Pierre Frey Paris | Part 2

Continuing our look at the beautiful new Pierre Frey Paris collections, I thought you might enjoy seeing a bit more of the loft before we continued. I appreciate how display is so thoughtfully considered everywhere in Paris. Even this small spread was artfully created –  and yes, that is marshmallow with the pineapple – a combination I never would have imagined!

Old and new live happily together in this 16th century building. There is a tiny elevator that can carry one effortlessly up to the loft although the stairs offer the more enchanting view.

This fabulous light fixture looked perfect in the dining area.

And the master bath is a sophisticated statement of understated chic.

The second collection under the Pierre Frey label is Himalaya, a group of neutrals including both refined and rustic selections in natural materials. While there is a plethora of pretty plains, patterns and stripes, one of the standouts is the fabric sharing the name of the collection.

A dramatic large pattern, there were oohs and aahs when this was presented. A very special fabric, totally handmade in India, it is felt embroidered and appliquéd in multi layers on linen.  There were swoon-worthy drapes of it in the offices at Pierre Frey – you can get a bit of an idea of the effect below.

photo courtesy of Pierre Frey

Another favorite is the the large scale embroidered Darjeeling. The combination of machine and hand embroidery on silk and linen is sure to become a timeless classic.

For those not familiar, Braquenié is the historic line of French document fabrics that joined the Pierre Frey group in 1991. It has become a go-to collection for those enchanted by toiles, indiennes, embroideries, jacquards and the “inexhaustible source of inspiration for lovers of all things beautiful” that is 18th century France. Part of Marie Antoinette’s private collection, it was what she used when decorating the Trianon. Each year, they add a few patterns from the archives to the line.

The new collection, entitled Mademoiselle Célestine, includes a range of boudoir inspired feminine patterns and colors. Above Patrick shows the silk taffeta stripe Josepha with velvet appliqué bands and an original embroidered creation, Mandchou, seen in the detail below from the showroom installation.

And here again in another setting with more from the collection.

A hard-to-shoot but dramatic room in the rue du Mail location features one of the lead fabrics, Broderie le Rocher, a classic Braquenie, now reinterpreted as embroidery.

In fact, the entire flagship showroom (10,000 sq ft) was imaginatively redecorated for the occasion of Paris Deco Off. Executed by young Parisian designer Laura Gonzalez, the most inspiring vignette was the large front of the store, magically transformed into a tented refuge in the heights of the Himalayas.

And a child’s bedroom shows off le Jardin de Mysore, a charming print reproduced from a late 19th century archive. Some of you readers will be excited to learn that 2014 will welcome the first ever baby collection from Pierre Frey, no doubt celebrating the already growing fourth generation that Patrick mentioned in the film clip yesterday.

Boussac is the young, colorful, more modern and less expensive division of Pierre Frey. This year, the Sante Fe collection looks to mid 20th century (1930-70) for inspiration. A second bedroom in Pierre’s loft harkens back to the 60s with the mod Pasadena Topaze.

And the left bank showroom used the Moka colorway of the collection’s graphic namesake fabric in a cozy vignette. A very clever way to envelop the space without upholstering the walls!

Lastly, within the Pierre Frey label is a group of specialty prints that fall outside the realm of the other collections. This eclectic group includes Le Jardin de Mysore Exotique, from the child’s room above, as well as the Delaunay inspired Mil Neuf Cent Vingt (1920 for you non Francophiles) below in an equally eclectic corner of Pierre’s loft.

Pierre Frey is a company that respects the past but is not afraid to forge ahead, finding new venues and sources for future creation. That’s what keeps this firm at the forefront of great design, with an archive of heritage to back it up!