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Inga Sempé (born 1968) is a French designer known for creating technical items,^[1] including furniture, lamps, and other design objects. She has collaborated with renowned manufacturers such as Ligne Roset, Alessi, and Baccarat. In 2007, she received the prestigious Red Dot Design Award.

Inga Sempé was born in 1968 to Mette Ivers, a Danish graphic artist and painter, and Jean-Jacques Sempé, a renowned French graphic artist. She studied at the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Création Industrielle (ENSCI) in Paris, graduating in 1993. She is married to designer Ronan Bouroullec and has two children.^[2] Inga Sempé currently lives and works in Paris.

In 1994, Inga Sempé collaborated with Australian designer Marc Newson, and from 1997 to 1999, she worked with French designer Andrée Putman. Beginning in 2000, she collaborated with Italian design companies Cappellini and Edra while also establishing her own company in Paris.^[3] Sempé focuses on creating sustainable and simple, yet not minimalist, objects.

For Inga Sempé, functionality is paramount, and the choice of material must support it. She is known for creating versatile designs, such as lamps that can be extended like accordions and a suitcase prototype for the manufacturer VIA that can replace a hotel wardrobe by adjusting its size.^[4] She collaborates with Italian, French, and Scandinavian design companies, designing furniture, decor, and various objects for brands like Alessi,^[5] Ligne Roset, Baccarat, Tectona, HAY, LucePlan, Moustache, and the American manufacturer Artecnica.

Many of Inga Sempé's lamps feature fan-like lampshades that create diverse light and shadow effects. The Plissé pendant lamp, produced by Luceplan, is designed with pleated material that can be unfolded like an accordion. In 2009, the lamp manufacturer Moustache introduced the Vapeur series of pendant and table lamps, distinguished by their unique lampshades made from densely folded Tyvek fleece. This thin, paper-like material is available in either white or printed with delicate, fine lines in soft colors.

The Swedish lamp manufacturer Wästberg offers a clip lamp designed by Inga Sempé, which can be used as a table lamp or hung on the wall.^[3]

• In 2003, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris dedicated an exhibition to Inga Sempé.^[6]
• In 2024, the Triennale Milano hosted an exhibition titled Inga Sempé, La Casa Imperfetta ("The Imperfect House"), curated by Marco Sammicheli.^[7][8][9]

In 2000-2001, Inga Sempé received a scholarship for the Villa Medici, an institution of the Académie de France à Rome. In 2003, she was awarded the 8000-Euro Major Design Award of the City of Paris.^[10] In 2007, she won the Red Dot Design Award for her upholstered furniture Moël.^[11] In 2012, she was a guest of honor at the Stockholm Furniture & Northern Light Fair.^[12]

• Florian Siebeck talking with Inga Sempé: Frankreich ist ein furchtbares Land für Designer, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 4 August 2015, retrieved 15 October 2015.
• S. A.: Designer des Monats: Inga Sempé. Inga Sempé glaubt nicht an Inspiration. Dennoch zählt die 39-Jährige zu den inspiriertesten Designerinnen unserer Zeit., Elle, 9 September 2008, retrieved 15 October 2015.

• Official website