Stéphane Parmentier - Interior Designer
What made you become an interior designer?
That came straight out of my heart. I like global and accomplished things above all. I want to create complete stories.
Before working in interior design, I worked in fashion. And I find that there is a great similarity between these two fields. We tell complete stories about sensations, volumes, materials, period style and heritage. I like working with all this.
What is your philosophy of interior design?
First of all, you have to be yourself. You shouldn’t be ashamed of your tastes. It is necessary to create a DNA, that is to say to be able to read and live a space. With the DNA, you know who signed the space but in the same time it is not too invasive. Attention to detail is also essential. My philosophy is also to never give up anything, I want to make each project an extremely smooth result. With a lot of tension and rigor upstream, and a great lightness and a lot of softness at the end. You must not look at what others are doing, you must continue to be constantly demanding, and demanding does not mean expensive. You have to look for harmony.
What are your current projects?
We just finished a huge penthouse in London with a 500m2 terrace overlooking the city, incredible. We also took care of a very beautiful project in St Barth. Instead of designing a large, cold and metallic American villa, we proposed to our clients to make a small village lost in nature. We just finished a very nice project in Neuilly. A dozen of new design pieces have been released in my collection. I am also the artistic director of a new brand called Dragonfly that is entirely based on craftsmanship and inspired by nature. It will be launched during Art Basel in Miami. On this project, we only worked with craftsmen who produces completely atypical objects. All pieces are slightly different, beautiful, graphic and made in France. I also continue to design pieces for Giobagnara, and we will release new pieces in January. Finally, I am the artistic director of the Webster, a multi-brand fashion and design store based in New- York, Miami and on the West Coast.
Which project are you most proud of?
Behind each project, there is a human adventure. When you accept to do project, it means that there is a fantastic fit. Each project has fortunately a different flavor. We give so much energy in these projects, that the people involved in it must all be fantastic, professional and human. It happens to us very often, so we are very lucky. That’s why there are so many projects that I am proud of.
Par Excellence is the address of the finest French Craftsmen in New York. What place does craftsmanship occupy in your work?
Craftsmanship is a huge component of my work. Because this is a philosophy to me. If we could, we would work only with craftsmen. Of course, there are sometimes budget, time or even geographical constraints. But when you have put your finger on the gear and start working with these masters, it becomes a drug. Craftsmanship is like a second nature to our design office. We speak the same language, we understand each other, they are never afraid to go further, to dialogue and to put themselves into question. What I love is the upstream phase where we are in interaction with the craftsmen, where everything is built. This is the experience of “making the space”.
I really hope we could work together in the future; it will be an amazing experience!
Share
The Atelier de Ricou celebrates its 30 years of existence!
30 years of exciting and unique projects, from the restoration of heritage decorations to the creation of amazing decorative paintings, in France and abroad.
In the field of restoration, the Atelier de Ricou took care of the homeric work to uncover the 18th century paintings of the Hôtel de la Marine in Paris. In Montpellier, they restored the 17th century paintings in the Saint-Roch Chapel of Saint-Pierre Cathedral. They also continue to work at the Hôtel Richer de Belleval, which combines the restoration of 17th century decorations and paintings with the creation of contemporary decorations.
In the field of decorative painting, they delivered two Parisian projects in Neuilly and Odeon this month. They also flew to Saint-Barthélémy to contribute to the new Cheval Blanc Hotel project by Jacques Grange.
Share
The Manufacture de Tapis de Bourgogne - A Unique Workshop
Located in the heart of the Burgundy vineyards, the Manufacture de tapis de Bourgogne creates and manufactures carpets and rugs. Among its prestigious customers are the Plaza, the Ritz, the Meurice, Cartier, Christian Dior, Emilio Pucci, Airbus and the Elysée palace.
Their latest News?
The creation of carpets for the Lalique stand at the Salon Art + Designin New York from November 14 to 18.
