Industrial designer Chafik Gasmi is a registered architect in France. He designed and furnished a home in Algiers and a hotel in Paris to launch his career in 1987. After finding success with his own furniture designs, he founded UNIVERS INTÉRIEUR, his own publishing house, in 1990. His publishing house specialized in interior design and architecture books, and he quickly became a well-known figure in the industry. He has since expanded his brand to include a variety of home goods and decor items, as well as collaborations with major retailers around the world.
Education
He studied architecture at the Paris Polbiac University.
Biography
At the International Furniture Show in Paris in 1992, he won the Critics’ Prize for his group of works.
After three years on the rise at MOULIN GALLAND (now FERMOB), where he reinvented the entire “outdoor” collection, including the iconic “Square” chair that adorns the world’s most famous public spaces, including Times Square in New York, Chafik received the “Prix du Nombre d’Or” in 1997, which honours the collaboration between business and design, along with the MOULIN GALLAND brand. He was honoured with a solo exhibition by the VIA association (Valorization of Innovation in Furnishing). The Hotel Matignon, for which he also furnished the Prime Minister’s reception rooms, selected his “Ying” armchair, which HUGUES CHEVALIER had designed. The chair would also be present in various hotels’ lobby areas, including, most recently, the Hotel Shangri in Paris.
Since 2000, the LVMH brands DIOR, GALLIANO, KENZO, DOM PERIGNON, GUERLAIN, GIVENCHY, and EBEL have worked closely with Chafik, who has challenged all of their creative and strategic approaches at the request of Bernard Arnauld, the new owner of SEPHORA.
In 2004, the French National Assembly gave Chafik the “Prix du talent de la Réussite des Français venus from far” award. He founded CHAFIK.STUDIO the same year. His clients included institutions in France and abroad, private investors in the hotel and spa industry, and KENZO, BULGARI, and BACCARAT for the world of luxury (the city of Desvres, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Culture of Algeria and the Museum of Modern Art in Algiers). (The Designer Chafik Gasmi – FIAM Italia, n.d.)
Chafik served as BACCARAT’s artistic director from 2007 to 2009. In this capacity, he developed a more refined understanding of light and worked on projects between vision and illusion. A retrospective and perspective-heavy solo exhibition of Chafik’s work was held at the Museum of Modern Art in Algiers (MAMA) in 2008. In 2010, Chafik developed his ideas for the brand and graphic identity of the LE ROYAL MONCEAU building in Paris. He designed a four-meter-diameter crystal chandelier for BACCARAT in 2011 to illuminate the lobby of the opulent CORINTHIA hotel in London.
2011 also saw the start of Chafik’s collaboration with LANCOME. He was responsible for managing the development of a new identity for the brand in retail locations around the world.
In 2012, Chafik started working with FENDI CASA, for whom he created high-end lighting and furniture.
In 2013, he created a school in the Paris region and a villa in Algiers, for which he recreated all the furnishings and an amazing portico.
The final displays of Chafik’s MAISON LANCOME were installed in 2014 in China and other countries, as well as in Paris’s Galeries Lafayette and Bon Marché department stores. In 2015, he collaborated with LANCME to develop a new retail concept. In 2015, Chafik created a resort to launch high-end Burgundy wines on behalf of a renowned vineyard, OLIVIER LEFLAIVE, in Puligny Montrachet, as well as several villas on the Mediterranean coast for private clients. As artistic director and furniture designer, he continued his partnership with HUGUES CHEVALIER. He also started a partnership with VAL SAINT LAMBERT, a renowned Belgian crystal glassware manufacturer and official supplier to His Majesty, the King of Belgium.
Recognition
The Janus Design Award and the Oscar in Cosmetics went to Chafik in 2016 for his innovative Lancôme store concept and customer experience. The largest Moroccan distribution company, AKSAL, tasked him with developing a novel store concept. In the spring of 2017, Casablanca saw the opening of the first store, which is 3500m2.
