The Monocle Minute
On Design

In this special Paris edition of The Monocle Minute on Design, we preview Maison&Objet, scouring the city for the best pieces to see, sit on and sip from. We take in everything from Invisible Collection’s atmospheric showcase at Féau Boiseries to an intimate look at French designer Pierre Yovanovitch’s latest wares, stopping off at After Bach’s 16th arrondissement studio, where the home and office find common ground. Taking the lead on our city tour is Nic Monisse.

Over the weekend I picked up a copy of National Dish, the latest book by US food writer Anya von Bremzen. It explores culinary culture across the globe, delving deep into the connections between cuisine and country, starting with a look at France’s pot-au-feu. The dish, which features broth, meat and vegetables, has its roots in the French monarchy and King Henry IV’s promise to ensure that every household could have a “hen in its pot” once a week. The book has inspired me to explore the link between furniture and France ahead of Maison&Objet, the country’s premier furniture fair, which kicks off tomorrow.

At the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre and in showrooms across the city, wares from the likes of designer Harold Mollet, lighting brand Yali and gallery-cum-furniture house Theoreme Editions (pictured) will be on display. Their works are united by the use of curved lines and asymmetrical forms, executed with a sophistication that celebrates the skills of the makers. Even the work of the country’s more demure designers, such Pierre Yovanovitch (see below), feature playful profiles and high-craft details. The role of the human hand in making every piece is evident; none of the wares feels manufactured by a machine.

I have a theory that this aesthetic – much like the pot-au-feu – has a lot to do with the French royal court. In the 18th century it established craft guilds to control the production of furniture. Menuisiers (woodworkers) and ébénistes (luxury-furniture makers) had to pair with members of other guilds – carvers, gilders, upholsterers and gilt-bronze mount-makers – to complete their pieces. The menuisiers made beds, seating and buffets from walnut and oak, while the ébénistes created works with impressive boulle marquetry. The focus was on perfection, not on quantity.

While such guilds have long since disappeared, designers still revere highly specialised production – as do consumers, who are willing to pay a premium for collectable, “Made in France” products that can’t be mass-produced. The country’s design scene is all the better for it, with makers not sidelined but recognised. It’s their work that we’ll be celebrating when the fair opens tomorrow. As for my post-reporting meal? It seems only fitting that I round out the day with a pot-au-feu.

Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more from Maison&Object, tune in to tomorrow’s episode of ‘The Briefing’ on Monocle Radio.

Located between Porte de Saint-Cloud and Avenue Mozart in Paris’s 16th arrondissement, the Village d’Auteuil is best known for its quiet streets where Haussmann architecture blends seamlessly with art nouveau façades. It’s in one of these Haussmannian buildings with delicate crown mouldings that Francesco Balzano, founder of design studio After Bach, has chosen to set up shop and home. The interiors are a careful study in visual balance: noble materials such as satin fabrics and white onyx are mixed with a colour palette of pale green and ivory.

Dotted through the apartment, which is named Auteuil, are pieces from Balzano’s archive, including a sculptural fireplace and dining table from his brand’s Mosaico collection. The designer’s office can be found at the rear of the building’s courtyard, where his pared-back approach allows antiques and works of art by Nicolas Lefebvre, Laëtitia de Bazelaire and Mirco Marchelli to shine. The result? A harmonious home and office where art and architecture are in constant dialogue.
afterbach.com

Parisian firm Féau Boiseries has been creating timber panelling for residential and public buildings for more than 150 years. Its labyrinthine workshop and gallery space in the 17th arrondissement is packed with salvaged panels, which architects and decorators can incorporate into their projects. It’s in this setting that Invisible Collection, an online marketplace with bricks-and-mortar outposts in Paris, London and New York, is showing pieces by featured designers during Maison&Objet.

Highlights include a collection of rugs that Lisbon-based creative duo Garcé & Dimofski designed with Morocco’s Beni Rugs. You’ll also spot an exclusive natural-oak version of the Giraffe dining chair by Brazil’s Juliana Lima Vasconcellos. The setting enhances the pieces on show, allowing prospective buyers to see how the chairs, sofas, rugs and tables might fit into a home appointed with panels from Féau Boiseries.
theinvisiblecollection.com; feauboiseries.com

Visit Invisible Collection’s showcase at Féau Boiseries during Maison&Objet at 9 rue Laugier, Paris.

