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As Sunday 22 September 2024 was the equinox, we’ve officially entered the gentle mildness of autumn until the solstice on 21 December signalling the start of winter. These two seasons have their own charms, which inspired the present eighth edition of T magazine.
We open with a tribute to Alexis de La Falaise (1948-2004), a gentleman designer who focused his attention on Tectona classics in the early 2000s, refining their contours. Tectona are thankful to him for creating Biblos, a bookcase whose beautiful original forms helped it become one of our icons.
Next is another chapter in the saga of our 1800 collection, a regular favourite of architects. This time it’s the turn of Hugo Toro, the young FrenchMexican architect who completely reconfigured Mas Candille, a 5-star hotel near Mougins. Here, the reddish tones of the furniture, floors and walls are in perfect dialogue with the sun, in the summer and in the winter.
In June, we were at Villa Noailles for the second edition of Prix Tectona Design Parade. Among the ten young designers invited to imagine a table, it was Gabriel Hafner who won over the jury. His easy-to-transport table consists of a foldable base and a tabletop reminiscent of a beach mat. Moreover, the tabletop in textile and wood fibre can be unwound like a picnic blanket.
Our Workshop opens its doors to shine a spotlight on 1800, one of our flagship collections since its creation in 2006. The collection, made from aluminium, was the origin of our famous blue-grey colour. It drew inspiration from the Directory style,
with its classic structure and sober ornamentation carried out by our Workshop using traditional sculpture and casting techniques.
We then take a leisurely stroll in Varengeville-sur-Mer, in Le Bois des Moutiers, a garden recently given a new lease of life under the expert eye of the American landscape gardener Madison Cox, on the order of new owners Sophie and Jérôme Seydoux. The goal was to rediscover the soul of this garden created in 1898 by Guillaume Mallet; every step was guided by a deep humility and a respect for perpetuating the history of the place and safeguarding its future.
The latest addition to the ever-growing list of cultural venues choosing Tectona furniture is Fondation Bemberg. This cultural powerhouse, housed in Hôtel d’Assézat, Toulouse, offers many treasures: paintings, objets d’art and furniture, covering the history of art from the end of the 15th century to the dawn of the 20th. As with Musée Picasso Paris, visitors can put their itinerary on pause a few moments while seated on a Muse bench designed by Isabelle Baudraz and fabricated by Tectona.
Finally, this edition’s furniture selection invites you to enjoy the calm and serenity of these autumn and winter ambiances, whether by the fireside or in snowy landscapes.
By Alyette Debray
Portrait by Jean-Marc Palisse
A multitalented designer and expert in working with wood, this artist collaborated with Tectona many times. We have him to thank for, among other things, the pyramidal bookcase Biblos, imagined in the early 2000s and which has since become a bestseller.
Life is a series of beautiful encounters. One example was the one between Tectona and the creator Alexis de La Falaise in the early 2000s, when Arnaud Brunel took over the outdoor furniture brand created in 1977. Alexis de La Falaise made a wonderful impression with his refined, gentle, discreet and modest character. “He had a natural elegance and a great sense of colour,” remembers Arnaud Brunel.
Alexis de La Falaise was born in London in 1948, and studied in England then the United States. He was an all-rounder, having worked as a cook, farmer and cabinetmaker before becoming a designer and interior designer. These varied experiences no doubt provided that extra spark for his creations. He had a keen sense of detail, whether applying finishing touches (marquetry, gilding) or choosing materials (walnut, sycamore, leather). “From the very first day I was given a toolbox, I’ve loved working with wood. When I was older, I taught myself by reading, and wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always had a workshop,” he confided to Le Figaro in the 1990s. He passed away in 2004.
His first furniture collection, exhibited at Cour Intérieure gallery in 1990, revealed the extent of his skills. Subsequently, Alexis de La Falaise worked with some of the greatest: creators like Kenzo and Diane von Fürstenberg, artists like Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, interior designers like Jacques Grange and David Mlinaric. “And also with Inès de La Fressange for whom he decorated several boutiques,” relates Arnaud Brunel.
