Design - Ideas And Inspiration From Those In The Know

MIX AND MATCH

- Laura Gonzalez

MIX AND MATCH

Embodying a new generation of young French interior designers succeeding the likes of Christian Liaigre or Philippe Starck, 2019 Maison & Objet Designer of the Year Laura Gonzalez’s warm, inviting and maximalist style boldly mixes genres that speak directly to the heart. She talks to writer Y-JEAN MUN-DELSALLE about the evolution of her style, her hands-on approach to design and some of the key design projects at France’s legendary venues.

From historic restaurants Laperouse and La Gare, traditional brasseries La Coupole, La Lorraine and Auteuil, the Sir Winston Churchill pub/restaurant, and hotels Relais Christine and Maison Malesherbes to the concept store 86Champs showcasing L’Occitane and Pierre Herme, as well as Cartier boutiques worldwide, go-to architect and designer of the Paris jet set, Laura Gonzalez has left her invigorating mix and match touch on each of these, conquering the French capital by transforming its legendary venues and masterminding original spaces from the ground up.

Named Maison&Objet’s Designer of the Year 2019, she is not shy about imposing her signature style – a daring blend of revisited classic references and plays of materials, fabrics, colours, patterns, textures, crafts and eras.

Combining multiple sources of inspiration, her artistic eclecticism imbues each of her projects with a soul. Believing that design is like fashion, where you have to mix things up, her interiors may be mismatched, but they work together.

A Star is Born

Born in Paris in 1983 to a family of entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry, Laura was raised in Cannes. An only child, she followed her parents everywhere, from museums and auction houses to flea markets and antique shops.