Turn your maison into a house of games
If you want to up the coolness factor in your home interiors this season, you just have to play, declared Vincent Gregoire, official trend spotter of Maison & Objet at the recent Paris design and decorating show. He takes his cue from the generation that grew up with electronic and digital gaming: the 25 to 45 year olds who are born gamers and are clued in on “the society of the spectacle” and the world of entertainment. They are also keen on playing with styles and codes. In an era of doubt and uncertainty, Gregoire considers play as “a positive reflex, a way of facing up to the difficulties of daily life and escaping from the pressures that bear down upon us.” This escape mechanism, a strategic way of skirting reality may be viewed as an out-of-sync attitude but seems inevitable, he says, because of “the lack of ideals that characterizes a period deprived of any major narratives.” He observes how the middle classes in many countries feel lost and how the ruling elites are being called into question.
A jaded society that has seen and tried everything may learn from the gaming crowd by just living in the moment and trying to make life as entertaining as possible. Play and games actually make it possible for people to meet and bond. Contrary to the notion that the much-maligned Generation Z is anti-social and glued to smartphone or computer screens, a recent study carried out by the NellyRodi Agency for Google revealed that its members have “a great capacity to switch off and value the notions of sharing and community very highly.” The popularity of board games has increased, enabling us to reestablish relationships and develop a new social schema.
In terms of creativity, the gaming theme is translated into a desire for recreation as well as “re-creation.” The mainstream brands like Prada, Louis Vuitton and Hermes have already launched luxury versions of playing and tarot cards as well as chess and domino sets. Alexandra Llewellyn has an ultra-luxe backgammon kit made from iron wood with gold hinges, ebony and walnut detailing, lacquered playing pieces and leather-lined rosewood shakers. Bespoke commissions can incorporate semi-precious stones and inlaid initials while a risqué version has nude pin-ups for after-hours play.
A new form of preciousness is evolving, according to Gregoire: “It is neither naïve nor nostalgic. Elegance is born out of the interpretation and juxtaposition of iconic elements, an incongruous collage of unlikely associations that is a source of amusement, but is fascinating at the same time.” There is a desire for fantasy, but an offbeat variety already seen in interior design and decoration that favors a baroque revival style evoking the 19th century and the Second Empire style of the Napoleon III era. Ornamentation, not that it really left, is making a remarkable comeback. Gregoire describes this new maximalism as “an attention to detail that is not immediately perceived; a new form of mannerism cultivating an intriguing beauty meets bizarre vibe.” Unlike the era of conspicuous consumption, the expression of wealth is now more nuanced, layered and complex.
In his inspirations exhibit, Gregoire had three rooms which he imagined as a succession of boxes that open to reveal how we play games. The first one explored board games through a giant chess set with checkerboard floor and walls. Every chess piece is replaced by a masterpiece — stools, side tables and sculptures by noted designers and artists. It’s a metaphorical setting, he says, “questioning the notion of social position and strategic concern for appearances, in a dandy-inspired environment — a dramatic and theatrical approach to decoration with lots of chiaroscuro creating a sense of mystery.” Likening it to a poker player bluffing, he uses cases, boxes and alcoves to hide and then show.
“It’s a new decorative art that plays with the style codes of pomp. There is also a mix of styles, periods and genres in a collision and combination of signifiers that give rise to an organized and positive form of bedlam that both provides entertainment and fosters creativity.”
The second room gives a perspective on posture and imposture and the revival of the Dada spirit through an interpretation of roleplaying games. Lining the walls is Michaël Cailloux’s custom-made wall paper, “Jeux de Mains,” symbolizing man’s fusion with nature in a design where plants and bodies mingle. Dominating the space are framed irreverent pieces by Blasé that use destroyed art works which are reworked and given a second life. They look like traditional classical paintings at first glance until you notice details like a suited man crossing his legs wearing fetish black stockings, an archbishop clutching an album of “Queen” and a distinguished gentleman holding a rolled dollar bill to get the party started. Other pieces featured use collages, rebus and the exquisite corpse, “all in a historic and hysterical mix-and-match décor.”
We encountered games of chance in the final room, highlighting the role of serendipity in the creative approach of the theme. For Gregoire, we are no longer sure about anything and anything can happen. He cites how the robot, AlphaGo, recently beat Lee Sedol, one of the world’s best players of Go, the abstract strategy board game. The digital and industrial revolutions mark the end of the 20th century, challenging the rational, Cartesian mindset of the past. Creation is fueled by trial and error and serendipity plays a big part.
“We allow ourselves to be carried away by the unexpected and by chance meetings, as a means of doing away with what is already known and all too predictable.” Chance games provide inspiration for a boudoir showcasing “a cheerfully occult form of easy esotericism” and the return of the unexpected. We are not just pawns in a pre-programed system, after all, says the trend spotter — “Our imagination produces bizarreness in a Dadaist or surreal register.” A lot of surreal works like insects with human faces by Frederique Morrel and eyeglass bead amulets by Marion Delarue illustrate this occult vision intimating the realm of the fantastic, reflecting a desire for self-protection, a way of warding off the evil eye and allaying our fears.
In the House of Games, there is a great amount of freedom when it comes to style. “To each his own!” says Gregoire. “What matters is the capacity to surprise, to become a sensation. He cites examples of trends, though, from style setters like Nendo who uses chevron and chessboard motifs for Seibu department store. In Paris, the 19th century predilection for alcoves and drama is being revived in places like the restaurant La Belle Époque, the private club Castel and in the hotels Mathis and Maison Souquet designed by Jacques Garcia with the ambiance of a brothel. The new eccentric decorative spirit is also alive in fashion — Gucci’s latest collection by Alessandro Michele juxtaposes various styles and eras, blurring lines and subverting various elements.
In designing interiors, Gregoire sees the comeback of 19th century kissing benches, indiscret sofas and the padded Chesterfield chair. With accessories you have to assemble a rich décor evoking wunderkammers with display cabinets, fisheye mirrors, trophies and even “jewelry” for the walls in the form of intricate art objects, sculptures and curiosities. It is no wonder that there is a growing demand for cabinets, precious cases and boxes.
For materials, anything denoting preciousness is key: in the spirit of the Belle Époque, go for taffeta, satins, velvets, lacquer, passementerie and cut crystal. Gregoire also sees a parallel between the industrial and the digital revolution where illusion games, reflection and transparency inspire décor with a high narrative content like the wallpapers of Philippe Morillon and the collages and stained glass panes of Studio Job.
And the color for this theme? Try theater or opera red and the red of brothel lights. “Halfway between transgression and revelation, red deepens the magic conveyed by these exuberant, joyous and sensuous worlds.”
