Alexis Delletery is the founder of Maison Delletery. An atelier dedicated to the production of hand-made, unique items inspired by the Art Deco era.

Welcome to December 2017  Focus On: Object Designer Alexis Delletery

How did you first become interested in design?

I was born into an antiques family. My parents had an antique shop on Rue de Lille in Paris and I literally grew up in the store; they would take me to the store and put me in an antique cradle. Up to my teens, I would go with them to antique fairs and shopping trips, sometimes even missing school. Growing up in this environment, I developed my taste for art and decoration, but not only that, for me it is a necessity.

Porte de Clignancourt

Then I graduated with a degree in Art History from the University of Sorbone in Paris. There, I extended my vision of Art that was more classical, particularly to Greek, Roman, Medieval and Renaissance periods. I saw different ways that creations could take forms to. Different answers artists could propose to the spirit or the needs that each era posed. With a big change happening after the industrial revolution artists and designers during the Art Deco period overthrew many rules. But still stuck with the most important one: functionality. This appealed to me and I started germinating the idea of creating some pieces of my own.

After the university, I took over my family’s antique business for a decade. And observed that times, crowds and needs are changing faster than anybody in the business would expect. I also wanted to use my creative side. The fact that many people want to buy things that are artistic and useful cemented my decision. I told myself that I will create objects to satisfy those who don’t necessarily want sixteenth or seventeenth-century antiques nor something mass produced. In fact,  I want to create unique pieces for them. Creating something the way I envision it, through the design, the aspect, and the practicality is essential for me.

How did you come to choose shagreen as your medium for creating your objects?

I grew up surrounded by shagreen objects. In the antique business, we sold many pieces made with shagreen. Restoring some shagreen pieces also made me aware of the difficulty in working with the skin, and I always loved the beauty of this material. My grandfather was a “décorateur d’intérieur” in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. And worked with shagreen skins, as it was en vogue at the time. Discovering a few pieces of skins at my grandfather’s workshop, I was struck by the strength of the raw material and the softness when it gets a smooth finish. Given the opportunity, I decided to buy a bulk of shagreen skins from the late 50’s, raw, untreated and not tanned. Working with these old skins is very challenging, intensely laborious, and time-consuming, as these old skins are tougher than the new ones. But I like the challenge and the results.

shagreen in green, natural and blue

Once I saw a pair of shagreen lamps by Karl Springer from the late 20th century, and I realized that there is still room for this material in the 21st-century design world. This pushed me to the last step of creation: realization.

Whose work do you turn to for inspiration?

I usually start drawing some ideas on a sheet of paper, trying to forget all what I know, which is impossible in fact. What you create reveals your knowledge. As I am classically trained, I wouldn’t call myself avant-garde.

Most of the time I end up with similar designs, in term of harmony, balance or aesthetics. With shagreen, you are more or less stuck to the substrates itself. You have to structure the substrates in the way you want the objects to form. You can wrap a substrate, lay it on a flat surface like a table or furniture. Or you can use it in a geometric way mixing it with other materials like exotic wood for instance. This last option brings you back to the Art Deco era, which I think is the period that highlights and enhances shagreen as a material. Designers like Clément Rousseau and Ruhlmann created in this field, and it is hard to not have been influenced by masters like them.

The danger is to produce something that looks déjà vu, or worth a copy. So you have to always question and search for new ways to produce your objects.

Ruhlmann

You create mirrors and table lamps which are available through Sutter Antiques in Hudson, NY. Are there other objects of art that you’re currently working on? If so, where can we find them?

I am currently working on a lamp for a client – a custom order. It’s an ideal situation as I like to discuss different ways to design something. The end product is truly unique designed with the client in mind.

I also work on jewelry using the scraps of skins and was once asked to do a pair of earrings as a custom order. People really appreciated the look and the spirit of my design, so it encouraged me to develop a small line of jewelry. Each piece is individually handmade. I am now using exotic woods or metals like copper, brass, and aluminum along with silver but I am considering using precious metals and gemstones to take it up a notch. Selected pieces are available at Chestnut Wood Working Showroom in Kent, CT. You can also visit us on Etsy at Alexis Shagreen Shop. Any feedback or suggestions are welcome.