Sources
Byars, M., & Riley, T. (2004). The design encyclopedia. Laurence King Publishing. https://amzn.to/3ElmSlL
The Designer Chafik Gasmi – FIAM Italia. (n.d.). The designer Chafik Gasmi – FIAM Italia. Retrieved March 18, 2023, from https://www.fiamitalia.it/en/designers/chafik-gasmi
Industrial Design books – Amazon
* This website may contain affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission when you click on links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon and Sovrn affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
More on French Designers
-
The Journey of Alexis Mabille: Haute Couture to Interior Design
Buoyed by his thriving business as a designer of restaurants, including Le Boeuf sur le Toit in Paris and Cipriani in Saint-Tropez, Mabille has produced a mix of one-of-a-kind pieces and limited-edition items under his own Beaubow Editions imprint.Read More →
-
Baccarat: A Glorious Legacy of French Glassworks
Founded in 1764, Baccarat, the esteemed French glassworks, has sustained its global appeal through exquisite designs and superb craftsmanship in products ranging from crystal stemware to jewelry. Renowned for timeless aesthetics and meticulous detailing, Baccarat’s luxury crystal continues to symbolize elegance and quality.Read More →
-
Masséot Abaquesne: Master Potter and Purveyor of French Artistry
Masséot Abaquesne, a revered French Renaissance potter, was renowned for his grand feu faience technique and intricate designs, significantly impacting the world of applied and decorative arts. His works remain admired and globally collected symbols of French pottery craftsmanship.Read More →
-
Exploring the Influence of Pierre Chareau: Architect Designer
Pierre Chareau was a crucial figure in the French avant-garde movement, best known for his Maison de Verre design. He masterfully fused architecture with design, using modern ideas about lighting and space and incorporating industrial materials. His journey started at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, where he learned key principles that shaped his distinct unornamented, minimalist…
-
Exploration of French Furniture Over 200 Years
French furniture has evolved over 200 years, showcasing varying styles including the grandeur of the Baroque era, the whimsical Rococo, the simplicity of Neoclassical designs, the departure of Art Nouveau, and a 20th-century revival of previous styles. These iconic styles continue to inspire contemporary design.Read More →
-
Antoine Rouzeau: A Master of Clarity in Design
Antoine Rouzeau, acclaimed architect and designer, has transitioned from architecture to product design. Having worked in prestigious agencies and now the Musée d’Orsay, Rouzeau applies a design philosophy emphasizing clarity and utility. His work consistently combines aesthetics and functionality.Read More →
-
Avril de Pastre: Melding Art and Functionality in Design
Avril de Pastre, a French designer, is renowned for merging art with functionality. With a formidable academic background, she contributes to contemporary design, focusing on aesthetic and practical improvements to domestic spaces. Her work, frequently exhibited, includes her acclaimed Solveig Light collaboration. Read More →
-
The Life and Legacy of Isabelle Hebey: A French Design Icon
Explore the life and legacy of Isabelle Hebey, the groundbreaking French designer known for her eclectic style and high-profile clients. Learn how she revolutionized interior design by seamlessly blending the old with the new.Read More →
-
Andrée Putnam (1925 – 2013), French Interior Designer
Andrée 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 →
-
Boris-Jean Lacroix (1902-1984) 🇫🇷 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,Read More →
-
Peter Raacke (b.1928) German metalworker and designer
-
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 →
-
Sonia Delaunay (1885 – 1979) An Explorer of Colour
Sonia Delaunay (1885-1979), an interior and textile designer, revolutionized the use of color in the arts. Her collaboration with Robert Delaunay led to the development of Simultaneous Color, emphasizing vibrant hues. She commercialized her talent and designed geometric costumes, opened La Casa Sonia, and created popular textile patterns. During the 1930s Depression, she returned to…
-
Albert Paley (b.1944) American modernist metal sculptor
Albert Paley (born 1944) is an American modernist metal sculptor. Starting as a jeweller, he has evolved into one of the world’s most renowned and famous metalsmiths. Furniture, gates, railings, and staircases are among his creations. He consults with architects and space planners, and he leads a team of craftspeople in his Rochester, New York,…
-
Armand Point (1861-1932), French Algerian painter, and designer
Armand Point (1861-1932) was a Symbolist painter, engraver, and designer from France, one of the Salon de la Rose + Croix founding members. Point’s first paintings were orientalist scenes of markets and musicians and scenes from his childhood in Algeria’s streets. In 1888, he moved to Paris to study under Auguste Herst and Fernand Cormon…
-
André Hunebelle (1896-1985) Designer French Decorative Arts
André Hunebelle, a French creative artist, studied mathematics at École Polytechnique and worked in glassware, lighting, and metalwork. He transitioned to media and film, producing and directing successful films like “Feu Sacré” and winning the Prix du Meill.Read More →
