About Bou
I’m Seb (Sebouh), an architect, furniture designer, and the founder of Bou London.
My first furniture piece was a solution to an acute problem when I began working from home.
My small flat was increasingly having to accommodate a new function: an office. The work I do requires a lot of space and clutter – a prominent computer complete with foreboding black screen when switched off, a tangle of cables, a multitude of sketchbooks and papers…
For three years prior to the pandemic, I was working from my kitchen table carrying monitor, papers and all the other paraphernalia into another room when guests visited. Aside from the nuisance, being surrounded by reminders of work after office hours was not conducive to a contented or healthy existence.
Protracted searches for a better set-up yielded large desks that would dominate my living space when not in use, or compact workstations too small to work from comfortably for long periods.
Lockdown exacerbated the need to separate work from living, and propelled me to solve the problem myself.
The FOLD Maxi evolved. When unfolded, it provides space for a full-sized computer and a wide monitor (or two screens) – as much room as a regular office desk would. And, when closed, all evidence of work life is tactfully hidden away, leaving a contemporary, unobtrusive cabinet in my living space.
The physical action of folding away at the end of the day is, for me, unparalleled; the equivalent of shutting up shop. The most important things are usually the simplest.
What began as a problem-solving adventure was followed by positive feedback and commissions from some keen early adopters.
This led me to found Bou London. We are a small company and we want to stay that way, so we can keep designing with thoughtfulness and care, producing pieces that last and make life better.
All our furniture is designed by us in London and is handmade in Britain by skilled cabinetmakers. Many of the components we use are designed by us and manufactured bespoke, so our furniture is truly unique.