Left: Art Deco-inspired pin filled with red resin and segmented by rosewood.  Right: Black resin and shagreen with copper trim earrings.

What sort of response have you had to your work?

I did a local art fair in Connecticut this past summer. I was struck by people’s curiosity for shagreen skins and how much they appreciated a hand done, one of a kind piece. Sometimes I had to explain the lengthy and manual process to produce my pieces, from cleaning the skins to the final work, and I think people better understand the effort that goes into the production, which explains the price for the pieces. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive and encouraging. I am looking for more ways to connect with clients and designers in this way.

Where do you see your business in five years?

I would like to continue to challenge my designs and skills. I have more design ideas than I can find time to produce. Perhaps in five years, I will realize many of my ideas…! I am planning to develop a line of small furniture like side tables, pedestals, dresser mirrors, etc., anything that is beautiful but useful in everyday living that really enriches interior decorations.

It would be interesting to see if my ideas to produce more upscale jewelry finds a good audience. So far the signals are good that people want handmade, unique pieces. I plan to maintain my artistic and artisanal spirits so I would like to balance the scale of production to the business needs. But it would be good to reach a wider audience across the country. And perhaps find presence in a few international markets. My pieces may be available in Paris soon and I hope to deepen my collaboration with Sutter Antiques. To contact Alexis Delletery please email him at maison.delletery@gmail.com

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Lainie Grant and Matt Larkin are the talented duo behind interior design firm – Grant Larkin. Specializing in high-end interiors and garden design.

Welcome to May 2017  Focus On: Designers Lainie Grant and Matt Larkin

How did you come to choose interior design as a career?

M: I have been in love with old houses and furniture since I was in Grade School. In College, I dealt in 20th-century decorative arts, and after graduation worked in a studio doing restoration of French Art Deco, when that ended, and Lainie and I married, we had to figure out what to do!

What do you like most about the work you do?

M: I think it’s the collaborative process. There are so many working parts and personalities that every day is different.

L: Shopping!

Do you recall your first design project?

M: Oh yes, We were commissioned to redo the original Alice’s restaurant in Stockbridge and we did it in exchange for our wedding catering. It was over-the-top fantasy with polished faux lapis lazuli woodwork, a cloud ceiling, and hand cast sconces that were woman heads with copper crowns. We had a blacksmith make a huge console table that had a forged frieze with a gastronomical theme that was gilded in 24K gold! It was crazy. The building inspector delayed the opening for a day because he thought the flakes of gold that were drifting thru the air was some kind of violation…

Do you focus on the same design details or are you each responsible for different aspects of a project?

M: I do the overall concept, I hand draw all plans and elevations. Lainie and I collaborate on the selection and design of the furnishings, and Lainie’s main focus is color, fabrics, and surfaces.

Does your approach to design differ from one another? If so, how?

L: We have been collaborating for 30 years now, our point of view has become refined and shared.

Do you have a preference for antiques or modern?

M: We LOVE design in all aspects. I grew up with love of the 18th and 19th century. Lainie opened my eyes to Edwardian, the Aesthetic period is especially attractive to us. In college, I collected and dealt in 20th century classic modern, and I have to say that the current trend toward contemporary craftsmanship and design is fantastic.

What advice would you give a young married couple contemplating entering into a business venture together?

M & L: Acquire a taste for clear liquor, and get dogs.

What quality or qualities must a “well designed” room possess?

M: Suitability is essential. We have been entrusted with creating the backdrop for people’s lives, and it must reflect their perspective, with a tweak, of course.

What’s your favorite room in a house to decorate?

M: The whole thing. We put as much care into the front hall closet wallpaper as we do to individual rooms.

How would you describe your design aesthetic?

L: That is easy. Matt and I give our clients the BEST of whatever it is they like. We are as comfortable designing a Colonial Revival pile as we are with a sleek modern penthouse.  And as students of design history, we love combining antique and modern. If we had to choose ONE thing that was consistent in our work it is realness. Hand plastered walls, the best hardware that the budget allows, classic silhouettes.

Do you ever disagree strongly on a design decision?

M: Sure, it is inevitable.

How do you reach a compromise?

L: Honestly, Matt usually wins, though not every time…

Has your style evolved over time?

M: Well, we look at stuff we did years ago and it still holds up, but there are design trends that our clients key into that we fit in.

