The following posts are a selection of French Designers that I have posted about over the last year. French design styles incorporate the new and the old. It is bold and sophisticated. It is attention to detail, whether a brooch, a clock, fabric, or glass.
The following designers offers an informative and interesting perspective on French design. The charm of French design is that it pervades all styles from traditional to modern and surprisingly it is diverse;
Jean Goulden (1878 – 1946) French Artisan and Painter
Jean Goulden was a French painter, musician, and crafter who lived from 1878 to 1946. During World War I, he found Byzantine enamels near Mount Athos in Macedonia. His Cubist pendulum clocks were some of his best pieces. Only 180 of his items are known to exist.Read More →
Pierre Balmain (1914 – 1982) French fashion designer
Pierre Balmain (1914 – 1982) was a French fashion designer and the influential postwar fashion house Balmain founder. He described the art of dressmaking as “the architecture of movement,” and he was known for his sophistication and elegance.Read More →
Jacques Gruber (1870 – 1936) French Stained Glass artist and designer
Jacques Gruber (1870-1936) was a French stained-glass artist, designer, and teacher, born Sundhausen, Alsace. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, under Gustave Moreau. He was distinguished as a designer in the Art Nouveau idiom. Read More →
Louis Rault (1847 – 1903) French sculptor, engraver and jewellery designer
Louis Rault (1847 – 1903) was a French Sculptor, engraver, silversmith and jewellery designer.Between 1868 and 1875, Rault worked in the Boucheron workshop on the Place Vendรดme in Paris. At the end of the nineteenth century, he set up a workshop where he produced silver and jewellery in the Art Nouveau style.Read More →
Boris-Jean Lacroix (1902-1984) ๐ซ๐ท French Lighting Designer
Boris-Jean Lacroix (1902-1984) was a French Lighting Designer born in Paris. Biography Lacroix was a prolific designer of lighting, wallpaper, bookbinding, furniture, and interiors; in 1924, began working for couturier Madeleine Vionnet as a designer of dresses, handbags, and costume jewellery; soon after, decorated and designed her private residence. His designs were commissioned byRead More →
Paul Poiret (1879 – 1944) – King of Fashion
In the early decades of the 20th century, Paul Poiret was a crucial figure in the French fashion industry, notably by adding a deep oriental flavour and rich colours to contemporary clothing. Read More →
Martine Bedin (b.1957) radical architecture and design
Bedin was one of the founders of the avant-garde Memphis group in Milan in 1981. Also, she has worked as an architect, industrial designer and professor. Her work is held in many important museums and private collections. Bedinโs aesthetic is typically colourful and self-consciously kitschy.Read More →
Jan and Joel Martel (1896 – 1966) twin brothers and French sculptors
Jan and Joel Martel (1896 – 1966) were twin brothers and French sculptors. They were born in Nantes and active in Paris. Cement, glass, steel, mirrors, ceramics, lacquers, and synthetics were all used in their projects.Read More →
Jean Patou (1880 – 1936) ๐ฉ Fashion Designer
One of Patouโs most famous customers was the French tennis champion Suzanne Lenglen, whom he dressed both on and off the court. This lean and active young woman epitomised the 1920s โnew woman.โ She created a furore in 1921 when she wore Patouโs knee-length pleated skirt, which revealed much of her legs when she ran. The headband she wore while playing tennis was widely copied by women throughout the 1920s for day and evening wear.Read More →
Andre Salomon (1891 -1970) French Lighting Engineer
He was an engineer at Tompson before setting up the small electrical firm Perfรฉcla (Perfectionnement de IโEcla), regularly working with architects and designers, including Pierre Chareau, and Andrรฉ Lurcat, Renรฉ Herbst, and architect Robert Mallet-Stevens. For the latter, he produced the widely published 1929 lighting fixture designed by Francis Jourdain in the form of a suspended concave metal ring projecting rays onto the ceiling and reflecting a soft indirect light elsewhere. Read More →
Pierre-รmile Legrain (1889 -1929) French Furniture Designer
He submitted cartoons in 1908 for Paul Iribeโs satirical reviews Le Tรฉmoin, LโAssiette au beurre, Le Mot, and La Baionnette. Iribe invited Legrain to collaborate with him on projects including furniture and interior design, jewelry for Robert Linzeler, and dress designs for Paquin.Read More →
