How do you find inspiration for your designs? What inspired this BDP set in particular?

I'm passionate about various forms of art, including architecture, movies, games, and concept arts among others. However, I believe there are many more factors influencing my designs. Everyday life experiences and personal memories for instance play a crucial role for me, as that is what makes my work unique and personal. I grew up in the surroundings of Paris and have always been fascinated and attracted by the Haussmannian architecture with its elegant facade. I always dreamt of building a set that could capture the atmosphere of old vintage Paris, at least the way I see it through my eyes, and the Bricklink Designer Program provided a great opportunity to propose my idea to the Bricklink community.

What was the first set you ever built? Which one is your favorite? What is one set you would love to see being made?

I would say the 7416 Emperor's Ship. I'm not completely certain if this is the very first set, I ever had but is at least the one that stands out the most from my early childhood. Despite being small in comparison to today's big official LEGO sets, it holds a significant meaning to me, as I remember spending countless hours as a kid in my bedroom imagining adventure stories with my brothers using this set.

I think my favorite current LEGO set would probably be the 10275 Elf Club House set, designed by Chris Mcweigh. Being a big fan of the Winter Village collection series, this set is in my opinion one of the most successful ones. Even though it's not the biggest or most challenging set ever made, this set brings so much magic and joy to me, and always has a specific place in my Christmas decoration.

How would you describe your building style? Do you usually design sets within a certain theme?

I'm a trained architect, so I think architecture is certainly one common theme in my designs. Creating models with LEGO bricks lets me get rid of realistic constraints of architecture and bring my imaginative ideas to life. I'm also passionate about everything related to fantasy, science fiction and art in general and I try to show that in my designs. I really believe that bringing some magic and creativity to a model is what makes an idea truly successful, and LEGO can provide that kind of opportunity!

How would you describe your role in the LEGO fan community? Have you been to any LEGO community events or conventions? If so, what were they like?

I'm an active member in the online LEGO community for many years and love sharing my ideas via social networks or LEGO Ideas and interacting with the fan community. In 2020, I was invited to the LEGO World convention in Copenhagen to showcase two microscale models of famous buildings from Bjarke Ingels Group. It was an amazing experience, and meeting other LEGO fans with different backgrounds but a shared passion was really enjoyable. Even though I did not attend numerous LEGO fan events, I'm sharing this passion with my brothers which brings me a lot of joy, as we always get inspired by each other.

What do you think makes a BDP set successful? What advice would you give to the next set of hopeful BDP designers?

I believe that a successful idea comes with originality and dedication. A great idea and a good story behind a design are, in my opinion, much more valuable than a great execution of a model. Before starting to build, ask yourself and your friends if the idea could potentially be interesting for a large group of people and try to imagine something that has never been seen before! For instance, references for inspiration are great to use as a starting point, but don't forget to bring your own imagination and originality to it. If you are really passionate about something and show it in your model, there is no doubt that the community will love it! :)