M O D E R N E

..
"the vivid gouache and watercolor depictions of interior spaces—complete with coordinated furniture, carpets, fabrics, and decorative accessories—announced the dawn of a new era of French design and set the standards of luxury and taste that still guide us today. " (here)




Moderne: Fashioning the French Interior
by Sarah Schleuning, Jeremy Aynsley


Looking forward to a long weekend ahead, working on some drawings, and beginning to pull some books off the shelves, such as this one from late 2007. Before the days of the the computer, ideas were translated and shared with pen, ink, and paper for the client. A late afternoon meeting over tea perhaps, a conversation of color, and texture.

Am I naive to still desire this? - David John




"Jacques-mile Ruhlmann, Pierre Chareau, Robert Mallet-Stevens, Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray: together these designers and their contemporaries pioneered the look of the modern French interior during the 1920s. Their use of sumptuous materials, rich jewel tones, intricate geometric patterns, and complex and varied textures has made this work a lasting favorite among interior designers, architects, and their clients. When it first appeared, the got moderne, or modern taste, was marketed through limited-edition portfolios containing unbound drawings, printed in full color using a traditional process called pochoir."










"Created in an era before color photography, the vivid gouache and watercolor depictions of interior spaces—complete with coordinated furniture, carpets, fabrics, and decorative accessories—announced the dawn of a new era of French design and set the standards of luxury and taste that still guide us today. Moderne presents the finest examples of this work in more than two hundred plates, selected by Sarah Schleuning, a curator of the Wolfsonian Museum, and faithfully reproduced to preserve their original color palettes. This sumptuous volume is comprehensive in scope, beginning with the early art moderne of Ruhlmann and concluding with the avant-garde work of Gray and Perriand."

(text taken from here)



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Pierre Lagrain 1889-1929.

"There were always golden rocks to throw
At those who admit defeat too late
Those were our times, those were our times"

- Beirut











"The times we had
Oh, when the wind would blow with rain and snow
Were not all bad
We put our feet just where they had, had to go, Never to go...."




2 side tables + stools.
(top image by Pierre Lagrain, 2nd image in the style.)


"Pierre Legrain’s name cannot be dissociated from the rebirth of modern bookbinding. Needless to say, it must be remembered that it was at the instigation of Jacques Doucet that the draftsman and designer unexpectedly found himself engaged in the art of bookbinding. Other than the diversity of his gifts, his culture and his avant-garde spirit nothing seemed to have prepared him for this undertaking.

Pierre Legrain’s décors are almost always abstract and linear, with the letters of his book titles often serving as the ornamental motif. But notwithstanding their appearance of freedom, his compositions are conceived with an architectural rigor. Abandoning the customary browns, reds and greens that prevailed in bookbinding, Legrain employed leather as well as unexpected materials with unusual, light tones whose delicate, refined harmonies complemented the purity of his rhythms. His work was a stunning success and whilst the adventure lasted only a dozen years, Legrain left a decisive mark on the art of bookbinding. His influence continues to persist. Moreover, his activities as a decorator cannot be forgotten. At the same time he was working for Jacques Doucet, Jeanne Tacharp commissioned Legrain to refurbish her Paris home and her villa in La Celle-Saint-Cloud. Everything from the doorlocks and lighting, to the furniture, silverware and even the garden revealed the design of a book binder; the leather representing grass and the mosaics in flowers. All of it had been created by Legrain."


(biographical text taken from here)








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"Whether you want it or not, a style is just a craze.
And fashion does not come up from humble backgrounds."

-Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann, 1920's and 30's

Jean Besnard for Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann
Unique table lamp, c. 1930

Glazed earthenware, silk. Underside incised with ‘JB’.
go to the DESIGN catalog here from Phillips de Pury...

"Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann was born in Paris on August 28, 1879 to Alsatian parents that owned a painting and contracting firm. Ruhlmann spent most of his youth learning his father's trade during which time he made contact with several young architects and designers. These contacts would be Ruhlmann's first look into the world of furniture.

In 1907 upon his father's death, Ruhlmann took over the family business. Around 1910, a newly married Ruhlmann had his first experience designing furniture for their new apartment. This was also the first year in which he exhibited his furniture publicly. In 1919 he founded a separate interior design company with Pierre Laurent; the company designed everything from wallpaper to rugs, light fixtures and furniture.

His early designs reflected the Art Nouveau influence popular in France at the turn of the century. Later his influences could be traced to architects and designers creating innovative furniture in Vienna around the time of the First World War."

"These photos are from post cards that were made originally to showcase the individual pieces that were on display at the Paris Exhibition of 1925. "
more here...

Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann
(28 August 1879 – 15 November 1933)
read more about him here...