Charlotte: Born in Neuilly-sur-Seine (Paris, France), grew up in the capital until I finished university.
Javier: Born in Toledo (Spain), grew up in a small village, Consuegra.
MAGAZINE · INTERVIEW
Simone & Marcel – Charlotte Foussat & Javier Peces Moral
Charlotte Foussat and Javier Peces Moral are the French–Spanish design duo behind Simone & Marcel, a Spain-based studio dedicated to contemporary lighting and collectible objects. Combining Charlotte’s creative direction with Javier’s engineering expertise, their practice explores the relationship between light, material, and everyday living. Guided by a shared belief that design should balance beauty with functionality, they create timeless pieces distinguished by refined proportions, understated elegance, and enduring quality.
Working closely with artisans across Spain, Simone & Marcel develop lighting and home objects crafted from noble materials including alabaster, marble, brass, ceramic, and wood. Their practice combines technical precision with traditional craftsmanship, resulting in sculptural designs that celebrate material authenticity while bringing warmth, character, and quiet sophistication to contemporary interiors.
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Interview
Where were you born and where are you from?
What is your first memory connected to the art world?
Charlotte: My mum used to make us skip school once per trimester to spend a day visiting museums, going to exhibitions, and going to the theatre. I remember this as a very fun day, making art something even more exciting.
Have you always worked in the art/design field?
Charlotte: Not at all. I started to work in the design field when we launched Simone & Marcel. Before that, I did various jobs in manufacturing (household appliances) and the food industry.
Javier: I started working for a lighting design and manufacturing company after university, my first full-time job. So, we can say that I have always worked in the design field, but more on the engineering side at first.
What led you to design creation?
Charlotte: When we moved to our (previous) new house in London, it wasn’t furnished, so Javier suggested we make our own furniture. He always enjoyed doing things with his hands, so we set ourselves this little challenge. We figured out we enjoyed working together, and I loved furniture design. Since Javier was working in a lighting company as a design engineer, we naturally decided to start our business making lamps.
How would you describe your creative process and its influences?
Our designs are influenced by anything in life: an object, a moment, a person, a scenery. Sometimes, the creative process is led by a shape, but it can also be led by a mix of materials or technology we want to use.
Could you describe a typical day of your work?
Charlotte: Since my work is mainly computer-related, I can work from home and adapt my schedule according to our daughter’s needs. I work in little sessions throughout the day (even on weekends and at night during the week).
Why did you choose the specific materials you work with?
Because of its local presence (sourced mainly from Spain, Portugal), but most importantly because of the natural colour and texture of each material.
What are the technical particularities of your creations?
The engineering behind the lamp is strong and simple, so it lasts forever and is easy to do (but the thinking to achieve this result is difficult). Invest time thinking about how to do things to then save time making things.
What advice could you give to beginning artists who would like to create sculptural design works?
Don’t be afraid to create a story around the design; people like to see behind the scenes. They are very curious. I believe it is as important as the design itself.
If your works had to belong to a design movement, how would you define it?
A mix between purity (minimalism) and the 70s, but mostly minimalism.
What designers and artists have influenced you?
None. We admire the work of many designers, but none really initiates anything in our creative process.
What contemporary designers do you appreciate?
Not very contemporary, but Antoni Gaudí.
If you had to summarize your creations in one word or sentence, what would it be?
Balancing simplicity and exception.
“Don’t be afraid to create a story around the design; people like to see behind the scenes.”
The Questionnaire
The Questions
(The Proust Questionnaire is a set of questions answered by the French writer Marcel Proust.
Other historical figures who have answered confession albums are Oscar Wilde,
Karl Marx, Arthur Conan Doyle, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Cézanne…)
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Javier: Having a happy family and enough money to support them.
What is your greatest fear?
Javier: Losing what I said before.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Javier: I would like to be more consistent in my routines.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Javier: Betrayal.
Which living person do you most admire?
Javier: My wife.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Javier: All sorts of gadgets, golf and car simulator, tech, mountain and climbing equipment, tools.
What is your current state of mind?
Javier: I´m thinking about future goals and how to achieve them.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Javier: Sincerity, because it can cause pain to others.
What is the quality you most like in a man?
Javier: To have good moral values.
What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Javier: To have good moral values.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Javier: F***ING , I should not use it ☺.
Which talent would you most like to have?
Javier: Total concentration.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Javier: My concentration.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Javier: What we have experienced as a couple. Together with Charlotte we have been able to travel the world working in many places, discovering the world, and now we are developing our family and our brand together.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Javier: As me.
Where would you most like to live?
Javier: Switzerland.
What is your most treasured possession?
Javier: My car simulator.
What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Javier: The lowest depth of misery is feeling completely alone and hopeless.
What is your favorite occupation?
Javier: Astronaut.
What is your most marked characteristic?
–
What do you most value in your friends?
Javier: Being a good person.
Who are your favorite writers?
Javier: Bob Iger, Phil Knight.
Who is your hero of fiction?
Javier: Forrest Gump.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Javier: None that comes to mind.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Javier: Volunteers in catastrophic situations.
What are your favorite names?
Javier: Lou, Nicole.
What is it that you most dislike?
Javier: Fakeness.
What is your greatest regret?
Javier: To not have bought any properties.
How would you like to die?
Javier: Relaxed, around my people and feeling that I have fulfilled my life.
What is your motto?
Javier: Be good to others and you will get it back.
“The engineering behind the lamp is strong and simple, so it lasts forever and is easy to make. Invest time thinking about how to do things to then save time making things.”
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