A beautiful story of exceptional craftsmanship
In 1958, the Swiss firm TISCA, renowned for its high-end textile products, wanted to innovate and get closer to the exceptional know-how already present in France. They decided to manufacture handmade woven carpets. To do this, they settled in Moroges in Burgundy. In the 1970’s, the Manufacture de Tapis de Bourgogne developed a new technique: hand-tufted carpets. Success is quickly achieved as the talented Andrée Putman, Pierre Paulin, Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Philippe Starck and Peter Marino called on the Manufacture’s know-how. The manufacture also crafted carpets and tapestries for the greatest artists such as Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Kandinsky, Modigliani, Mondrian, Vasarely and Keith Haring. Today, the Manufacture supports designers all over the world in their projects of handmade custom carpets and rugs.
Carpets made entirely by hand in France
For more than half a century, these rugs have all been made exclusively in France in the village of Moroges in the heart of Burgundy. It is the hands of their craftsmen who guide their work. And this is the case at all stages of creation: from drawing on canvas, through weaving on looms, but also combing, gluing and finishing.
Tailor-made creations and “Signatures” editions
The Manufacture has built its reputation on its expertise in special orders. On the one hand, it offers an internal design office with the possibility of creating custom designs. On the other hand, it also offers editions of “signature” rugs developed with decorators and designers such as Pierre Yovanovitch, Damien Langlois-Meurinne, Elliott Barnes, Daniel and Michel Bismut, and Noé Duchaufour.
Artisanat d’art
As a sign of recognition of its craftsmanship and excellence, the Manufacture is labelled EPV (“Entreprise du Patrimoine Vivant”) which means “Living Heritage Company”. It is also part of the Ateliers d’Art de France. Finally, it is a member of the Bellecour Committee.
Interview with Odile Dhavernas (Principal Manager)
What determined the choice of the Moroges site in Burgundy for the manufacture of carpets?
Odile Dhavernas – In 1958, the Swiss firm TISCA decided to open a workshop for hand-woven carpets. They wanted to respond to the demand for tailor-made projects from French decorators and designers. Today, the Manufacture is the only and last French company manufacturing 100% of its production in France. No subcontracting or workshops abroad.
What are your most recent projects?
Odile Dhavernas – Most of them are confidential. We did the Connaught by Hélène Darroze restaurant in London, designed by Pierre Yovanovitch. But also the Belle Etoile Suite at the Meurice Hotel, designed by Lally & Berger. An exceptional location with a 360-degree view of the rooftops of Paris. We also did the Cartier boutiques in Dubai, Shangaï and Honk Kong, Renault’s new headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt, the Galeries Lafayette in Doha designed by Bruno moinard and a 319 aircraft for a private individual. Our last project is the creation of carpets for Lalique presented at the Salon Art+Design in New-York in November.
What are the specificities of the Manufacture?
Odile Dhavernas – Among the characteristics that differentiate us from our competitors, our customers often highlight: our extraordinary stock of more than 3000 colours that allows us to produce custom samples in one week. But also our reactivity in the development of projects (drawings, samples, quotations…). We have a production deadline of 8 to 12 weeks. We also have a geographical proximity: we are present in Paris and Burgundy, but also in New York, Los Angeles, Moscow, Munich and Melbourne via our agents and partners.
You have joined Par Excellence, which promotes French Savoir-Faire in New York. What do you expect from it?
Odile Dhavernas – In addition to a physical showroom in New-York, Par Excellence is first and foremost a great synergy with our French partners. This structure brings together about ten exceptional skills, the best in their field. But it is also a group of collaborators and friends with great human qualities. We now have an expanded team on site. It is dedicated to commercial prospecting, project monitoring, and the development of large-scale real estate projects… The first step was to support French interior designers in their American projects. And now we are working with American designers on site.
What challenges would you like to take up in the near future?
Odile Dhavernas – We are particularly working on the development of the “contract” market, i. E. hotels/restaurants/shops. We invested two years ago in a tuft robot. This allows us to respond to large-scale projects at more adjusted prices, without sacrificing quality. Because it is installed in our workshops in Burgundy, this ensures that we work with the same yarns, colours and quality standards as in woven and hand tufted fabrics. To date, it is the only tuft robot machine France available to interior designers.
