At the intersection of design, entertainment and the visual arts, JB creates functional furniture, immersive installations and sculptures inspired by fantasy, science fiction and digital culture. These hand-crafted objects, made from wood, cardboard, tape, and paint, serve as tangible artifacts from the surreal worlds he brings to life through his drawings and writings.
JB’s projects often incorporate fictional stories blending fantasy with contemporary elements. Creating a link between imagination and reality, JB aims to take his audience on a journey. With a touch of humor, he explores themes such as construction, DIY, and consumer habits, offering a subtle commentary on our everyday lives.
Over time, he has developed his own working method, mixing raw materials, vibrant colors and graphical forms. He transforms scavenged material into playful creations that challenge conventional industrial standards, advocating for a more manual and intuitive approach to craftsmanship.
JB graduated with a BA in Man & Leisure from the Design Academy Eindhoven in 2020. His work has been exhibited mainly in Europe, with showcases in the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, France, and more. Versatile and adaptable, JB has collaborated with notable companies, including a window display design for Hermès and repurposing leftover wood from Piet Hein Eek to construct a shed using duct tape.
Villager Tech
A mysterious artifact from another civilization.
Polygon lamps
Handmade light sculptures made out of wood and paper tape. Started in 2022 as a research with light and masking tape, this new series is based on these lamps’ construction process that the designer thought similar to 3D modeling in a computer: connecting points in a space to create faces, which altogether generates a volume.
The polygonal shape is inspired by the subtractive design method of «low-poly», coming from early CGI: due to technology restrictions and resource consumption, details are stripped away from 3D models, resulting in simplified geometric forms, instead of a highly detailed asset. By reducing the surface count, they are optimized to take less space and less time to produce. This sustainable method saves resources and therefore power, but beyond these practical benefits, it’s a good take on abstraction: how to get the essence of something by removing details, capturing the sense of a volume with only a few points.
This project is about applying these design principles in reality with tangible material. Its relevance lies in the contrast between high-tech inspirations and natural materials such as paper and wood. Halfway between reality and virtual, these products are for the designer a way to materialize the technical features of our digital age that are part of our daily life.
Based on this principle, this series is the result of an experimentation on shape. Each lamp has been intuitively shaped, making every piece unique on their own. They are carefully crafted with steamed beech wood, high-quality fabric tape and color-matching fabric cable. The masking tape shade generates a dimmed and warm light, bringing a comfortable atmosphere to the room.
Limited series of table lamps, signed and numbered, available in 6 different colors
Custom orders possible via Email/DM
Technical features:
30x30x30 cm
LED lightbulb E14 25W 2700K
Photography: Pierre Castignola
Teen Elf Shelf
Cabinet with CNC-cut patterns inspired from elvish culture.
Sectie-C map
Analog map designed for the Dutch Design Week 2023.
Photography: Ronald Smits
Graphic design : Mats Horbach
The Lumber Camp
For this year’s Dutch Design Week, JB was invited by Piet Hein Eek to build a new shed called the Lumber Camp. It is made from Piet’s leftover wood and JB’s colorful duct tape, with the help of some screws. JB’s abilities to adapt to any context helped him to create his own space, displaying his universe through recent works inspired from fantasy and video games
This shed is made the same way as the furniture displayed inside, using the Bundle technique of tightening wood beams together with duct tape. Here, this Bundle technique is used on a larger scale. By looking closely at the construction, wobbly connections, visible screws and flaws can be seen to show the different steps of the process.
Visitors are welcome to come inside, have a look at the works, take a seat and enjoy a drink from the bar. This place is made for people to gather and relax. In this evolutive space, JB will be there to make tours of the shed and do construction performances during the week.
The Destruction Room
Project in collaboration with Hugo Béhérégaray for the Vienna Design Week 2023
Build, destroy, repeat! JB Gambier and Hugo Beheregaray – one studied at the Sandberg Instituut in Amsterdam, the other at the Design Academy Eindhoven – live and work in the Netherlands.
