Imagine being invited into the home of modernists living behind 17th- and 18th-century facades in the Saint Germain Quarter, behind 19th-century facades near the Opera, behind early 20th-century facades near the Bois de Boulogne, studying the cover of a vinyl record while listening, perhaps with stereophonic sound, to Duke Ellington or Gilbert Bécaud or Sydney Bechet, maybe Miles Davis playing on a three-track stereo tape,

or stretching out to read Jean-Paul Sartre or Albert Camus or Alain Robbe-Grillet or Elle.

Imagine sitting in the living room of certain members of the comfortable class of la bonne bourgeoisie, looking to break with the 18th-century originals and copies that signified sophistication in the homes of their parents, debating whether to open dad’s 1949 Burgundy or Bordeaux, and if the Bordeaux then the Chateau Latour or the Chateau Petrus,

or facing a television set in the living room tuned to the single channel of Télévision Française, or discussing the politics of the flailing Fourth Republic and then of Charles de Gaulle’s return from the desert to take the reins of the Fifth.

Pascal Cuisiner, owner of the Galerie Pascal Cuisinier, invites visitors to take a seat, or at least a view of a seat, in the lap of years 1951 to 1961 through an exceptional collection of 100 chairs, armchairs, sofas and other seating from what he calls “the first modern French designers.” He uses the term to refer to those born around 1925 and 1930 who were among the first to design furniture for mass production. Mass production for these designers during the hinge years 1951 to 1961 often meant production in small series, hence the uniqueness of Cuisinier’s collection.

The exhibition “100 sièges français” runs Sept. 6 to Oct. 15, 2014 at two locations: at Cuisinier’s namesake gallery in the 6th arrondissement and at the Jean-Michel Wilmotte Exhibition Space in the Marais, the larger, more attractive setting of the two.

During an interview at the latter, Cuisinier speaks of his role, as gallery owner, in “defending a concept, a designer, a style,” ensuring an expertise for his clientele of collectors, decorators and individuals in tune with the aesthetics of the period from 1951 to 1961.

That’s a period when aspects such as tubular metal legs, flat springs and the use of latex foam and elastic strapping were considered ultra-modern or avant-gardist.

“Taken together,” he notes, “they represent one of the most radical departures from tradition ever seen in the history of furniture design, both in France and the world over.”

Citing René-Jean Caillette, Genevieve Dangles and Christrian Defrance, Pierre Guariche, Joseph-André Motte, Pierre Paulin and designers from the Atelier de Recherches Plastiques (ARP), Cuisinier says that many of the designers whose work interests him would go on to become well-known in the 1960s and 1970s and to run major design agencies.

Residents of and visitors to Paris are likely familiar with the work, if not the name, of Motte (1925-2013), who designed the brightly colored molded chairs that began to replace the old wooden benches in many metro stations in 1973.

Cuisinier typically holds two 6-week exhibitions each year in his gallery while otherwise showing a sample of assorted furnishings from the period of his focus in his gallery.

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Wondering what to wear, Mesdemoiselles, Mesdames, while sitting your imagined chair on the Left Bank or on the Right? See this video about the exhibition about the “New Look” and the emergence of ready-to-wear at the Palais Galliera, the City of Paris’s Fashion Museum, running July 12 to Nov. 5, 2014.

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Galerie Pascale Cuisinier, 13 rue de Seine, 6th arr. Open Mon.-Sat. 10am-7pm. Tel. 07 43 54 34 61.

Jean-Michel Wilmotte Exhibition Space, 9 rue du Roi Doré, 3rd arr. Open Mon.-Sat. 10am-7pm.

Cuisiner also presents his gallery at PAD London, Design Basel and Design Miami.

Palais Galliera, 10 avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 16th arr. Open Tues.-Sun., 10am-6pm, until 9pm on Thurs.

© 2014, Gary Lee Kraut

The post A Seat in Paris: 100 French Chairs 1951-1961 appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

In 1912, dance fanatics flocked to the Théâtre du Châtelet to watch Vaslav Nijinski and Tamar Karsavina of the Ballets Russes perform new-fangled ballets like Firebird and Spectre de la Rose. During intermission, bemused spectators would thumb through elaborate programs for Cocteau’s take on what it was about.

Parisian couturier Jean Doucet chose this historic venue to premiere an All-About-Avian Spring/Summer 2013 haute couture collection that didn’t need any footnotes.

With Irina Kolesnikova of the Saint Petersbourg Ballet making a star pirouette on the runway, fashionistas checked out a Very Vogue Version of Swan Lake.

In Doucet’s re-staging, good girl Odette snags the guy since Irina got to wear the feathered wedding dress in the finale—although, come to think of it, back-stabbing Odile was also invited to the party.

Far, far from the avenue Montaigne crowds, Jean Doucet’s salon adds a spark of glam to ever-so-slowly gentrifying Bercy district at 6 rue Jean Renoir in the 12th arrondissement.

© 2013, Corinne LaBalme

Corinne LaBalme, a Paris-based writer, journalist and editor, is currently working on development of a series life-style documentaries for Muses Productions.

The post Paris Haute Couture for the Birds appeared first on France Revisited - Life in Paris, Travel in France.

The public spaces

Before seeing whether or not he deserved applause in the bedrooms and suites, the press was able to get acquainted with his work in the hotel’s main dining room, La Cuisine, where we were also invited to partake of a sumptuous array of brunch offerings and graciously served coffee, tea and the occasional hot chocolate. Altogether, the room and the breakfast were a clear sign that the Royal Monceau intends to assume its role as a palace, as high luxury hotels are called in France.

La Cuisine, which proposes classic non-gastronomic French fare for lunch and dinner, is also the most successful of the Royal Monceau’s public spaces for the way in which it allows for either intimacy and publicity, for its insouciant play of materials (cotton, leather, metals, glass), and for the backlit array of wine bottles along the walk. The room isn’t particularly unique, but even at a breakfast reception the opening felt grand indeed.

The hotel also has an Italian restaurant, Il Carpaccio, a more intimate setting, with an attractive coastal atmosphere thanks to seashell motifs leading in and out, the airiness of the space beside the hotel courtyard, and its encrusted, octopus-like chandelier.

By law, smoking isn’t allowed in the public spaces, so the hotel has created the Fumoir Rouge, a red speakeasy of a cigar-smoking room. Fans of fine cigars might wish to take note whether lodging at the Royal Monceau or not.

The reception area, bar, lobby, concierge desk mostly feel busy and crowded, and that’s even before the guests arrive. There are some surprising touches—whether amusing (e.g. the troop of wooden elk at the bottom of the brick-walled staircase), photogenic (e.g. the gathering old chandeliers by the stairs off the lounge), or annoying (e.g. the fun-house restrooms beyond those chandeliers)—but on first glance the lobby area and bar are not places that call for one to linger.

The bedrooms and suites

More importantly, does one want to linger in the bedrooms and suite?

Philippe Starck gave an impassioned explanation at the press opening as to how he tried to emulate in decorative and in design terms the way in which a writer (André Malraux was his example) might use a chair for a nightstand, or tape a drawing to a lampshade, or draw an itinerary on a city map on the desk. Those are nice images of the creative spirit or at least of a certain kind of decorative nonchalance. But once inside the rooms and suites it was clear Mr. Starck had translated those images of the creative spirit a bit too literally. Or could it be that Mr. Starck had only been speaking of himself all along?

In dominantly white rooms of decent size, lampshades are tagged with black brushstrokes or words and desktops take the form of maps “personalized” with “handwritten” remarks. The intent, of course, is to declare that a creative person once occupied this room, and for added emphasis every room has a guitar in it. It was the guitars that got me thinking of the décor of the Royal Monceau as a cross between 1930s Art Deco and The Beatles’ White Album. It would be a stretch to call Philippe Starck’s work here inspiring. Drole would better describe it.

It was therefore surprising to hear Mr. Starck say that he intended for his work here to intellectually and artistically inspire visitors, because guitar or no guitar, however comfortably one may feel at the Royal Monceau—and there is indeed comfort here—I don’t imagine that a stay in the Royal Monceau would be any more stimulating than a stay at, say, the Meurice or the George V or the Bristol or the Ritz, and there are large suites in lesser hotels with plenty of character to stimulate one’s creativity.

The idea, naturally, isn’t simply to appeal to visits from the creative set but to invite the well-to-do visitor to think of him- or herself as an artiste or as hob-nobbing with well-accomplished artistes. In a further effort to demonstrate its artfulness, the Royal Monceau also has an art bookshop, an art concierge, and a very comfortable cinema.

Qatari Diar and Raffles

After being invited to consider the artfulness of the hotel, the press heard from a representative of Qatari Diar, the real estate arm of the Qatar Investment Authority, and hence of the State of Qatar, which owns the Royal Monceau. He didn’t give a clue as to whether the Emir of Qatar ever felt the need to be creative or play the guitar, but he did say that he thought the Royal Monceau was a good investment.

The Royal is managed by the Raffles Hotels & Resorts, making this Raffles’ point of entry in Europe following its development of properties in Asia starting in the 1990s and in the Middle East beginning in 2007.

The location

The Royal Monceau is situated between the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau, within a 10-minute walking radius of the Champs-Elysées, the Jacquemart-André Museum, Salle Pleyel, a number of stellar restaurants, and a variety of high-end galleries and fine boutiques. The so-called Golden Triangle of Paris lies on the opposite side of the Champs-Elysées and has a higher density of restaurants and luxury than the Monceau zone, so the Royal Monceau can feel askew with respect to that, which may be part of the appeal for the return traveler seeking out a neighborhood of residential/international business loveliness. Ternes and Charles de Gaulle Etoile are the nearest metro stations.

Le Royal Monceau, 37 avenue Hoche, 8th arrondissement, Paris. Tel 01 42 99 88 00. www.leroyalmonceau.com.

The palaces of Paris

France awards a special “palace” designation to high luxury hotels of the 5-star category. Subsequent to the initial publication of this article the Royal Monceau joined that elite group alongside the Meurice, the Four Seasons George V, the Bristol, the Ritz, the Crillon, the Plaza Athénée and others.

© 2010, Gary Lee Kraut

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