-
Frechet Brothers French decorators and furniture designers
Andre Frechet (1875-1973) and Paul Frechet were French decorators and furniture designers. They were born in Chalons-sur-Mame; and active in Paris. Working together and individually from 1906, the Frechet brothers’ furniture designs were produced by various firms including Jacquemin freres in Strasbourg, E. Verot, and Charles Jean-selme; 1909-11.Read More →
-
Charles Plumet (1861 – 1928) French Architect Designer
In the year 1861, Charles Plumet was born. As an architect, he built structures in the mediaeval and early French Renaissance styles. He worked on interiors and furniture designs in Art Nouveau styles with Tony Selmersheim (1871–1971). Between 1896 and 1901, Charles Plumet joined l’Art dans Tout (Art in Everything), an association of architects, painters,…
-
Paul Chemetov (b.1928) French Furniture Designer
Paul Chemetov, a French architect and furniture designer, studied at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts and founded AUA in 1961. He designed low-cost housing and chair designs, earning the 1980 National Grand Prize for Architecture.Read More →
-
Georges Champion (1889 – 1940) French Furniture Designer
Georges Champion, a French decorator and furniture designer, was known for his sleek lines and modern aesthetic. Influenced by the Art Deco movement, Champion’s furniture featured geometric shapes and bold colors. He worked on high-profile projects, including Parisian hotels and restaurants. Champion’s designs are highly sought after by collectors and design enthusiasts worldwide.Read More →
-
Jeanine Abraham French Furniture Designer
Jeanine Abraham was a French furniture designer who left an indelible mark on interior design. Her designs were characterized by a unique blend of functionality and elegance, and were highly sought after by discerning clients. She studied at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and Centre Art et Technique, and her work is highly prized…
-
Mario Botta (b.1943) Swiss Architect and Designer
Swiss architect Mario Botta, known for his geometric styles and use of brick, has designed numerous structures worldwide, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He also created various furniture pieces, participated in the Stock Exchange of Visions project, and won several awards for his works.Read More →
-
Clément Mère (1861 – 1940) French designer and furniture maker
Clément Mère was born in Bayonne and active in Paris. He was a French painter, table-builder, artist and furniture builder. He studied painting with Jean-Léon Gérôme at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.Read More →
-
Raymond Subes (1893 – 1970), French metalsmith
Raymond Subes (1893–1970) was a French metalsmith. He made ironwork for the oceanliners 1931 Atlantique, 1926 Ile-de-France, Pasteur, and 1935 Normandie. After World War II, he worked as a metalworker and became the head of Borderel et Robert.Read More →
-
Max Ingrand (1908 – 1969) French artist and decorator
-
George Barbier one of the Great French Illustrators
George Barbier was one of the Great French Illustrators of the early 20th centuryRead 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 →
-
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (b. 1949) French fashion designer
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac (b. 1949) was a French fashion designer born in Casablanca. He studied law at Faculté de Droit, Limoges and founded the Ko ready-to-wear fashion firm in 1968. He was recognised for his avant-garde designs for women’s clothing featuring unconventional materials. Read More →
-
Paul Iribe (1883 – 1935) French Designer and Illustrator
Paul Iribe was a influential French designer and illustrator contributing significantly to the Art Deco movement, especially in fashion and advertising. He produced significant work in furniture, fashion illustration, theatrical design and jewelry, and spent time in Hollywood as a theatrical designer. Read More →
-
Léon Jallot (1874 – 1967) French designer and artisan
Léon Jallot (1874-1967), a scion of the French Art Nouveau, stood out within the movement as an ébéniste, or cabinet maker.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 →
-
Georges Dunaime – Art Deco -French Designer
Georges Dunaime designed lighting for E. Etling, the designer and engraver. His work included table lamps, torchéeres, and chandeliers made of silver, gilt, and patinated bronze with shades made of cloth, cut glass, quartz, marble, and alabaster.Read More →
-
Marc Held (b.1932), French Designer & Architect
Marc Held is an architect and designer who focuses on the interaction between traditional and modern architecture, creating Limoges dinnerware, ski gear, automobiles, and homes.Read More →
-
René Gabriel (1890 – 1950) French Interior Designer
René Gabriel was a follower of Francis Jourdain who made wallpaper, fabric, rugs, and porcelain for the Manufacture de Sèvres. He also designed bent-metal tubular seating and structures, and opened Ateliers d’Art, Neuilly. He taught at the Ecole des Arts Appliqués and was the director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs. His work…
-
Why was Edgar Brandt a leader in the field of ironwork?