With Tectona, he started by giving a make-over to some of the brand’s classics, refining their lines to lend them a more elegant touch. This is how he revisited the iconic collection of teak furniture Goa, drawing inspiration from Arts & Crafts furniture that revitalised crafts like cabinetmaking. He then decorated the historic store in Rue du Bac, Paris, then imagined Biblos, a rotating bookcase in satin-varnished teak.
Biblos has stood the test of time and has become an iconic Tectona piece. When drawing the lines, Alexis de La Falaise drew inspiration from the Temple of the Obelisks that he had discovered during a holiday in Lebanon. With its pyramidal form, Biblos can comfortably hold oversized artbooks as well as conventional books. As a literature buff, Alexis de La Falaise paid homage to the Great Library of Alexandria, which was a shining beacon of knowledge in Antiquity.
“My goal is to create modern things that can become old things, by looking beyond the fleeting nature of contemporary productions, to that which lasts, ages gracefully and passes down generations,” explained Alexis de La Falaise once. “I try to imagine furniture that will remain in families for at least a century.” These words are perfectly encapsulated in the Biblos bookcase, a piece that seems to defy the passage of time.
BOOKCASE
BIBLOS COLLECTION
61 × 205 cm
By Elsa Cau
Photos by Matthieu Salvaing
The latest hotel project by young architect-decorator Hugo Toro spotlights his dream-like vision of the South, a cross between California and the French Riviera. From the interior to the poolside, nothing is left to chance.
Without a doubt, time freezes when you arrive here. The portal in wrought iron opens to reveal a path lined by olive trees. In the hillsides of Cannes, near the picturesque village Mougins, Mas Candille offers a spectacular view of the hills of Grasse shaded by large pines. For his first hotel project, the young FrenchMexican architect Hugo Toro — the man behind the renovation of Villa Albertine in New York and the future Orient Express Hotel “La Minerva” in Rome — offers a synthesis of his architectural vision: a sunny and friendly blend of Provence and California influences, in his own terms. Red marble, leather and stained oak, soothed by green tones of water, are found throughout the 21 guest rooms and the common areas of this 5-star hotel.
The only part of the former hotel that remains is the “container”: the entrepreneur Jean-Philippe Cartier, an associate of the Courtins-Clarins family, gave free rein to Hugo Toro for the renaissance of the premises, to express himself through the interior design and also the decoration and design in general: he designed a good proportion of the furniture and his touch is everywhere from the motif of the carpet to his sketches and photographs. Several charming antiques are interspersed throughout the establishment, even its recesses. Hugo Toro successfully rose to the challenge of creating a setting that transcends seasons, open all-year around, suitable for long winter evenings around a stove and for idle days spent poolside.
The outdoor also received a high level of attention, with its centrepiece the bean-shaped swimming pool with the Hollywood feel. In fact, the hotel has two swimming pools: Glow House, the new one, an indoor/outdoor pool designed by the architect for the Clarins Spa; the other, the original with its typically 1960s shape forms the foreground to a spectacular view. As a finishing touch, half-way between jetsetting vintage-era California and the relaxed indolence of the French Riviera, Hugo Toro chose the 1800 collection by Tectona in black to adorn the poolside area, with sun loungers and gueridons in the Directory style. Amid such elegant and laidback classicism, it’s easy to imagine yourself — just for an instant — inside a Slim Aarons photograph.
By Giovanni d’Odorico Borsoni
The second edition of Prix Tectona Design Parade, which rewards a member of the new generation of contemporary designers, was held in June at Villa Noailles, the modernist masterpiece constructed by Robert Mallet-Stevens on the hills of Hyères.
Gabriel Guevrekian was only 26 years old when the architect Robert Mallet-Stevens entrusted him with the design of the modernist garden of the new residence he’d just built for Charles and Marie-Laure de Noailles in Provence. With a dash of audacity and a certain lack of scruples, Guevrekian transformed the completely sterile terrain into a veritable Cubist painting, one of the earliest striking examples in the history of modern gardens.
