Spanish designer Jaime Hayon guest of honour at the international biennial Interieur 08 in Kortrijk

17 to 26 October, 2008

For the 21st edition of the international interior biennial in Kortrijk, project coordinator Dieter Van
Den Storm managed to snare the Spanish designer Jaime Hayon (°1974). The youngest and the
first Spanish guest of honour ever, is known for his frivolous design and unbridled imagination.
Jaime Hayon has already worked behind the scenes for six months on this project.
The biennial Interieur is an international event that each time provides an overview of the new
ideas, products, creations and developments in the field of interiors. The 21st edition will be held
from in the Xpo halls in Kortrijk, Belgium. Jaime
Hayon the Spanish enfant terrible is considered as a trail-blazing talent in the world of design.
Jaime Hayon: “I am delighted with the opportunity that I have. Interieur 08 is well known as a
quality biennial event, and it is naturally nice to be part of it. Furthermore, it is an overwhelming
feeling to appear on the same list as previous guests of honour such as Konstantin Grcic, James
Irvine, Philippe Starck and Jasper Morisson. In short, it is a great honour to be able to do here in
Kortrijk what I enjoy doing, among people who appreciate and stimulate quality. These are quite
big shoes to be filled. Hopefully we can put on a
sprightly show with the best of our work. Visitors can rest assured that they will be surprised.”
And a look of Jaime Hayon’s record of achievement will confirm as much. The Spanish designer’s creations constitute a clear break with everything going.
In short, someone who fits perfectly with the “guest-of-honour” vision of Interieur. Since the first edition in 1968, an international guest has been chosen carefully for his ability to surprise, to reflect and
preferably outpace the spirit of the times. Famous designers such as Raymond Loewy, Verner
Paton, Andrea Branzi and Jean Nouvel have in the past been given the opportunity to show their
work to the public in a changing setting. This established trend will be continued further in 2008.
Project coordinator Dieter Van Den Storm has this to say about choosing Jaime Hayon: “We are
living in an age when designers do more than just create furniture. Inter-disciplinary talents are
this time charting the course for the design world and the future. Jaime Hayon is such a talent. I
admire the way that he adapts the history of design to his needs, sometimes in a playful and
funny manner, at times extravagantly too. From bathrooms and ceramics to shoes, furniture and
interiors, Jaime Hayon completely fits in with the new class of creative renaissance men. And he
is one of the very few who manage to do so at a high level.”