Egdar Brandt was a French metalworker known for his innovative designs that incorporated traditional and modern techniques, and his work can be found in many public and private collections.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 →
-
Chafik Gasmi (b.1962) French-Algerian designer
Chafik Gasmi is a registered architect in France who founded UNIVERS INTÉRIEUR in 1990 and has since expanded his brand to include home goods and decor items. Chafik developed his ideas for the brand and graphic identity of the LE ROYAL MONCEAU building in Paris, collaborated with LANCME, created a resort for the launch of…
-
Marcel Goupy (1886 – 1980) French Ceramicist
Marcel Goupy was a painter, ceramist, decorator of glass and crystal, and designer known for his Art Deco style. Marcel Goupy was an important figure in the Art Deco era, making glass vases, decanters, and lemonade and liqueur sets.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 Vendôme 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 →
-
Jean Goulden (1878 – 1946) French Artisan & Crafter
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 →
-
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 →
-
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. LEARN MORERead More →
-
Serge Mouille (1922- 1988) French Lighting Designer
Serge Mouille was a French Lighting Designer; he was born and active in Paris. Mouille studied silversmithing, École des Artes Appliqués, Paris to 1941.Read More →
-
Maurice Dufrêne (1876 – 1955), French Decorative Artist
Maurice Dufrêne (1876–1955) was a French decorative artist who headed the Maîtrise workshop of the Galeries Lafayette department store. He designed many different types of decorative art, including metalwork, ceramics, glass, and fabric. His designs from 1910 onward are austere and neoclassical, reminiscent of the Louis XVI style.Read More →
-
Suzanne Guiguichon (1901 – 1985) 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 →
-
Guillaume Saalburg French glassworker and engraver
Guillaume Saalburg was a French glassworker and engraver professionally active in Paris. Education He trained in a glass engraver’s workshop. Read More →
-
Suzanne Belperron (1900 – 1983) French Jewellery Designer
Suzanne Belporren was a French jewellery designer. Her career flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. Belperron produced numerous designs of sculptured jewellery for René Boivin’s Paris shop. She subsequently opened her own Paris shop called Herz-Belperron. Her designs often featured glass encrusted with gemstones.Read More →
-
Michele De Lucchi (b.1951) Italian architect and designer
At the Universita di Firenze, he experimented with new forms of art and film. In 1973, he created the Cavart group alongside Piero Brombin, Pier Paola Bortolami, Boris Pastrovicchio, and Valerio Tridenti, which was active in Architettura Radicale, filmmaking, written works, and happenings. 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 →
-
Pierre Guariche (1926 – 1995) french interior designer
Pierre Guariche was a French designer, interior decorator, and architect. He may be best known for the lights he made for Pierre Disderot in the 1950s. Guariche created the ground-breaking “tonneau” chair in 1953. He was searching for a contemporary, affordable alternative to the prewar modernists’ hard chic. Guariche founded the Atelier de Recherche Plastique…
-
40+ French Designers in the applied and decorative arts
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. 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. Bedin’s 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) 🎩 Fashion Designer
One of Patou’s 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 “new woman.” She created a furore in 1921 when she wore Patou’s knee-length pleated skirt, which revealed much of her legs when she ran.…
-
Andre Salomon (1891 -1970) French Lighting Engineer
He was an engineer at Tompson before setting up the small electrical firm Perfécla (Perfectionnement de I’Ecla), regularly working with architects and designers, including Pierre Chareau, and André Lurcat, René 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…
-
Pierre-Émile Legrain (1889 -1929) French Furniture Designer
He submitted cartoons in 1908 for Paul Iribe’s satirical reviews Le Témoin, L’Assiette 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 →
-
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 Nathan’s furniture was produced by Beyne.Read More →
-
Raymond Loewy (1893 – 1986) 🇺🇸 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…
-
Société des Artistes Décorateurs (Society of Decorative Artists) – France
The creation in 1901 of the Société des Artistes Décorateurs (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 →
-
René Lalique (1860 – 1945) French goldsmith and glassmaker
Artisan in glass and creator of family firm Cristal Lalique René Lalique was a French glass designer, jeweller, furniture designer,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 →
-
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 ‘JJ Adnet.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…
-
Malvine Tcherniak (1894 – 1968) French/Russian Decorator
-
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.…
-
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…
-
Jean Luce (1895 – 1964) French ceramicist and glassware designer
Jean Luce was a French ceramicist and glassware designer known for his Art Moderne style. He achieved fame for his design work, which included creating pieces for ocean liner Normandie and teaching at the prestigious Ecole des Arts Appliqués in Paris.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 ‘Hôtel du collectionneur’ at the 1925 Paris ‘Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes.’Read More →