In keeping with Charles de Noailles’s well-known support of modern artists and as a tribute to his passion for gardens, Tectona returned to the Design Parade festival with a special prize aiming to reward promising young talents in Contemporary Design and to promote research in outdoor furniture. As Blanche Aloisi-de Crépy, Managing Director of Tectona, puts it: “We all like living outdoors, and I’m always surprised to see that the overwhelming majority of images posted on social media — which are supposed to depict the happiest moments of our lives — were taken outdoors… This is why it’s essential to create furniture and other outdoor items that are timeless, resistant and able to be passed down the generations”.
For the second edition of Prix Tectona Design Parade, ten designers were invited to design an outdoor table, and the only brief was to use metal or other material that is rot-proof and resistant in the long term. Taken together, their creations resembled a handbook for outdoor living. The jury, presided over by designer Fabien Cappello and guided by Jean-Yves Grandfils, a recipient of the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France award and director of the Tectona Workshop, selected the proposal submitted by Gabriel Hafner, prizewinner (class of 1995) of Lausanne design school ÉCAL, who found
inspiration in the very essence of a picnic… His table, extremely practical, has two parts: a foldable wooden base and a textile/wood fibre braided mat. Gabriel Hafner explains: “My starting point was a picnic blanket mixed with a beach mat, which I lifted to a suitable height, finally placing it on two trestles, which I transformed into a foldable base… The thing I liked about it is that you can open it up, or close it, in a single movement”.
“The ability to rapidly transform a space, thanks to garden furniture, was very appealing to us,” adds Blanche Aloisi-de Crépy. “This ‘fluid’, light, adaptable piece is an ode to fineness”.
Above: The prize-winning table.
By Dany Sautot
The bench in the Directory style acquired by Tectona in 2004 would give rise to the now-iconic 1800 collection; below we reveal some secrets of its fabrication.
The bench is from the home of the famous decorator Madeleine Castaing (1894-1992) in Lèves. The neoclassic Directory style heavily influenced furniture between 1789 and 1803. Inspired by Antiquity, these pieces of furniture had simple lines and featured ornamentation that was both refined and discreet. The sober lines of the bench inspired the 1800 collection, the first models of which appeared two years later.
Although the classic forms are conserved, the bench has been made lighter by replacing the original wrought iron with aluminium. The Tectona Workshop knows this metal inside out: aluminium has a density one third that of teak, making it ideal for furniture that is easy to move around. In addition, it is resistant to all types of corrosion and is waterproof.
Thanks to the use of aluminium in the 1800 collection, the Tectona colour palette was enriched in 2006. The colour is obtained by powder coating, a process in which paint in powder form is projected onto metal via an electrostatic effect, and subsequently polymerises when passed through an oven at 200 °C. This technique not only gives a durable colour to the furniture but reinforces its shock resistance. Inspired by historical English colours, the blue-grey tone developed by the Tectona Workshop became the brand’s signature, and was followed a few years later by the colour black.
The rigorous lines of the 1800 collection are softened by the various decorative motifs: the flowers and rings at the intersections between the aluminium elements, the stylised swan-neck armrests of the armchairs. Each decorative element is first sculpted at its actual size in lime tree wood, then an elastomer mould is taken. Next, a resin replica is made and a metal mould created using the “cire perdue” technique. Molten aluminium is cast into this mould; once cooled, deburring removes the traces of the casting technique.
Classic and contemporary, 1800 meets the needs of people looking for outdoor furniture that is simply attractive, easy to use, weather-resistant and fits into any setting, whether urban or rural.
By Emmanuel Ducamp
Acquired by Sophie and Jérôme Seydoux in 2020, the large park Le Bois des Moutiers, located at Varengeville-sur-Mer in Normandy, has just been restored under the direction of American landscape artist Madison Cox.
