You won’t find any Ikea furniture in Bianca Gerber’s living room – but you will find pieces from her own collection. The designer and founder of the Swiss interior brand Les Bois tells us how she got her act together and is now living the dream of running her own company.
FACES: How did it come about that you became a furniture designer and eventually started your own furniture company?
Bianca Gerber: I got up one day and asked myself what actually fulfills me. I came to the conclusion that I didn’t want to spend my whole life as an employee, but rather create something of my own and take off as an entrepreneur. Even as a teenager, I was fascinated by architecture, design, fashion and pop culture. Back then, I could spend hours in furniture stores looking at the statics of furniture. So I thought to myself: “Hey, just make furniture yourself!” At 35, it took me a relatively long time to come to this realization. I ended up studying at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in London for a year. It all happened quite quickly – and that suited me perfectly, as I wanted to set up my own company back in Switzerland soon. Back home, I got straight down to planning: I drew up the business plan, the logo, the name and thought about marketing, all on my own. My goal had always been to build something of my own and to be my own boss at some point.
FACES: Have you always been crafty?
Bianca Gerber: I was already a handy child in art class and built things myself at home. We didn’t have a TV for a long time, instead my mother encouraged us to knead and paint. My father is a painter and my mother is a psychologist, designer and seamstress. I think I was born with creativity – but not only that. I have so many facets, and this is just one of them.
One-woman show
FACES: Did you have helping hands in the process of setting up Les Bois, or did you do it all on your own?
Bianca Gerber: I did as much as I could on my own – to design the logo, for example, would have cost me a graphic designer several thousand francs, and as a start-up I couldn’t afford that at the beginning. So I sat down for a day and sketched the logo myself. A good friend, who was an important part of building my brand, helped me with more complex topics such as the business plan or operational issues. Without investors and a large team behind you, you have to be a little more patient. The good thing about this is that everything grows organically and independence is not lost.
FACES: What has been the biggest stumbling block in your journey as an entrepreneur and in building Les Bois so far, and how did you overcome it?
Bianca Gerber: There was actually never a point where I was completely overwhelmed. Whenever I reached my limits, I brought a specialist on board. For example, it was clear from the start that I would need external help with the website. But I also have the attitude that there is a solution to every problem. However, the start into entrepreneurship should definitely not be underestimated and brings with it numerous obstacles as well as initial successes. But I am very ambitious and when I want something, I go for it.
One milestone after the next
FACES: What was your biggest milestone?
Bianca Gerber: One of my latest achievements is the collaboration with the international news and lifestyle magazine Monocle by Tylor Brûlé, which I am very proud of.
FACES: Is there anything you would do differently when starting a new business today?
Bianca Gerber: Not really. The only thing I would work on is my perfectionist traits and try to lose myself less in details.
FACES: If Les Bois were a person, how would you envision them?
Bianca Gerber: I would say down-to-earth, modest and reserved. Probably living in the Swiss mountains and rooted and in harmony with nature. Les Bois would definitely be a person who is future-oriented.
A good piece of furniture must do more than just look good
FACES: What does a good piece of furniture have to be able to do, and what demands do you have on it with Les Bois?
Bianca Gerber: My furniture has to be functional and not just look good. They should be made of materials that I can stand behind: correctly declared wood that I know where it comes from. I have to have an overview and complete control. Where and how the material is processed is particularly important. It should be produced in a country where employees don’t just work for hours for a pittance and without a pee break. Because my furniture is made by hand in Switzerland, it also has a certain price tag. However, I would never put furniture on the market that does not meet these requirements.
FACES: Which local Swiss wood is your favorite?
Bianca Gerber: At the moment I’m a huge fan of smoked oak. The oak is naturally darkened by ammonia. However, the wood does not remain porous like with other varnishes – I think that’s brilliant. I really wanted to offer dark wood because I like the black factor in combination with minimalist furnishings.
Les Bois works together with Swiss producers
FACES: What does your collaboration with Swiss carpenters look like?
Bianca Gerber: You sometimes sit together for hours and develop the product and the statics and several prototypes until you find the one. We are a very close-knit team, and trust is very important for our collaboration. It was not easy to find the right producers. There have also been times when I had to break off a collaboration because there was a lack of quality or trust. You have to be able to stand behind your product – interpersonal relationships are very important. However, I am currently very happy with my producer.
FACES: What sets solid wood apart from processed wood?
Bianca Gerber: The special thing about solid wood is that it is open-pored and can breathe. If you place it in a bedroom, it regulates the climate. When it gets colder, the material contracts, and when it gets warmer, it expands – I found this very interesting during my research. Switzerland consists of 30 percent forest. There is no need to import wood from China so that it can be processed here. Solid wood has a certain charm because it is lively and individual and has a certain structure.
FACES: Would you describe your customers more as old design hands or new-fangled hipsters?
Bianca Gerber: I would say right across the board. I bridge the gap between hippie and banker. My customers include all kinds of people, which I find super interesting. Although the old hand tends to be more critical and has higher expectations than the hipster.
Local, domestic, sustainable
FACES: What ecological practices go into the production of your furniture?