What connects the two designers and artists is their DIY-inspired, playful approach. It can also be seen in their campaign THE DESTRUCTION ROOM, which was specially designed for the VIENNA DESIGN WEEK: protective clothing, a tool of their own choosing and a minute of time – that’s what every visitor to the destruction room, which is equipped with white cardboard furniture, gets.
After the time has elapsed, damaged furniture is restored with colorful tape at the repair station under the supervision of designers. In this way, over the course of the festival, the installation transforms from a monochrome white room into a colorful and lively space – powerless consumers can finally take revenge on the world of products!
Photography: Pierre Castignola
Models: Berta Grau, Alexandre Delasalle
The Sticky Glade
«Spring has begun in the sticky glade. The tree-constructs have sprouted and the robot-birds are singing. Among the polyurethane flowers and geometric mushrooms, bundles of reclaimed wood have been gathered. Assembled with duct tape, they form a new series of usable furniture for anyone venturing into this man-made grove.»
For this year’s spring edition, the Salon Veneman welcomes JB Gambier who shows us his universe made out of cardboard and duct tape. Starting from his Lumber Stools series, he has been experimenting with the «bundle» technique to build a new set of furniture inspired from the forest. Made from reclaimed wood and resin, these objects are showcased in their natural habitat: The Sticky Glade.
This installation made from leftover materials aims to question what is real and what is fake. By making a natural environment out of industrial materials, JB shares his speculative vision on how nature can evolve with manufactured debris, expressed through imaginary plants and trees. With plastic flowers and polygon-shaped mushrooms, he looks at the way we shape nature, inspired by his childhood fantasy video games.
Solo show in Salon Veneman, Eindhoven, June 2023
Photography: Pierre Castignola
Comfort Dispenser Armchair
Photography: Pierre Castignola
Lumber stools
Bundles of scrap wood tied together with duct tape are turned into stools. They are made with what’s available at a given time, which makes each stool of the serie a unique piece.
On show at Piet Hein Eek’s exhibition « Parallels » in Made in Cloiser for EDIT Napoli 2022
Photography: Francesco Squeglia
Swords VS. Furniture
Project in collaboration with Hugo Béhérégaray for the Dutch Design Week 2022
What’s better after a full week of design than being able to destroy some furniture? For the Dutch Design Week 2022, JB teamed up with Hugo to organise a game inspired from the popular piñata called Swords VS. Furniture. The goal is simple: people are invited to come, pick a weapon, cover their eyes and try to beat cardboard-made furniture in 30 seconds.
The furniture created by Hugo were filled with confettis, candys and business cards. On his side, JB made several medieval-inspired weapons with wood and tape. This was a fun way to gather with people about something very human: the enjoyment of destroying things.
Photography: Pierre Castignola
Noodle Cursed Table and Chairs
This outside furniture have been contaminated by a plastic noodle curse. After being used for so long in the Viennese Noodle Bar, these wooden furniture started to develop a strange behaviour. It seems that leftover noodles have merged with the table and turned into a sticky plastic material, like different types of tape twisted together. It propagated within the structure, moving the different parts and strengthening the connections. Still usable, these furniture offers an odd yet immersive noodle experience.
Made for the Noodle Bar curated by Pierre Castignola and Diego Faivre, displayed in Vienna for the Vienna Design Week 2022.
Photography: Pierre Castignola
La Scotcherie
Window display in collaboration with Hermès petit h.
The original idea from Petit h is to use scavenged or unused material from Hermès ateliers like silk, porcelain, leather or crystal to make new colorful, useful and playful objects.
In 2021, inspired from the DIY movement, they released their own tape made out of leather and silk leftovers. They collaborated with JB in order to create a scenography focused on the use of tape. Using mostly cardboard and wood constructions, the installation tells what you can do with a few basic materials and a bit of tape to create, repair and appropriate your objects with an Hermès touch.