Who could have predicted that Madison Cox would return to Le Bois des Moutiers nearly forty years after his first visit in 1982. At that time, he met Mary Mallet— daughter-in-law of Guillaume Mallet, the park’s creator –, who had set out to revitalise the gardens from 1954, after the neglect and the damage suffered during the Second World War. Cox’s first impression of the place, and one that only intensified during his second visit in 1992, was that Le Bois des Moutiers is not like other parks: it has its own character, a singular spirit that some might call a soul. By a marvellous twist of fate, he returned for a third time in May 2019, when the new owners entrusted him with the park’s renaissance.
What makes up the soul of a garden? Its geographical location for sure, the ups and downs of its terrain, the nature of its soil, its orientation in relation to the sun’s trajectory and how it captures light… factors that Guillaume Mallet weighed up before choosing to settle there in 1898. He saw potential but the challenge was not minor. The best view, out to the sea, was directly north, with an immediate plunge to a small valley; to the south, a relatively limited space was broken up by the access path to the house. The latter is what prompted the great British architect Sir Edwin Lutyens and his partner, landscape artist Gertrude Jekyll, to create, on the south side, leading up to the house, highly architectural gardens containing high walls enclosing garden rooms. On the other side facing the sea, Guillaume Mallet allowed “nature” — and a less formal, “English” landscape — to flourish, taking advantage of the soil’s acidity and the possibility of planting azaleas and rhododendrons, flowers for which Le Bois des Moutiers would become famous. Over the years, the spirit of the garden persisted but several defects started to appear, hindering its long-term viability and rendering a full restoration more than overdue when the new owners arrived.
Given that the park’s soul was so strong, “stronger than an individual’s ego” in the words of Madison Cox, it was very important both to him and to Sophie and Jérôme Seydoux that the project be handled with humility: their watchwords were to honour and to preserve. To preserve, it was first necessary to carry out “in-depth” work, “all the stuff you don’t see”! It’s often overlooked that the perennity of plantations depends on the quality of the soil and on its drainage, especially in undulating terrain and a region — Normandy— saturated with water. The first key stage of the project consisted in repairing all drains and creating water reserves. In a park of the age of
Le Bois des Moutiers, the second stage was to evaluate the health of the trees, to determine which ones to eliminate and which ones to keep; and, among the latter group, which ones to reinforce with suitable pruning. One of the park’s vital characteristics is its proximity to the sea, and this dictated the third task: it was crucial to recreate a beautiful view to the sea from the bottom of the park, just above the meadows where Monet often came to paint.
In parallel with the restoration, new plantations were also made because a place like Le Bois des Moutiers cannot remain sterile or static. A labyrinth of yew trees and lines of fruit tree palisades came into being in the former vegetable garden; the collection of Japanese maples at the bottom of the park was enriched; willow trees were planted above one of the sea-viewing locations. In addition, it was decided to not add to the rhododendron collection, the reason being that it was highly representative of the period of the original plantation and restraint had also been exercised with the many new cultivars of the 1960s.
Taking together this restoration work, carried out by Madison Cox in collaboration with Fabien Caumont, Erik Moraillon and Guillaume Proust, in accordance with the principles “Plant small” and “Do better than doing it quick”, the reopening of the park to the public for guided visits, proof that the new owners have continued the philosophy of sharing beauty, it is clear that Le Bois des Moutiers is destined to have a long and prosperous future.
Deep gratitude is due to Sophie and Jérôme Seydoux for making this renaissance possible, 125 years after the creation of one of the most beautiful examples of “English-style” French gardens.