Do you collect? If so, what?

M: Just a little… We haven’t met anything we don’t WANT to collect. Our Greek Revival home is furnished mainly with 19th-century antiques mixed with furniture of our own designs. We used to surround ourselves with LOTS of it, but we have been editing down to our favorite stuff. We have also over the last 10 years or so replaced most of the period art with emerging contemporary artists, often a friend’s work. Lainie has a passion for animal imagery, and German stuffed animals. I collect early photography, daguerreotypes mostly, stuffed in drawers…

Do you have a favorite item in your home? One you are unwilling to part with?

M: Here we go, it’s Sophie’s Choice… If there was a fire I would grab the Cynthia Wick painting of our topiary garden, and Lainie may grab the 19th-century clown shoes that we have owned since before we were married or her German gnomes!

 Cynthia Wick Painting                                                                                                             clown shoes

German gnomes

Is there a period or style that makes you cringe?

M: Oh yes, There was a fad recently of thinking rock maple colonial furniture from the 1950s and 60s was cool. In the words of the great John Fowler it is PPF/Poor People Furniture. And has no place whatsoever anywhere near us.

Cushman maple armchair

What quick fixes can we do right now to update a room?

L: Paint it, and throw half the stuff out.

Where do you turn for inspiration?

M: We have a huge library of books on design of all periods, but honestly, our Instagram feed now is as good as it gets.

Tell us about your most challenging design project.

M: Trying to work with difficult people, and by that, we mean those that don’t know what they do or don’t like. That is tough.

Not only do you create beautiful urban and rural interiors from classical to modern, your talents also extend to the great outdoors. In 2000 you founded Black Barn Farm Topiary. Tell us about your work there.

Black Barn Farm

M: Well, it came about when we bought our home in Richmond, MA and I was determined to have a big topiary, and unlike Europe, it just doesn’t exist. So I took an adult education program at a local high school and learned how to weld so I could make whatever fantastical creature as well as traditional forms I wanted. The result is that we have a few hundred pieces of it in the garden. And, as a result of no one else doing it, I work on installations around the country both public and private. Is is also my justification for being outdoors!

You design high-end interiors and gardens, but wait – there’s more! You also have a custom furniture and lighting line available through Grant Larkin. How did that come about?

Grant Larkin Furniture line

M: When I was doing restoration work after college I came in contact with incredibly skilled craftsmen that populate Berkshire County. Personally, I have always been a “maker”, so combining that with our passion for decorative arts it was a natural extension. Often you have a vision of what the perfect thing is for a specific location and the only way to achieve it is to have it made. I do the drawing, and use specific craftsmen to execute it. Over the years we have cultivated a handful of makers who know how we like to have things done.

Lighting

M: The lighting started when we were doing a big modern house in the Berkshires and I wanted to introduce architectural lighting that would compliment the Nakashima furniture, an updated “Craftsman” look we were doing throughout. I started looking at the lighting of the Wiener Werkstatte, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Japanese architecture. The resulting “Mack” lantern was born. I gave one as a gift to our friend Gray Davis who used it in his office, whose conference room was shared with Thom Filicia. Thom used them in a home he designed for Jennifer Lopez

it was published in Vogue, and they totally took off. Thanks to the invention of Pinterest we still get calls weekly, and that’s over 10 years ago.

Lighting

What are you currently working on?

L: We are putting the finishing touches on an apartment in the San Remo for clients that we had worked with up here in the country, a spectacular modern home that takes its inspiration from the Far East. The apartment is a calm oasis of pale tinted plaster, silvered floors, and contemporary furniture.

Berkshire Botanical Garden

M: In addition to that, we are currently working on the renovation of the Berkshire Botanical Garden’s historic Center House. It is a 2.5 M project for which we have designed all the interior spaces and lighting. It is really going to be a terrific addition to the visitor experience at the Garden, with gallery space to feature art focussing on botanical, landscape and natural history. There will be a spectacular entry foyer with living walls of understory tropical plantings, and a new classroom and teaching kitchen where the Garden can expand its programming in the popular “farm to table” movement that is gaining so much attention.

Grant Larkin located in Richmond MA can be reached by phone at 413-698-2599 or by e: mail info@grantlarkin.com

Frank Rosa

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