Paris-based Australian entrepreneur Minh Ngo (pictured, on right) founded Modern Metier as an online platform featuring contemporary European lighting, furniture and décor. The marketplace highlights independent brands and designers working with artisans. Having recently launched her own collection with French designer Léa Zeroil (pictured, on left), Ngo has transitioned from curator to manufacturer. She tells us why Modern Metier is more like a publishing house than a gallery.

Why focus specifically on European design?
Having lived in Stockholm, London and Paris, where I’m currently based, I wanted to focus on the local area without limiting myself to my French network. Keeping my attention on Europe allows my taste to be reflected in the selection while also catering to a wider customer base.

What is Modern Metier’s business model?
People like to compare Modern Metier to a gallery but I would describe it more as a maison d’édition (publishing house). The idea is that we curate a list of new designers who are aligned with our vision, while simultaneously crafting éditions that celebrate a single designer and managing the [manufacturing] process. These are two very different activities but, as an entrepreneur, it’s rewarding to do both.

You recently launched your first collection with designer Léa Zeroil, who is also showcasing work during Paris Déco Off. What was your creative process?
I never imagined that I would produce a collection. But sometimes an opportunity presents itself and you must seize it. I reached out to Léa because I wanted to represent her but at our very first meeting we decided that we should collaborate instead. Léa was the creative force and I acted more as an editor, providing a framework and guiding her with furniture quantities and what décor pieces to include.

For more from Minh Ngo and the business of design, pick up a copy of Monocle’s‘The Entrepreneurs’.

And for more from Léa Zeroil, visit the Oasis Gallery at 6 Rue Portefoin, Paris, where her work will be on show until Monday 20 January 2025.

In the 1960s, French architect Charlotte Perriand designed Les Arcs, a modernist resort town in France’s Savoy Alps. The project was one of the first developments to make slalom sports accessible to people without private chalets. Perriand created apartment buildings that incorporated space-saving solutions into their designs. The rental blocks were made to be affordable and furnished with functional, prefabricated pieces without compromising on comfort.

Many of the apartments contain the Perriand-designed Freeform Bar, which has plenty of storage space and a two-level pine worktop for mixing drinks. In rooms at Résidence La Nova, a ski accommodation at the centre of Les Arcs, the bar divides the kitchen from the living area and is oriented so that whoever fixes the après-ski aperitif is rewarded with a handsome view of the mountains. Cin cin.

Pierre Yovanovitch is one of France’s most celebrated contemporary designers, whose work spans furniture, lighting and interiors. Visitors to his gallery during Paris’s Maison&Objet fair will be treated to an intimate look at his namesake brand’s latest pieces.

Highlights include the Eze Chair, which features tapered legs and an earthy rattan seat, and the Daniel Armchair, with gently rounded arms that resemble gently worn river stones.

Those who want a glimpse into Yovanovitch’s practice should swing by his showroom, which, in addition to his own work, features a selection of contemporary art lit by a generous overhead atrium.
pierreyovanovitch.com

Visit Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier at 4 Passage Sainte-Avoye, Paris.

As works of design, rugs can sometimes feel flat – but don’t overlook their ability to add a layer of texture and warmth to a home. If you’re seeking inspiration, turn to French company La Manufacture Cogolin. It’s celebrating its centenary with the launch of Tapis d’artisanat d’art (“Artistic craft rug”), a book documenting the company’s history and the craftswomen behind its handwoven creations. The atelier, based in Cogolin outside Saint-Tropez, has long combined traditional savoir-faire with contemporary design; over the decades it has collaborated with the likes of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian and French poet, playwright and artist Jean Cocteau.

As well as documenting the production process behind the pieces, Tapis d’artisanat d’art provides examples from homes in various interior spaces and landscapes, illustrating the atelier’s artistic influences and signature design styles. A flick through the book’s pages proves the true timelessness of craft.
manufacturecogolin.com