Jean-Michael Wilmotte
France

Jean-Michel Wilmotte

The work of Jean-Michel Wilmotte is a constant search for quality. It uses, in this quest, a unique palette of colors and materials to give life to forms derived from his imagination. His pursuit of excellence is guided by a sense of elegance, proportion, comfort and refinement. These traits are found throughout his work, be it architecture, exhibition design, interior design, urban planning and design. Its projects range from the towers to private homes, motor racing circuits shopping centers, housing for offices, hotels and museums. The hard work, coupled with a sensitive approach to environmental issues, cultural and social brings the beauty in our everyday lives.


Biography

Born in Soissons (Picardy) in 1948, Jean-Michel Wilmotte studied interior design at the Camondo school of interior design in Paris. Just two years after graduating, he founded his own agency in Paris in 1975. With a sober and elegant style, neither too traditional nor too modern, he seduced a number of personalities including François Mitterand, who asked him to design part of his private apartments in the Elysée Palace in 1982. Soon after, the mayor of Nimes, Jean Bousquet, commissioned the redevelopment of the city hall and the Museum of Fine Arts.

Jean-Michel Wilmotte earned his degree in architecture in 1993, allowing him to work on large scale and to develop the concept of "interior design of cities", while maintaining the same attention to the use of "noble materials and extreme attention to finishes" notable in his smaller scaled works. Over the years, the agency has diversified and operates primarily in five key areas: architecture, interior design, museology, urbanism and design. An attention to details allows Jean-Michel Wilmotte and his team to work from the smallest to the largest scale: moving from a house to a skyscraper, from a shop to a corporate headquarters, from a gallery of art to a museum, and from street furnitures to urban design. Currently the agency Wilmotte & Associates has 185 employees from 40 different origins. It has now taken a clear international and multicultural dimension, with projects in over twenty countries around the world. The Firm is now established in four locations in Paris, one in Sophia-Antipolis, one in London and one in Seoul.

In 2005, the Wilmotte Foundation was created to promote the urban graft through the W Prize, with the goal of helping and encouraging young architects. In 2010, according to a study by UK magazine Building Design, the agency is listed in the world ranking of the 100 largest architecture firms, holding the 73rd spot in 2011.