Guillaume Lehoux, André Fontes and Ludwig Vogelgesang’s Argo cradle not only sends a powerful symbolic message, but was also very challenging to design and make. The talented trio pushed traditional cabinetmaking techniques to the limit.

The world is a place of possibilities and dangers. To illustrate this dialectic, designers Guillaume Lehoux and André Fontes teamed up with cabinetmaker Ludwig Vogelgesang. Together, they designed a walnut cradle with connected copper parts based on a Faraday cage to protect newborns from electro-magnetic waves. The cradle, a protective cocoon and reassuring refuge, is named Argo after the mythological vessel of Jason and the Argonauts. It was designed as a "laboratory object".

Each of its three parts required the team to push traditional techniques to the limit. The hull, a perfect combination of classic craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology, is made from a briquetted blank tooled with digital control. The curved junction between the legs and the hull is entirely handmade and the whole is completed with a fine copper weave. The stern was built in three sectors combining folded and solid walnut. The sail is made of solid walnut stretching a fabric of wires.

  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller
  • ©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

“Argo is an ambiguous object. On the one hand, it embodies the ideas of comfort and protection. On the other, it recalls that we, as humans, have created many of the environmental hazards putting us in danger.”

Guillaume Lehoux

Ludwig Vogelgesang, for the love of Art Deco

Ludwig Vogelgesang learned cabinetmaking in Austria before moving to France to pursue a rare area of expertise: the restoration of Art Deco furniture. In 1980, he founded a workshop in Paris with Dominique Talbot, which he has run alone since 2007. He restores exceptional furniture for galleries, museums, collectors and famous decorators while pursuing a career as a designer. Recognized for his talent and passion, he achieved the rank of Maître d’art (Master Craftsman) in 2010.

©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

  • 1973 Literary studies in Seckau, Austria

  • 1980 Creation of the Atelier Ludwig et Dominique – artistic cabinetmakers

  • 2010 Promoted to "Maître d'art" (Master Craftsman)

  • 2014 "Living Heritage Company" label, issued by the Ministry of Economy and Finance of France

  • 2017 Academy of Architecture - Silver Medal for Crafts

André Fontes, four-handed design

André Fontes switched from to engineering to design and trained at ENSAAMA Olivier de Serres in Paris, where he met Guillaume Lehoux. In 2011, they created the Noir Vif design studio, giving free rein to their imagination and technical ingenuity instead of following academic methods.

©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

  • 1989 Engineering degree and MSc in Materials Science and Engineering at the Polytechnic University, Lille

  • 1994 PhD at the École des Mines, Paris

  • 1994 Manufacturing process engineer

  • 2009 Diploma in Product Design at the National School of Applied Arts and Crafts - École Olivier de Serres, Paris

  • 2011 Creation of Noir Vif design studio

Guillaume Lehoux, ingenious designer

Mr. Lehoux obtained a degree in product design from ENSAAMA Olivier de Serres in Paris and completed his education with a master's degree in innovation at the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts et Métiers (National School of Arts and Crafts) in 2010. A year later, he and fellow Olivier de Serres graduate André Fontes started Noir Vif, a design studio where they have worked on original projects together ever since, giving free rein to their imagination and technical ingenuity instead of following academic methods.

©Sophie Zénon pour la Fondation Bettencourt Schueller

  • 2009 Diploma in Product Design at the National School of Applied Arts and Crafts - École Olivier de Serres, Paris

  • 2010 Research Master at the National School of Arts and Crafts ParisTech

  • 2011 Creation of Noir Vif design studio

The Dialogues award of the Liliane Bettencourt Prize pour l'intelligence de la main®

The award Dialogues is given to an artisan for a work that displays a perfect command of technique and craftsmanship. It must be innovative and aesthetic but also contribute to progress in the artisan’s area of expertise. 

  • Amount: 50,000€ divided equally between the two winners, i.e. €25,000 each
  • Accompagnement: up to 150,000€, for the winners to carry out experiments, research and innovation on their prototype or object.
All the award-winners