A professional resource for the design curious

Get the latest design news direct to your inbox!

Hermès Brought the Sun to Fuorisalone

A Luis Barragan-inspired pavilion by Hermès at La Pelota housed objects of absolute precision under striking light and shadow during Milan Design Week.

  • A quilted cashmere rug by Seulgi Lee at the Hermes Pavilion during Milan Design Week 2017. Photo copyright François Lacour

  • Les Curiositiés d'Hermès scarf cabinet by Studio Hermès. Photo copyright François Lacour

  • The Aes cast bronze table by Barber & Osgerby. Photo copyright François Lacour

  • Looking into the pavilion from outside. Designed by Charlotte Macaux Perelman. Photo copyright François Lacour

  • The Karumi bench and triangular stool (bamboo and carbon fibre) by Alvaro Siza. Photos copyright François Lacour (left) and Maud Remy Lonvis (right)

  • Log Basket from the Lien d'Hermès collection, designed by Studio Hermès in collaboration with Guillaume Delvigne and Damian O'Sullivan. Photo copyright Maud Remy Lonvis

  • Left: Groom Attelé from the Lien d'Hermès collection, by Studio Hermès in collaboration with Guillaume Delvigne and Damian O'Sullivan. Right: Picotin from the Équipages d'Hermès collection, by Studio Hermès. Photos copyright Maud Remy Lonvis

  • Diligence serving trolley from the Équipages d'Hermès collection, by Studio Hermès. Photo copyright Maud Remy Lonvis

  • Attelage desk from the Équipages d'Hermès collection, by Studio Hermès. Photo copyright Maud Remy Lonvis

  • Hermès on the Wall - an installation of wallpapers on store facades around Milan's Brera district. Photo copyright François Lacour



BY

April 19th, 2017


To understand the objects and furniture for the home by Hermès – and they are indeed objects to be understood (the result of an intellectual as much as a passionate and creative approach) – is to understand the heritage of Hermès.

The brand’s equestrian roots (in saddle and harness making in the 1830s) continue to permeate through its design for the home, which is lead by Deputy Artistic Directors Charlotte Macaux Perelman and Alexis Fabry under Artistic Director Pierre-Alexis Dumas.

The focus of many of the objects is leather as a form of linkage – dressing objects as it dressed the horse in the form of saddles and harnesses. More accurately, the leather is used as a means of ‘revealing’ the objects just as it formerly ‘exposed’ the body of the horse (which was previously concealed and hampered by ceremonial trappings). As lids, straps and sheathing, leather serves as a link between materials such as maple, lacquer, wicker, crystal and metal, as well as between the object and the user of the object.

The Collections for the Home 2017-2018 consist of multiple families of objects, and it is in the Lien d’Hermès collection that the focus on leather as a link is most apparent. Designed by Studio Hermès in collaboration with Guillaume Delvigne and Damian O’Sullivan, in this collection bridle leather sculpts and draws forms such as hangers a log basket, and outlines shapes such as vases and boxes. In the Équipages d’Hermès and Object of Art de Vivre collections (designed by Studio Hermès), leather sumptuously lines surfaces on a serving trolley, occasional table, writing desk and small boxes.

Other newly released objects include a trio of bamboo seats with removable leather cushions titled Karumi – designed by Alvaro Siza and shaped into extremely precise and sinuous forms by a Japanese master craftsman with a fusion of carbon fibre. Barber Osgerby also contributed with a monumental cast bronze coffee table titled Aes. Plaids, furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and a porcelain dinner set completed the presentation of objects.

“Our main highlights are precision, balance, the match between the various materials,” Alexis Fabry told us at the Hermès pavilion at La Pelota. Charlotte Macaux Perelman added, “There is a very strong link between the architecture we’ve chosen, the objects and the scene. We really wanted to strike a balance between the three things.” Similarly, the objects themselves are presented in a balanced manner with a non-hierarchical sequence. “Everything is on the same footing, be it textile, wallpaper, home object, tableware or furnishing,” said Fabry.

Macaux Perelman designed the pavilion of whitewashed brick walls, vivid red paving bricks (handmade in Italy) and over-sized timber beams that cast intense diagonal shadows over a brightly lit sequence of rooms. “We wanted a very light place with a Mediterranean atmosphere. We really wanted to create a tension – a sort of vibration – and convey the impression of light and the impression of not being in a pavilion but being in a building,” explained Macaux Perelman.

From the form and detail of each object to the form and atmosphere of the pavilion, the presentation conveyed absolute precision. One would expect nothing less of Hermès.

INDESIGN is on instagram

Follow @indesignlive


The Indesign Collection

A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers


Indesign Our Partners

Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!

MillerKnoll: The great responsibility of great design

MillerKnoll: The great responsibility of great design

As MillerKnoll offers a deep-dive into some of the company’s ESG initiatives with the recently released 2023 Better World Report, we take a closer look at their unwavering commitment to transformative design – and the belief that with great design comes great responsibility.

Living Edge is building a bright future with B-Corp

Living Edge is building a bright future with B-Corp

For Living Edge, B-Corp certification was the next appropriate step in a long journey focused on building a truly sustainable and socially responsible business. In 2023 they achieved certification at their first pass, giving customers a new level of environmental assurance and the company an important milestone to celebrate across two decades of staff-led, sector-leading sustainability practices.

Etiquette: The charm of good manners with Didier

Etiquette: The charm of good manners with Didier

Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.

Delighting in details: What the trendjournal can do for Australian design

Delighting in details: What the trendjournal can do for Australian design

Marylou Cafaro’s first trendjournal sparked a powerful, decades-long movement in joinery designs and finishes which eventually saw Australian design develop its independence and characteristic style. Now, polytec offers all-new insights into the future of Australian design.

Related Stories


While you were sleeping

The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed