Pierre Yovanovitch on reviving French design house Ecart, and the ‘beautiful things’ ahead

It was two days before the reopening of French design gallery Ecart, and Pierre Yovanovitch was discussing with his team how to best display the swivel feature of a low-backed chair. The chair was not one of Yovanovitch's own sought-after designs, but, rather, created by the Hungarian-born American designer Paul László some 80 years ago.

Ecart International was founded by the legendary French designer Andrée Putman in 1978 to reissue important design pieces by neglected early 20th-century talents such as Jean-Michel Frank, Pierre Chareau and Eileen Gray. Yovanovitch acquired the company two years ago by buying the artisanal furniture maker D'Argentat, which then owned it. When Yovanovitch took over Ecart (he subsequently dropped 'International' from the name), the once beloved brand was, as he says, 'sleeping'.

Now he has big plans for it. 'We have an open road ahead of us to do beautiful things.’ Under his artistic direction, D'Argentat will craft every reissue as a faithful replica of the original. 'The same proportions, the same material,' he says. 'It's an homage to the designer to do exactly what they had in mind.'

A new era for Ecart

The company will continue to manufacture works by some – though not all – of the designers from Ecart's old catalogue. Yovanovitch is particularly excited about reviving other historic names from France, Italy and the United States, noting, 'I can enter the lives of designers I've always admired.' (He won't, however, produce any of his own furniture for Ecart, keeping it under the umbrella of his eponymous brand.)

László was an easy choice for Ecart's first new collection (which will be made to order). Around 25 years ago, while decorating a townhouse in Paris, Yovanovitch picked up some striking pieces by the designer at vintage galleries in Los Angeles. The Hungarian émigré had been a favourite of the Hollywood elite, with clients including Elizabeth Taylor and Ronald Reagan, and his brand of California modernism blended the formality of European modernism with the comfort and volume of American luxury lifestyle.

'After that, his name was always in my head,' recalls Yovanovitch. 'And when we wanted to relaunch Ecart, I said why we don't start with this American designer that I like? We contacted the family, and they were super enthusiastic.'

László's son, Peter, agrees. 'I think my father would be both proud and amused that some of his pieces are being recreated again. His only concern would be that the quality of the reissued pieces be kept to the same exacting standards of the original pieces. I’m very pleased that the Yovanovitch team has done such a fantastic job.'

Ecart still occupies its former Left Bank gallery space on Rue Jacob, recently renovated with an elegant (though risky!) white carpet and midcentury gold-yellow walls. Within, Yovanovitch has arranged ten newly reissued pieces by László.

A ‘Palisades’ coffee table in the gallery window has a transparent Lucite top, a solid wood base and a reflective stainless steel detail on the feet. 'It looks like nothing else,' raves Yovanovitch. An ‘Avondale’ sideboard, first produced in the 1950s, features a 'woven' wood veneer. A fabulous low ‘Wilshire’ console was originally made for screenwriter/producer Joan Harrison around 1942. And an ‘Arcadia’ armchair with an open wood frame, splayed legs and rattan seat and back is sure to please contemporary American clients with its generous proportions.

On the walls, archival photos show László's designs in California homes, along with a quote from him that's as relevant today as his furniture: 'One million dollars will not build the perfect house. You somehow can't put everything you want into it. It's largely a matter of taste, judgment and talent.'

Ecart, 18 Rue Jacob, 75006 Paris