There are certain perks, says Pierre Frey, communications director of the firm whose name he shares, to living ‘above the shop’. The grandson of the French fabric house’s founder moved into the apartment on the top floor of the headquarters, in a magical triangle between the Opéra Garnier, the Palais Royal and the Louvre, as a student. When he eventually joined the family business, ‘I was working day and night; it was very convenient,’ he says.
Following a five-year stint in New York, he returned to Paris and took over the whole of the fifth floor of the building with his wife Emilie. When the couple had kids, the benefits of living so close to Pierre’s place of work became even more evident – his commute was a matter of seconds. ‘It was fabulous to be able to see my children in the morning and at lunch,’ he says.
Naturally, maintaining boundaries and a sense of balance was almost impossible, but when you’re the third generation in a family business, that distinction is less important. ‘Of course, I never stop,’ he concedes, adding: ‘I can go back to my desk in the evening, but after all these years I think I’ve found my way to have two separate lives, even if I’m still in the same building.’
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As well as being their city base (the family also owns a country house in Normandy), the apartment serves as a laboratory to test out the company’s furniture, fabrics and rugs, which provides valuable insights, such as the time Pierre realised that a sofa he was developing ‘was not as comfortable as it was supposed to be!’ Team meetings and client lunches also happen in this space, as it makes the perfect showcase for the firm’s products in an authentic family home.
After a decade of living in the flat, with the children no longer climbing on the furniture and drawing on the walls, it was time for a refresh. Architect Eleonora Santucci, who designed the company’s new offices, worked with the couple to convert a former storage space under the roof into more spacious bedrooms for their sons Georges and Marin, accessible via an Eiffel-period steel staircase salvaged from a demolition site.
In came new textiles and wallpapers from Braquenié, Le Manach and Thorp of London – all houses that now sit within the Pierre Frey family – fresh paint colours and upholstered furniture designed for the maison by names such as Christophe Delcourt and Sebastian Bergne.
Now centred around a convivial island, the kitchen was treated to a spring-like pistachio green makeover, while a wall in the living room was transformed into a tactile talking point with Le Manach’s art deco-inspired ‘Bosquet’ fabric in pink and green. The couple added objects and art picked up on their travels that had been in storage and opened up the space to bring in more of the famous Parisian light. Several of the lamps seen throughout the rooms were created by Emilie under her company Caneloupo.
‘There’s a space I really love, right in front of the library, with the big pink chair,’ says Pierre. ‘It’s large enough that I can sit with my kids on me to read together.’ Another treasured piece is the bronze bust of his great-grandfather René Prou, a gift from his father, Patrick. Prou was a renowned designer in the interwar period. ‘He’s actually one of the reasons we’re all in this industry,’ Pierre explains. ‘He decorated department stores, carriages for the Orient Express and luxury ocean liners, including the famous Normandie.’
Pierre Frey’s grandfather started the business in 1935 in Paris, designing fabrics and subsequently adding furniture, wallpaper and rugs to the offering, as well as acquiring historic French textile houses such as Braquenié and Le Manach. Pierre’s father joined the company in 1969, and Pierre and his two brothers have been working in the business for the past 20 years.
One of the brand’s great strengths lies in its remarkable archive, containing more than 30,000 textiles. These provide a rich source of inspiration for the design team, and while it would be easy to assume that historic fabrics are mostly chintz or toile de Jouy, the team often discovers surprisingly modern-looking 18th- and 19th-century patterns that lend themselves easily to contemporary homes.
There’s something to suit every kind of client, ‘from a young woman to an older couple, from a flat in Paris to a loft in New York or a hotel in Shanghai’, says Pierre. Nature is a big influence, as demonstrated in the range that was recently launched at Maison & Objet in Paris, which referenced the dunes and dusty-golden tones of a desert.
Next up is Salone del Mobile in Milan, where the French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac will create a large, colourful structure in the heart of the city to serve as a preview of the fabric and rug collection that will launch in September. ‘It should be the talk of the town,’ says Pierre, smiling.
Maybe it’s because the majority of the fabrics are still woven in the firm’s mills in northern France, but there is something instantly recognisable and quintessentially French about Pierre Frey’s designs and products. Informed by the country’s history and culture – even the quality of the light – percolating through generations of the same family, it couldn’t be otherwise. ‘My father, my brothers and I breathe creativity – so does our team,’ Pierre says. ‘Whether in the workshop, the studio or the showroom, this is what we stand for.’ pierrefrey.com
