French style, women’s way

Women have taken over the interior design field. And what makes them different from men? Nothing, except that nowadays, many more of them are reaching the very top of their profession. Alongside the likes of India Mahdavi and Dorothée Boissier (Gilles&Boissier), you’ll be able to discover the worlds of Charlotte Biltgen, Stéphanie Coutas, and Sarah Lavoine, all along our circuit. Each of them embodies a unique incarnation of luxury, and though they all draw from the finest French traditions of craftsmanship, each of these women is different from the next. With these renowned names, you’ll also find three young female-centered interior design studios that are rising to meet the challenge and will be presenting their debut furniture collections at Maison&Objet In The City. Emma Donnersberg was born in France and studied at Tulane University in New Orleans, followed by the Parsons School of Design in New York. She lives between Paris and the United States, where she has decorated a New York apartment with a stunning view over the city in shades of white, beige, and gold. Her furniture is inspired by nature, taking on the shapes of clouds or mushrooms.

“You just have to look at their organic shapes”

She says. “They’re soothing.” Marion Stora also set off to conquer America. A graduate of Penninghen, she worked for a long time in London, then designed yacht interiors before opening her own firm in 2011. Her furniture is made in collaboration with the crème de la crème of artistic talent. In a gallery on rue de Beaune, you’ll discover her Mona table, with a base sculpted by artist Mauro Mori, beneath a tabletop shaped by Pierre Bonnefille. She also collaborates with the workshops at Vermont and Manufacture d’Aubusson Robert Four. “Luxury”, she says, “is about sensing the work of human hands.” Finally, Virginie Friedmann and Delphine Versace (Friedmann&Versace) will present “Constellation”, their furniture collection that is a tribute to fine craft artisans, like so many stars that light up their creative sky. The wood inlay on their folding screen has been crafted by visual artist Antoine Laborde in the form of a fantastical landscape. Their coffee table is the work of both glassmaker Olivier Juteau and bronze maker Eric Lopes de Sousa, with its feet cast by the last artisan to have worked with Alberto Giacometti. And their mahogany sofa has been made by Henryot & Cie and upholstered with Dedar fabric. Head over to Codimat on rue du Cherche-Midi to discover these one-of-a-kind pieces.