coherence, durability, and longevity across both domestic and professional contexts.