By Pierre Léonforte
by Fondation Bemberg
Toulouse. The Pink City of red bricks where Georges Bemberg decided to set up his foundation, inaugurated in 1995. The head of a South-American industrial empire, born in Argentina in 1915 to a family originally from Cologne, was also a humanist writer-patron and occasional playwright, author of several works published in France, and an enlightened collector who himself liked to say that he bought his first artwork — a gouache by Pissarro — at the age of 18. His trajectory attests to his artistic sensibilities: he studied literature at Harvard; took piano classes by the great Nadia Boulanger; lived in Paris and New York, spending summers in Venice. Over time, he built up an extensive art collection, guided solely by the emotions stirred up in him by a painting, a sculpture, a piece of furniture, a ceramic object… Today the collection covers five centuries of history, amply demonstrates his eclectic and refined tastes and is replete with masterpieces by Cranach, Veronese, Van Dyck, Della Robbia, Renoir, Zurbaran, Van Dongen, Dufy, Braque, Sickert, Maillol and, his favourite, Bonnard. In addition there are several works by Clouet, the artist behind the famous portrait of King Charles IX, which can be seen in all its majesty here. Georges Bemberg died in 2011, without direct heirs, but not before he had created his own foundation where we can today admire the treasures within the venerable grounds of the recently renovated and expanded Hôtel d’Assézat.
Before hosting the art collections of Fondation Bemberg, Hôtel d’Assézat had a turbulent history. It was built in a pure Renaissance style of the mid-16th century by the Toulouse-born architect Nicolas Bachelier on the order of Pierre II d’Assézat (1515-1581), who had made his fortune in the production of woad, also called “blue gold” or “dyer’s pastel”, cornerstone of the dye industry in Occitania. Pierre II d’Assézat also served as personal treasurer to Eleonor of Austria, second wife of King François I, then as a capitoul (municipal officer), but his political influence was annihilated by the wars of religion: as a Protestant, he was banned from Toulouse for 10 years, spending his exile in Bordelais until he was granted a pardon in 1572. His mansion was passed down by his descendants for two centuries, before being sold to the Baron of Puymaurin, who renovated it according to the fashions of the time then sold it in 1791 to a company specialised in noble woods and exotic objects. A century later, in 1895, it passed into the hands of bankerpatron Théodore Ozenne who restored it before transferring ownership to the City of Toulouse, which brought under one roof various Learned Societies and Academies hitherto scattered around the city, including the venerable Académie des Jeux Floraux (poetry) founded in…1323! A century later, in 1995, Fondation Bemberg joined the resident Academies. Red bricks and cut stones: the general appearance of Hôtel d’Assézat is a textbook example of the Renaissance style. The building, which is of course listed, recently underwent a technical and museographic renovation under the joint direction of architect Philippe Pumain and Jean-Louis Ribière, Chief Architect of Monuments Historiques. After three years of closure, the building opened once again to the public a few months ago, heralding a new museum experience with new exhibition spaces under the direction of Ana Debenedetti, Director of the foundation since July 2022
Inaugurated in 1995, Fondation Bemberg reveals its treasures, which have grown over time with bequests and donations, as the proud owner of a private collection would. There are no longer reproductions hung in accordance with now-obsolete rules. In with the new! A new palette of plain colours for walls, new display cases, a new configuration of objects exhibited according to the original hierarchy: paintings from the end of the 15th century to the July Monarchy on the first floor; modern and avant-garde paintings on the second floor with thirty works by Bonnard. In addition to these two “eras” there are also other noteworthy collections: French and Italian art of the 16th century; furniture from the Renaissance to the 18th century; and sculptures in terra cotta and bronze. Moreover the collections have continued to grow via the acquisitions policy implemented by the President of the foundation Alfred Pacquement and the new Director Ana Debenedetti. The latter has a passionate interest in the Italian Renaissance and has previously worked at Victoria & Albert Museum in London, Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris and Hôtel Caumont in Aix-en-Provence. Under her tutelage, Fondation Bemberg also organises temporary exhibitions in the three rooms fitted out for this purpose on the ground floor and basement of Hôtel d’Assézat. Don’t miss the photography exhibition suggestively titled “Les paradis latins : étoiles sudaméricaines”, ending November 24.