-
Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann (1879 – 1933) outstanding furniture designer
Jacques-Émile 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 (b.1949) the artist-designer
Phillippe Starck is one of the most widely known artist‐designer ‘names’ in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Starck is one of France’s most fêted 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,…
-
The Craftsmanship of Paul Follot: A Master of the Art Déco Era
Paul Follot was a French sculptor and artist active between 1877-1941. Known for using premium materials and sophisticated techniques, his work included furniture, fabrics, and ceramics. He played a significant role in the Art Deco movement, rejecting mass-produced art for luxury and ornamentation. He was also a teacher and theorist.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…
-
École de Nancy – Art Nouveau artisans and designers
Between 1890 and 1914, the École 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 Grüber, the glass and furniture designer Émile Gallé, 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…
-
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 →
-
Phoebe Anna Traquir (1852 – 1936) British embroiderer 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
-
Michel Dufet (1888 – 1985) French interior designer & writer
He attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris to study painting and architecture. In 1913, he founded the MAM (Mobilier Artistique Moderne) decorating workshop at 3 Avenue de l’Opéra in Paris, producing modern furniture, wallpaper, fabrics, and lighting.Read More →
-
Ruby Ross Wood American Interior Designer
Ruby Ross Wood was a noteworthy American interior decorator and founder of a 1920s-era decorating firm. She is known for pioneering an American design style less formal, and made significant contributions to the New York design scene.Read More →
-
Georges Lepape (1887 – 1971) French painter & illustrator
Lepape’s work blends orientalist elements with flowing lines, vibrant colours, and graphic stylizations reminiscent of Alphonse Mucha, Erté, Gustav Klimt, and Henri de Toulouse-Art Lautrec’s Nouveau movement. Read More →
-
End of WWII, a revolution in furniture design
The post-World War II era marked a significant period in home furnishing design, with designers experimenting with new shapes and materials. Functional modern design emerged with scaled-down furniture for smaller homes, featuring innovative creations like the shell chair.Read More →
-
Mid-Century Modernism – Fresh Optimism in Design
Designers were motivated by a fresh optimism after WWII and the new materials, production techniques, and colours arriving in unique shapes. In more inexpensive and easily mass-produced designs, a more relaxed, fleshed-out style of Modernism began to develop.Read More →
-
Matali Crasset – French Product Designer
Matali Crasset – French Product Designer. Crasset’s childhood on a farm undoubtedly influenced her distinct design style. Read More… Read More →
-
French Decor Kindle Edition Books
The French decor is back in style, and it’s the ideal style for your home. This style of décor has something unique about it, and while it can seem to be carefree, it adheres to an ideology that finds beauty in flaws. If you want to emulate the magnificent French countryside style in your home,…
-
Werkstätten Hagenauer Austrian metalsmiths
Werkstätten Hagenauer were Vienna-based Austrian metalsmiths. Over its nearly ninety-year history, it was a family business in Vienna that produced fine, handcrafted objects for decoration and use. The workshop closed in 1987, but the company’s retail premises on Vienna’s Opernring, which opened in 1938, is still open today as a museum and shop.Read More →
-
Louis Majorelle (1859 – 1926) French Designer and cabinetmaker
Majorelle took over the family cabinetmaking and ceramics business in Nancy in 1879. In the late 1880s, he began designing Modern furniture. Working in the Art Nouveau style, Majorelle was the most dynamic practitioner of the School of Nancy. By mechanising his factory, he produced significant quantities of highly decorated commercial furniture and more elaborate…
-
Mauboussin – French Jewellry – Design Profile
Maubossin is a jewellery company in France. The original company was established in 1827 in Paris, on Rue Grenata, where it manufactured jewellery. Starting in 1903, M.B. Noury was the owner and nephew of Georges Maubossin, who had been the director of the company since 1877. Mauboussin succeeded Noury in 1923, changing the firm’s name…
-
Odilon Redon’s Classic paintings Capture Logic of Invisible
Odilon Redon, the artist who at the age 73 outsold all but Marcel Duchamp at the 1913 Armory Show of “Modern French Art” in New York City.Read More →
-
Hervé Van der Straeten – French Designer revives craftsmanship of the past
The French design world was excited by artists back in the 1930s and 1940s who created modern objects that combinedRead More →
-
6 Diverse European Designers from last century
A diverse, eclectic and interesting selection of designers; architects, ceramicists, metal smith, interior designer. For inspiration and information;Read More →
-
Lucien Rollin designed bedroom at World Fair NY 1939
Lucien Rollin was a French Designer. He designed a bedroom in the French pavilion at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. He was active in the Salons of the Société des Artistes Décorateurs – 1928-1937.Read More →
-
French Street Artist Turns Boring CIty Walls into Hyper-Realistic Scenes
French artist Patrick Commecy is based in Eyzin-Pinet, France, but travels all over the country to paint walls. Using theRead More →