LAURA GONZALEZ
with American designer Schumacher. Patterns inspired by India, rubbing shoulders with her hand- painted Madras armchair and Mawu chair, a bestseller. “We’ve sold three thousand of them...” Laura Gonzalez says with a smile, proud of the progress she’s made. When she opened her agency in 2008, although she was still a student at Paris-Malaquais, she already stood out from the crowd due to for her taste for floral fabrics, printed carpets, vintage furniture, objects picked up at the flea markets, and luxuriant plants… an antithesis of minimalism she defines as a “A chic mix & match.” Ideal for decorating new restaurants searching to create a unique identity, reviving iconic institutions such as Lapérouse, or giving the Saint- James a particularly refined and romantic aura. When asked who inspires her, Laura Gonzalez cites Madeleine Castaing, Renzo Mongiardino or Tony Duquette – adepts of strong, narrative decoration that is neither nostalgic, nor hostile to the past. Clearly design isn’t really her cup of tea.
4 l La chaise Mawu recouverte des tissus Bangalore Imagination et Pipe Illusion, sur fond du tissu Liana Dream, le tout maison Schumacher.
Today, she has moved her agency to a building in the capital’s 16 th district, where a 50-strong team works tirelessly as projects continue to pile up. Cartier called on her to bring a whimsical feminine touch to their historic New York address as well as other boutiques across the globe. In New York, she redesigned Printemps so that it resembled a luxury apartment rather than a department store. A showcase for her work, much like the gallery she opened in the city last summer. A second showroom for the decorator, but nothing like her Parisian haven. There is twice as much space, allowing her to showcase a wider range of her aesthetic and creations. An immediate success, rewarded with the task of designing a particularly delightful apartment. Back in France and specifically in Paris, she will soon be under the spotlight again as she and Pierre-Yves Rochon share the design of 23 apartments that the Maybourne hotel group is marketing in iconic Saint-Germain. Perfect pied-à- terres for Americans seeking a touch of French flair.
www.lauragonzalez.fr
5 l Un des salons du flagship Cartier à New York.
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