The internationally renowned design school ÉCAL in Lausanne, Switzerland, has a track record of launching initiatives and competitions. Case in point: the design competition organised for Musée National Picasso–Paris with the aim of developing new seating for the visiting public. The winner was Isabelle Baudraz with Muse, a modular, stackable oak bench produced in 2017 by Tectona. Since its reopening, visitors at Fondation Bemberg can break up their visits by enjoying the Muse benches. Ana Debenedetti spotted the model in the Tectona store.
“It’s only later that I saw it at the Musée Picasso in Paris!” she adds.
MUSE COLLECTION
110 × 46 cm
75 × 46 cm
When snowfall is forecasted, it will take just a moment to store away the cushions of your garden furniture. The chest has a lock and also a retaining system to prevent the lid from closing abruptly.
RECTANGULAR CHEST
132 × 74 cm
.02
Ideal for reading or for discussing the big issues of the day while comfortably seated by a fireside, this bridge armchair blends into any setting, outdoors or indoors. It features a generous seat and a curved backrest that hugs the occupier. Openwork slats help to lighten the visual impact.
64 × 55 cm
You can combine individual seat and corner modules according to your needs and whims. Comfort is assured by the wide seating and the perfectly dimensioned cushions. The silhouette shows off the beauty of teak, here formed by thick sections with legs in particular cut from a single block.
Its mere presence lends a touch of elegance to its surroundings. The neoclassic Directory style is as suited to the outdoors as to an indoor lounge. It is made of aluminium, with lines enhanced by a decor that is both sober and discreet. Two colours are available: black or blue-grey.
After skiing or snowshoe hiking, take a well-earned rest to enjoy the beauty of your surroundings. The wide gently slanted seat in combination with the gently inclined backrest invite you to long periods of relaxation.
The key to the armchair’s comfort is the discreet system enabling two inclining positions for the backrest, one for reading or conversing, the other for daydreaming! The depth of the cushions contributes fully to the cocooning effect of this armchair.
Stores
Paris
36 rue du Bac 75007 Paris Tel. +33 1 47 03 38 05 paris@tectona.fr
Lyon
8 rue Antoine de Saint Exupéry 69002 Lyon Tel. +33 4 78 37 05 05 lyon@tectona.fr
Saint-Rémy de Provence 7 avenue Albin Gilles 13210 Saint-Rémy de Provence Tel. +33 4 32 62 05 05 saintremy@tectona.fr
Vallauris
3015 chemin Saint-Bernard 06225 Vallauris Tel. +33 4 92 96 92 29 vallauris@tectona.fr
Switzerland
Store
Nyon Avenue Viollier 4 1260 Nyon Tel. +41 22 700 10 10 suisse@tectona.ch
Spain
Italy
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Madrid Calle de Claudio Coello 22 28001 Madrid Tel. +34 91 781 18 45 madrid@tectona.es
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Milan Via della Moscova 47/A 20121 Milan Tel. +39 02 65 34 23 milano@tectona.it
Portugal
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www.tectona.ch suisse@tectona.ch +41 22 700 10 10
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www.tectona.fr info@tectona.fr +33 1 47 03 05 05 36 rue du Bac, 75007 Paris
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Marion Guéroult mg@tectona.fr + 33 7 86 34 21 99
Mireille Vosgien PACA Region m.vosgien@tectona.fr + 33 6 84 95 99 42
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Roberto Bolzoni rb@tectona.ch +41 79 322 84 31
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www.tectona.es madrid@tectona.es +34 91 781 18 45
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Mar Izquierdo mizquierdo@tectona.es + 34 627 57 93 12
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www.tectona.it milano@tectona.it +39 02 65 34 23
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www.tectona.pt portugal@tectona.pt +35 19 22 27 92 60
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Massimo Bufi m.bufi@tectona.it + 39 351 39 69 798
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Mariana Abreu Lima ml@tectona.pt + 35 19 22 27 92 60
All countries
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www.tectona.fr info@tectona.fr +33 1 47 03 05 05 36 rue du Bac, 75007 Paris
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Marion Guéroult mg@tectona.fr + 33 7 86 34 21 99