Maison Gripoix costume jeweller – glass with class
Maison Gripoix, a French costume jeweller, was located in Paris. Around 1890, Maison Gripoix sold glass beads and buttons wholesale. Subsequently, specialised in handmade imitations of precious and semi-precious jewels, including parures for Sarah Bernhardt.Read More →
Fernand Nathan French furniture desiger
A painter before becoming active as an interior architect, he was a cabinetmaker and designer of lighting, printed fabrics, and furniture. His furniture reflected the influences of Chippendale, Louis XVI, Directoire, Restauration, and Louis Philippe styles. Some of Nathanโs furniture was produced by Beyne.Read More →
Pierre Paulin (1927 – 2009) French furniture designer
He was active in research for the government-sponsored Mobilier International. His first plastic object was the 1953 Chair 157 in polyester, ABS, and elastomers produced by Artifort of Maastricht. Around 1955, he was one of the first to work in elasticised fabrics for Thonet and subsequently for Artifort.Read More →
Raymond Loewy (1893 – 1986) ๐บ๐ธ American Designer
He arrived in the United States in 1929, just in time for the great depression. As it happened the beginning of the depression was a fortuitous time for a talented designer with new ideas to arrive in the United States. The old design aesthetic was disappearing with the collapsing economy. Manufacturers wanted to stimulate demand for their products by offering customers new designs, and Loewy had an abundance of them with the ego to match. His mother had always told him, “It is better to be envied than pitied.”Read More →
Andre Hermant (1908 – 1978) French architect and furniture designer
In 1936, he became a member of UAM (Union des Artistes Modernes); after World War II, he participated in the reconstruction of the port of Le Havre under the direction of architect Auguste Perret.Read More →
Suzanne Guiguichon French Furniture Designer
Suzanne Guiguichon was a French furniture designer and decorator. She was born and worked in Paris. Since 1929 she worked as a designer with Maurice Dufrene at the Galeries Lafayette design studio La Maitrise in Paris. Most of the furniture, clocks, lighting, fabrics, rugs, accessories Guiguichon designed anonymously.Read More →
Sociรฉtรฉ des Artistes Dรฉcorateurs (Society of Decorative Artists) – France
The creation in 1901 of the Sociรฉtรฉ des Artistes Dรฉcorateurs (SAD) reflected the increasing significance in France of this new profession of Decorative Arts. This resulted from a series of government-funded projects carried out in the fine and applied arts schools of France to improve the status of applied arts and training. Read More →
Jean-Paul Gaultier (b.1952) French Fashion Designer
Before launching his label in 1976, Gaultier worked for Cardin, Jacques Esteirel, and Patou. From the onset, Gaultier was dubbed the ‘enfant terrible de Paris’.Read More →
Eileen Gray (1879 – 1976) Irish/French Furniture Designer
Eileen Gray was an French furniture designer and architect. Her work reflected a stylistic pastiche of far eastern and french influences.Read More →
Renรฉ Lalique (1860 – 1945) French goldsmith and glassmaker
Artisan in glass and creator of family firm Cristal Lalique Renรฉ Lalique was a French glass designer, jeweller, furniture designer, painter, and sculptor. He was born in 1860 in a small town in the province of Champagne. The family moved to Paris, and Lalique was apprenticed to the well known Paris goldsmith, Louis Aucoc,Read More →
George Barbier one of the Great French Illustrators
George Barbier was one of the Great French Illustrators of the early 20th centuryRead More →
Lรฉon Jallot (1874 – 1967) French designer and artisan.
Lรฉon Jallot (1874ยญ1967), a scion of the French Art Nouveau, stood out within the movement as an รฉbรฉniste, or cabinet maker.Read More →
Jean Adnet (1900 – 1995) French designer
In 1928, Jean Adnet became director of the window-display department at Galeries Lafayette, where, in 1922, brother Jacques Adnet became director of its La Maitrise decorating studio; they collaborated under the name โJJ Adnet.Read More →
Mario Botta (b.1943) Swiss Architect and Designer
While the space arrangements in this structure are inconsistent, its relationship to its site, separation of living from service spaces, and deep window recesses echo his stark, robust and towering style. Read More →
Clรฉment Mรจre (1861 – 1940) French painter, tabletier, designer and furniture maker
Clรฉment Mรจre was born in Bayonne and active in Paris. He was a French painter, table-builder, artist and furniture builder.