Bianca Gerber: One of the most important steps in brand creation and development is the identity of the brand itself, which is why I didn’t want to manufacture my furniture anywhere in the world, but locally in Swiss joineries and exclusively from local woods. My aim was to build up and distribute my furniture brand as sustainably as possible. I am very proud that I can cultivate my brand sustainably and honestly and not simply greenwash it for advertising purposes.
FACES: A unique marbling emerges from each tree; is that what makes solid wood so charming?
Bianca Gerber: Exactly! We humans are not perfect either, we all have our quirks and idiosyncrasies. It’s exactly the same with trees: each grain is individual and tells its own story. So there are cracks and flaws. My target group is environmentally aware and demanding. Anyone who buys furniture from Les Bois appreciates the quality and consciously buys a unique item rather than a mass-produced product.
Minimalism on fleek
FACES: Your designs are minimalist and have no frills. What is the idea behind it?
Bianca Gerber: I have traveled a lot in my life and have been inspired by various places – but most of all by Tokyo. Japanese architecture with hard concrete and minimalist wooden furniture has always fascinated me. Even my business card is inspired by the Japanese metro. In any case, I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel and prefer to create something that is timeless and fits in everywhere. My furniture can be placed anywhere – be it in a modern apartment, commercial building, loft or chalet.
FACES: How do the Swiss perceive furniture compared to other countries? Are we prepared to pay more for sustainable furniture?
Bianca Gerber: I’m only in the local market and don’t have much of a comparison. I lived in London and came back with great heartache, but Switzerland is ideal for a start-up. My target customers are Swiss people who can afford my sustainable furniture without winking.
A new challenge every day
FACES: What gives you the most pleasure when you get up in the morning and think about your work?
Bianca Gerber: I look forward to a new challenge every day. There’s something new that I have to deal with almost every day with Les Bois – that’s what drives me and gets me out of bed in the morning. I’m currently in a phase where I’m getting a lot of feedback, and you have to be a perfectionist. But this passion is precisely the reason why I founded a start-up.
FACES: Do you also have Ikea furniture in your home? And what do you think of Ikea furniture in general?
Bianca Gerber: I don’t have any Ikea furniture in my home at the moment, but in my younger years it was a different story. Ikea’s basic concept of packaging individual items and then selling them as easily transportable do-it-yourself items is pretty cool. Ikea offers some really beautiful designs. I think the current Varmblixt collection by Sabine Marcelis is brilliant.
Much admiration for Steve Jobs
FACES: Let’s say you got to furnish your biggest idol’s living room with Les Bois furniture, whose living room would that be?
Bianca Gerber: Probably Steve Jobs – he’s no longer alive, but I admire him as a visionary and it would have been a huge challenge to furnish his house. He had a huge project and was such a perfectionist that he never furnished it properly. There are pictures of him sitting alone in the middle of an empty living room with a single lamp. I love challenges like this.
FACES: You once mentioned that your rebellious side also flows into your furniture. How is this urge to rebel reflected in your furniture?
Bianca Gerber: I think I’m a mixture of punk and bourgeois. I love a certain degree of luxury, I like to travel, I like nice things, but when you set up a start-up, you’re automatically a punk: you enter a field of the unknown and you need a lot of power to do your thing even if you’re told no. For me, a no was always a yes – I’m a bit of a rebel in that respect.
FACES: Are there any particular pieces of furniture from your collection that you are particularly proud of?
Bianca Gerber: I don’t have a specific favorite piece; however, the sideboard was the first piece of furniture I brought to life, the golden ratio, so to speak, which naturally has an emotional value. The sideboard still sits in my living room and is proof to me that I’ve hit the mark at one point.
Leadership needs to be learned
FACES: Has being your own boss now changed the way you look at leadership positions?
Bianca Gerber: My perspective has certainly changed with more responsibility. You have to make a lot of decisions – of course you can get other opinions and expertise, but in the end you have to do a lot on your own. Sometimes that’s not easy. My philosophy has always been: learning by doing.
FACES: Is there any specific feedback from your clients that has particularly stuck in your mind?
Bianca Gerber: I still deliver my furniture myself, which customers really appreciate. One of the best moments for me was when I recently delivered a piece of furniture to a buyer: She was so happy about it that she sent me a heartfelt email afterwards with photos of her decorated living room. I think these are the moments I need to hold on to.
FACES: Are there any particular projects or collaborations that you would still like to realize with Les Bois?
Bianca Gerber: Several projects are currently running in parallel. Running my own showroom is certainly at the top of my list. I am also already in the starting position for a new collection; tables, beds and chairs are being taken to the next product development phase. I am also pushing ahead with the resale of my existing collection.
Les Bois
At best, furniture accompanies us for a lifetime. One reason for the minimalist designs that Bianca Gerber creates for her own label Les Bois. She draws her inspiration from the big wide world, whereby only natural local woods are used on the workbenches of her Swiss producers. It goes without saying that these sideboards and shelves outlast their cheap Ikea counterparts by far.
Forget run-of-the-mill furniture and get great pieces with charm and character from Les Bois. Click here for the website.
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Teaser photo & photos: © Yves Bachmann, Cyrill Matter
