Born in a family of furniture makers in southern Belgium, Jean-François studied Industrial Design at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels-La Cambre in Brussels before moving to the US in 1994 to collaborate with designer Bill Stumpf, the man behind the iconic Aeron chair and other notable innovations in seating and ergonomics. A committed researcher, opinionated designer, occasional sculptor and graphic designer, Jean-François practices a total approach to design and maintains that: “Good designs are like good friends. The more time you spend with them, the more you appreciate them.”