He studied painting with Jean-Lรฉon Gรฉrรดme at the รcole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.Read More →
‘Exposition Universelle’ Paris 1900
The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world’s fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next. It was held at the esplanade of Les Invalides, the Champ de Mars, the Trocadรฉro and at the banks of the Seine between them, with an additional section in the Bois de Vincennes, and it was visited by more than 50 million people. Read More →
Malvine Tcherniak (1894 – 1968) French/Russian Decorator
In the 1920s, she designed ceramics, textiles and wallpaper and domestic items for the Primavera department store of the Au Printemps department store, Paris.Read More →
Lucien Falize (1838 – 1897) French goldsmith and jeweller
Lucien Falize (1838- 1897) was French goldsmith and jeweller. He was active in Paris and son of Alexis Falize, father of Andre Falize. When his father retired in 1876, Lucien assumed directorship of the family business. He attempted to expand the business by showing at 1878 Paris ‘Exposition Universelle’ and becoming partners with Germain Bapst. In 1892, the partnership was dissolved. Read More →
New York Fashion: The Evolution of American Style (Hardcover)
New York Fashion has been a seminal book on the story of American fashion since its hardcover debut in 1989. Caroline Rennolds Milbank chronicles the enormous changes in the fashion world from the early nineteenth century to the late twentieth century and the rise of prominent American designers such as Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and others.Read More →
Jean Luce (1895 – 1964) French ceramicist and glassware designer
French designer. He worked primarily in ceramics, but also designed for glass and gold. His ceramics, in an Art Deco style, were manufactured in Limoges Read More →
Jean-Maurice Rothschild (1902- 1988) French decorator and designer
He began working in 1921 for Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann in Paris as a designer and artisan. He participated in the design of Ruhlmann’s ‘Hรดtel du collectionneur’ at the 1925 Paris ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes.’Read More →
Jacques-รmile Ruhlmann (1879 – 1933) outstanding furniture designer
Jacques-รmile Ruhlmann (1879 – 1933) was a French designer who was born and lived in Paris. n 1907, he took over his father’s house painting company in Paris. He first exhibited his work in 1911, with architect Charles Plumet and couturier Jacques Doucet, Frantz Jourdain, and Tony Selmersheim.Read More →
Philippe Starck (1949 – ) the artist-designer
Phillippe Starck is one of the most widely known artistโdesigner ‘names’ in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Starck is one of France’s most fรชted designers who has worked across a wide range of media. His work epitomises the intersection of art and design, its often fanciful qualities attracting both critical approbation and criticism, particularly in such commissions as pasta for Panzani (1987). Read More →
Paul Follot (1877 – 1941) French decorative artist and sculptor
His early graphic design reflected a fascination with mediaeval and Pre-Raphaelite art. He joined Julius Meier-shop Graefe’s La Maison Moderne in Paris in 1901. He met Maurice Dufrรฉne and designed bronzes, jewellery, and fabrics.Read More →
Mainbocher (1890 – 1976) – Simplicity without Boredom
When designing his 1945 spring collection, Mainbocher – the noted French designer who worked in New York after the fall of Paris in WWII. Declared that he had attempted more than ever to make clothes “that would embody the right amount of novelty, were stimulating for today,Read More →
American Fashion (Hardcover) – Council of Fashion Designers America
American Fashion is the definitive book on the country’s fashion culture, spanning eight decades and featuring the work of more than 100 designers. American Fashion is a visual journey through classic and fresh photographs by the century’s most outstanding photographers and illustrators, followed by essays defining nearly a century of fascinating culture, commissioned by the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).Read More →
รcole de Nancy – Art Nouveau artisans and designers
Between 1890 and 1914, the รcole de Nancy, or Nancy School, was a group of Art Nouveau artisans and designers based in Nancy, France. The furniture designer Louis Majorelle, the cabinet maker and glass artist Jacques Grรผber, the glass and furniture designer รmile Gallรฉ, and the Daum crystal factory were important contributors.Read More →
Gilbert Poillerat (1902 – 1988) French Designer and metalworker
In 1927, he started working for Baudet, Donon et Roussel, a carpentry and metal construction workshop. He was in charge of the new wrought iron section. Grillework, tables, chairs, consoles, screens, lighting, and firedogs were all designed and manufactured by him. Poillerat’s metalwork was rendered in characteristic winding calligraphic forms in various media ranging from jewellery to clothing.Read More →
Charlotte Perriand (1903 – 1999) French designer and architect
Charlotte Perriand (1903 – 1999) was a designer and architect from France. Perriand’s designs are most commonly associated with furniture created in the 1920s in collaboration with Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. Still, her contribution to design was much more critical.Read More →
Andrรฉe Putnam (1925 – 2013) French Interior Designer
Andrรฉe Putman was a French interior designer, furniture designer, and entrepreneur. She was born in Paris. Putman was probably best known internationally for her black and white palette, illustrated by the 1985 interior of Morgans Hotel in New York. It was commissioned by the entrepreneurs Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell.Read More →
Jacquemus expands into beauty with Puig
Given the heat of the Jacquemus fashion business, his fervent social media following and such famous devotees as Kendall Jenner, Rihanna and the Hadid sisters, the designerโs foray into beauty is likely to attract widespread interest. The French designer boasts 3.8 million followers on Instagram, reminding them recently that he founded his brand in 2009 with a photo of an oval-shaped block of butter stamped with his logo.Read More →
Phoebe Anna Traquir (1852 – 1936) British embroider and jeweller
Phoebe Anna Traquir (1852 – 1936) was an Irish-born artist who rose to international prominence as an illustrator, painter, and embroiderer in Scotland’s Arts and Crafts movement. Murals, embroidery, enamel jewellery, and book illuminations were among her works. She was the first woman to be elected to the Royal Scottish Academy in 1920.Read More →
Primerose Bordier (1929 – 1995) French textile designer
Primrose Bordier (1929 – 1995) was a French designer known for her colourful and innovative home textiles. She studied at the Atelier Charpentier in Paris.Read More →
Damon (1920s & 1930s) French lighting design firm
Damon was located at 4 avenue Pierre-I-de-Serbie in Paris during the 1920s and 1930s. It was well-known for its innovative use of glass in lighting fixtures, with white glass designs that provided a dazzling effect without glare.Read More →
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