From JB’s sketches and ideas, the project consisted in the vitrine and interior design of Petit h shop, as well as two window displays for the Hermès shop, which are located altogether in Rue de Sèvres, Paris.
At Petit h, their tape is showcased by the wood constructions JB designed for the occasion, made out of old scenography pieces of furniture. The theme suggests DIY making with leftover and tape that is sold in the shop by meter, with the help of a rolling machine.
At Hermès, the windows tells a story about packing and moving out, shaping emblematic Hermès products with cardboard and tape.
Following the installation of the vitrines JB co-animated a workshop at Petit h for few days, inviting the clients to join and make their own objects with cardboard and tape.
Located in Hermès shop 17 Rue de Sèvres, Paris between February and May 2022.
Scenography: Clémence Lasagna Studio
Photography: Alex Profit
Workshop co-host: Liz Stirling
Villager’s Hut
Is building a house possible with wood and duct tape? This challenge has been taken by JB for the occasion of the Dutch Design Week 2021, he proposed to build a shed and see what’s possible with his favourite materials.
During the construction, JB has been updating his progress on Instagram in a form of stories. The use of social media for a DIY project such as this on is interesting as people kept commenting and reacting to what he was doing. The building tutorial is available on Instagram.
Presented during the Dutch Design Week 2021 at Sectie-C, Eindhoven
Villager’s Outpost
Reception desk built for Design Academy’s « Missed your Call » exhibition during the Salone Del Mobile, Milan. Curated by Martina Muzi.
Only Fans
A small collection of fans made during the warm summer of 2021. The propellers are entirely made out of duct tape with motors scavenged from old printers.
2021
Photo credit : Pierre Castignola
Schlagos chair
This object is an old relique full of history. An undying piece of furniture constantly evolving by being destroyed and rebuilt with screws and tape. It is the very first chair I made, for a school assignment in 2017. Due to its uglyness and bulkyness, I destroyed it the year after and turned it into a chair. It broke again in 2020 during my graduation and became a structure. This was torn apart later on and transformed into a chair once again in 2021.
By going through many processes of destruction, I questionned our concept of perfection: what is ever finished? Like many good projects, objects can be stripped down, redesigned, destroyed, improved… What is important is our perception on the final object: it might not look perfect but it works.
Records Rack
Custom order for a records enthusiast.
Photography: Pierre Castignola
Eurobox Express Logistics
During his studies, JB lived in many different places. Inspired from his housing experience, which was in a constant move, he developped his second graduation project Eurobox Express Logistics.
Cardboard boxes are everywhere, they are part of our landscape. Fascinated by their logistic aesthetics (labels, barcodes,digits…), he used these boxes as material to pack items in a way they can still function. They are ready to be moved, ready to be shipped, anywhere, anytime, and can still work with the package layer. It’s about adapting items to this evergoing move of goods and people that we are experiencing nowadays.
Graduation project in Design Academy
Model: Olga Flor
Cut, Peel, Stick and Seal!
With duct tape, everything is possible, with duct tape, most uncompatible materials can be bound together… By creating his own tools and equipment, JB developped a whole new craft based on the use of duct tape. His investigation leads to a series of objects combining scrap material with his favourite medium.
Usually tape is known as a great tool to solve problems. It is an easy, accessible and quick thing to use. It inspires a certain dynamism, an energy that is proof of intuitive making. Tape has an aesthetic value that is fascinating. Its roughness and texture creates graphical shapes and lines, showing a movement that is fixed in time.
In his project Cut, Peel, Stick and Seal!, JB is appropriating this material by developing an ongoing research into methods and tape techniques. This is leading to a whole new craft that uses self made tools and equipment. With these means, he is reconstructing objects out of scrap wood and duct tape. Instead of repairing what is broken, it is about creating a new form language that showcases the playful and aesthetical values of this medium.
The outcome of this new craft shows how JB deals with whatever he can find around and how powerful a simple accessible material such as duct tape can be.
Graduation project in Design academy
Photography: Nicole Marnati